WHYJESUS?

HIGH SCHOOL EDITION
This paper is dedicated to
you the reader.
 
 

Al Provost Printed August 1999

CONTENTS

Why Jesus?

Were We Created?

Is The Bible Reliable?

Did Jesus Live?

Is Jesus The Creator and God?

What Is A Christian?
 
 

Why Jesus?

Why are you reading this paper? Perhaps you are a Christian who wants to learn more about your Christian faith. Or perhaps, you received this paper from a friend, someone who "just cares" about you or from a loved one. You may believe deeply in the Bible or you may have questions concerning some of its content. Whatever your position may be, I hope your questions will be answered by the following information. The reason for this writing is directed by the Lord. So please stay with me! The Bible, in Jude 3, urges us . . "to contend earnestly for the faith"(contend means to debate or explain) . . . and 1Peter 3:15 states to . . . "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is in you" . . . I am writing this paper as directed by our Lord and Creator. I urge you to read all of the enclosed information and keep an open mind to the facts and evidence that are presented. In most cases, I will not present a proof of a particular subject, simply because a proof is not possible. For example, I can not prove creation. Also, there is no proof for evolution. However, I will present strong evidence for creation. Facts and evidence will be presented, with which, you will be able to answer the question. WHY? I will give you evidence so that you and you alone will be able to decide what is true and what is not. All of the following information is written and presented in love.

It is true that "faith" is a basic ingredient within Christianity. However, the more knowledge of the facts and evidence that we obtain will increase our confidence that our faith is reality. For example, lets say you have a legal problem and you have faith in Mr. Smith because he is a lawyer. Then you hear from one of his clients and he tells you that Mr. Smith went to a good university, is up to date with all the latest legal data and court cases, and listens very well to what you have to say. You read an article that Mr. Smith has written on your legal problem and you like what you read. As the evidence increases, your confidence in Mr. Smith increases and likewise your faith in his ability, even though you may have never met him. Do you see the comparison to Jesus? We have never seen Him yet we have faith in Him because of the evidence.

This paper will discuss two main subjects: 1) were we and all that is around us created or not?; and 2) is Jesus Christ the one and only God and creator or not?

Were We Created?

There are many questions that could be asked about these two subjects. A first question may be "WHY are we here?"; and how did our existence on earth begin? The answer is very simple: either we were created or we were not created. If we were created, it logically follows that there is a creator.

However, if we were not created, how did we come to be? By chance? Evolution? Well, lets talk about evolution for a moment. Is the earth old enough to support the theory of evolution? Is there any evidence to back the claims for evolution? Some believe that the earth is approximately 6000 years old as indicated in the Bible (one day of creation is 24 hours). The evolutionists agree that it would take billions of years for life to form. So, the young earth proposal does not fit the idea of evolution by anyones standards. It doesnt allow nearly enough time for evolution to take place. So what about the old earth idea? Some old earth believers say that the earth and universe are somewhere between 3 billion years and 13 billion years old. There is not enough space or time to cover all the areas associated with the possibility of a human evolving to the intellect and physical stature as we are today. However, just a few points of evidence to show that evolution is not feasible.

Point one: many scientists tell us that it would be difficult if not impossible for the accidental formation of only one of the human

cells. And in every human cell there are many parts. Now if we could compute the time required to form one human cell, by chance, it would take more than 100 billion years. Compare that to the estimated (old) age of the earth (set at 4.6+/- billion years).

Point two: evolution says that things started from nothing then grew and changed from one specie to another, i.e., say an alligator to a dog? If that is true, there should be fossils (bones) from the animals between the alligator and the dog. However, a fossil of these transition animals has never been found. It is completely missing. WHY?

Evolutionists say that all living things improve with time. However, the very complicated 2nd law of thermodynamics, in physics, states that all energy is decreasing so that at some point in time all things will die. For example, our sun, will not burn "forever"; it is dying. And, the first principal of physics states that if you start with nothing, you get nothing. Therefore, the universe started from something. Who made that something? AND WHY?

The theory of evolution really pertains to the physical. How does evolution account for moral consciousness, feelings like love, hate, depression and so many more?

