WHO IS JESUS?

IF THE GOSPEL IS TRUE, CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

1 Corinthians 15:1–5 “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.”

THE APOSTLE PAUL

ACCEPTED BY ALL HISTORICAL SCHOLARS (SKEPTICS AND BELIEVERS) AS HISTORICALLY RELIABLE.

SKEPTICS WILL ACCEPT 7 BOOKS AS WRITTEN BY THE HISTORICAL PAUL

ROMANS, 1&2 CORINTHIANS, GALATIANS, PHILIPPIANS, 1 THESSALONIANS, PHILEMON

WHO IS PAUL

A PHARISEE — The Pharisees developed a tradition of strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, developing an extensive set of oral extensions of the law designed to maintain religious identity and purity.

PERSECUTED FIRST CHRISTIANS

Galatians 1:13–14 “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”

Acts 7:57–59 “At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 8:1 “And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.”

Acts 9:1–2 “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”

MET JESUS ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS AND IMMEDIATELY WAS CONVERTED TO “THE WAY”

Acts 9:3–29 “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have h…”

PAUL’S FIRST MISSION

PAUL’S SECOND MISSION

PAUL’S THIRD MISSION

TIMELINE OF THE GOSPELS

JESUS CRUCIFIES AND RESURRECTED: 30 AD

MARK WRITTEN: 70 AD (+40)

MATTHEW WRITTEN: 80 AD (+50)

LUKE/ACTS WRITTEN: 85 AD (+55)

JOHN WRITTEN: 90 AD (+60)

WHY SO LONG?

PLATO: 800 YEARS

ALEXANDER THE GREAT: 300-400 YEARS

JULIUS CAESAR: 80 YEARS

JESUS: WITHIN SIX MONTHS

HOW WE GET TO SIX MONTHS

PAUL VISITS CORINTH IN 51 AD (+25) AND WRITES 1 CORINTHIANS IN 55 (AD)

1 Corinthians 15:1–9 “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

PAUL GOES TO JERUSALEM A SECOND TIME TO MEET WITH PETER, JAMES, AND JOHN IN 48 AD (+18)

Galatians 2:1–2 “Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.”

Galatians 2:6–7 “As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.”

PAUL GOES TO JERUSALEM THE FIRST TIME IN 35 AD (+5)

MEETS WITH PETER (CEPHAS) AND JAMES (JESUS’S BROTHER)

Galatians 1:18–20 “Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.”

PAULS CONVERSION ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS IN 32 AD (+2) AND SPENDS THREE YEARS IN ARABIA

Galatians 1:11–12 “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 1:15–17 “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.”

SCHOLARS BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN GET TO WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THE RESSURECTION WHERE CREEDS WERE FIRST RECITED AND ESTABLISHED.

EXTRA BIBLICAL SOURCES FOR JESUS:

TACITUS: ROMAN HISTORIAN 56-120 AD

CONSIDERED THE GREATEST ROMAN HISTORIAN IN THE TIME OF JESUS

FIRE IN ROME IN 64 AD WAS BLAMED ON “CHRISTIANS”

PG 12: EVIDENCE FOR JESUS MCDOWELL

JOSEPHUS: JEWISH HISTORIAN 37-100

REFERS TO THE DEATH OF JAMES THE BROTHER OF CHRIST

AT LEAST 10-15 OTHERS WITHIN 120 YEARS

SO IF WE TRUST THE GOSPEL, WHAT DOES JESUS SAY?

John 8:58 ““Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!””

John 1:1–5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

GOD ANNOUNCES THE GOSPEL TO ABRAHAM

Galatians 3:8–9 “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

Genesis 22 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb …”

WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, NOT WORKS (LAW)

Romans 3:24–28 “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”