So now lets go back to the idea of a creation and a creator, whom we will call GOD. Some questions we have simply, dont have an answer, like, "Who made God?" Some answers must be left to faith. We as humans have faith in many things. Such as, "WHY" does the earth have perfect tilt and rotation? "WHY" does the sun give us perfect heat, light and gravity? "WHY" are the magnetic poles and the star locations perfect for navigation? "WHY" and how does the human heart get enough rest between 3,400,000,000 beats in a lifetime? You know that we could go on with a list like this for a long time. One of the greatest

scientists of all times, Einstein, said there must be a beginning "and the presence of a superior reasoning power, a creator." The words "by chance" always come up when discussing evolution. However, no one would believe that a computer could come into being without an intelligent designer, or a watch or a building or a car or an airplane etc. . . Could a monkey set up the type for Lincolns Gettysburg Address? How much more incredible is it to believe that the universe, in all its infinite complexity, could have "just happened" by chance.

Is The Bible Reliable?

Allow me to change directions and discuss the Bible for a moment. The Bible is a collection of 66 books. It was written by many different authors over a period of about 1600 years. Yet the entire Bible "fits" together as if it were written at one time. Unfortunately, some people dont believe the Bible while at the same time believe other history books as factual, such as writings about the roman empire, the pharaohs of Egypt, the history of the United States and so on. What evidence can be presented to establish the Bible as an accurate and reliable document? WHY not archeology? Archeology is the study of life in the past. We are fortunate to live in a time of history when there are many archeological discoveries. Since the middle of the 19th century, the number of "digs" has increased dramatically. Much of the work, or digs, have been in the area mentioned in the Bible. There have been almost uncountable locations, names and treasures that are indicated in the Bible that have been verified with the archeological digs. Not one of the archeological findings has shown the Bible to be wrong. On the contrary, when a dig involved an area of the Bible, it verified in detail, the description in the Bible. Another source that shows the reliability of the Bible are the "Dead Sea Scrolls." These scrolls were first discovered in 1948 in some caves in Israel. It is believed that the scrolls were placed in clay jars around 70 A.D. at the end of the uprising against Rome. The scrolls have been reviewed for content and discovered to be the same as the Bible of today. In other words, our Bible has not changed in 2000 years. WHY? Besides the "Dead Sea Scrolls," many writings have been found to verify the reliability of the Bible. We will discuss the writings in the next section.

History tells us that the early Jewish historians were extremely careful in copying all of the books in the Old Testament. In the early centuries after Christs Resurrection, the rapidly growing number of churches and home groups required an increased supply of copies of the Old and New Testament books. The Gospels and Letters in the New Testament were transcribed with every bit the same accuracy as the Old Testament books were by the early Jewish historians. Since we do not have the original documents, we should ask, how reliable are the copies we have in regard to the number of originals and the time interval between the original and the copy. This time frame in some cases is less than 50 years.

When comparing the original writings of the New Testament with other ancient secular history, you will see that the quantity of New Testament writings are abundant. Lets take a look at these numbers:
 
AUTHOR WRITTEN EARLIEST 

COPY

 TIME

SPAN

 COPIES
Caesar 100-44B.C. 900A.D. 1000 years 10
Plato 427-347B.C. 900A.D. 1200 years 7
Aristotle 384-322B.C. 1100A.D. 1400 years 49
Homer 900B.C. 400B.C. 500 years 643
New Testament 48-110A.D. 125A.D. 15-90 years 20,000+

As I stated at the beginning of this paper, nothing has been "proven" here. However, the evidence for the Bible being an accurate document is far beyond reasonable doubt. Its not hard to understand WHY?

Lets look at more evidence. Are the Bible "stories" true? I will mention only one such "story" here. Many people do not believe the story of Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego, Daniels friends, who were thrown into a fiery furnace. They were not harmed by the fire. That story seems a bit hard to believe, Ill admit. However, in the year 168A.D., Polycarp, the leader of the church in Smyrna, was ordered to be burned alive. He was tied to a stake and the fire was set. According to eyewitnesses, Polycarp did not burn. Then the executioner stabbed him and Polycarps blood poured out and put out the fire. Unlike Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego, Polycarp did die, but from the stab wound not the fire. WHY?

Did Jesus Live?

The New Testament writings are about Jesus Christ. So, the next question might be, did Jesus really live? Many early 1st and 2nd Century non-Christians mentioned Christ in their writings. These writings confirm the fact that Jesus did live 2000 years ago. Now, since we have determined that Jesus lived and that the Bible is a very reliable document, our next question should be, "Is Jesus the Creator and God?" The well-known author, C. S. Lewis, makes the point that Jesus was either a liar and lunatic or He is Lord and Creator of the universe. There is no place for anything else, like "He was a good teacher." Nothing in the Bible or the action of his followers indicates this point of view. Lets first look at the possibility that Jesus was a liar and a lunatic. If Jesus was an ordinary man, and He claimed all that is in the Bible, then surely He was a liar. If that is the case, then you should feel sorry for all Christians because they believe lies and are completely lost spiritually. What remains is the proposition that Jesus is the Lord, Savior and Creator of the universe. Evidence shows that the Bible is a very reliable document. So, lets review a few prophecies in the Bible about Christ:
 
PROPHECY OLD TESTAMENT

REFERENCE

 NEW TESTAMENT

FULFILLMENT
Born of a Virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:22
Called Emmanuel

(GOD with us)

 Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23
Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:5
The Word (Jesus) was rejected Isaiah 53:1-3 John 1:10-11
Raised from the dead Psalms 16:10 Matthew 28:2-8

There are at least 40 more major prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus. The odds of one man fulfilling all of the prophecies is not likely and impossible without divine intervention.

What was so profound about what Jesus said and WHY? Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no-one comes to the Father (God) except through me". This was not some casual statement or threat. Jesus said it as fact. Jesus is God in human form, God the Son. If we want glorious eternal life, it comes through Jesus. Through the gospel, which is the power of God, for the salvation of everyone who believes.

Christians worship Jesus, the one true God. One objection to Christianity seems to be the unwillingness of the human to "Worship" anyone, even if that "one" is God. Most say "I will be O.K. if I am just a good person". Another objection to Christianity is the concept of the "trinity". If Jesus is God then the idea of the trinity (three persons but one GOD) must be true. Surely, God would not come to earth as a human and leave heaven unoccupied!

Most people reject the trinity! Because Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, many think of Christians as intolerant. However, Jesus commanded His followers to spread His word to all nations. Jesus told us to love Him and to love others. WHY did Jesus say these things? Because He wants all to know the "joy" that is found in knowing Him. That pure "joy" is WHY Christians share Jesus with friends and relatives.

The Christians assurance for everlasting life after death is based on the "faith" that Jesus Christ died for our sins and we will be with Him in heaven. Other religions require "works" in order to be "good enough." Within these two options lies a world of difference. Lets look into the difference. Say, all other religions and cults are right and Christianity is wrong. It seems to me that if I naturally do "good" for others and the community I will be "good enough" to go to heaven or where ever one goes after death. So, it appears I will be O.K. along with folks from other religions. However, if Jesus is God, and if Christ is the "Way the Truth and the Life" then the Christian is doing what God (Jesus) said to do and will be with Jesus, in heaven, after death.

What about the person who has heard about Jesus and rejects Him? Can you say for certain what will happen to that persons soul?

What Is A Christian?

I have mentioned Christianity a number of times in this paper. Just what is it that makes a person Christian? Well, there are five basic beliefs:

1. Believe that the Bible is from God and is without error.

2. Believe the "trinity" and that Jesus is the one true God.

3. Believe in the virgin birth and other miracles in the Bible.

4. Believe that Jesus, God the Son, died on the cross for our sins.

5. Believe that Jesus rose from the dead, is alive today and will return as King over all creation.

It doesnt hurt to believe in Jesus. But I wouldnt want you to accept Him blindly. Therefore, ask the Lord Jesus to reveal himself to you. Jesus is alive today and He wants you and me to have apersonal relationship with Him. WHY? WHY NOT? So we can love Him and be with Him for eternity!

Ask the person who gave you this paper for more information and to pray with you. Jesus is concerned with the attitude of your heart, and with your relationship with Him and your family and friends. If you are a member of another religious faith, you probably have some questions. Your questions are welcome and encouraged.
 
 

References Used:

The Creation Hypothesis, J.P. Moreland, page 145

A paper written by Jonathan Cederberg

Additional Reading: