by Wayne Jackson<\/p>\n
The writers of the Gospel accounts – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – quite definitely affirm that Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God and that he performed miracles to authenticate that affirmation. Further, they allege that even though Jesus was put to death on the cross, after three days he came out of the grave, thus, forcefully demonstrating that he is Jehovah’s beloved Son and that his authority must be respected. There is really no dispute about what the record claims.<\/p>\n
How do skeptics address these historical records? Generally speaking, they assert that the New Testament writers fabricated the accounts. The writers knew that Jesus did not do these things; they simply invented the stories. Will this charge stand up in the light of logical inquiry? Let us think about it for a moment.<\/p>\n
Logically speaking, it is the case that either there is an eternity wherein one will give an account for the deeds of his life, or else there is no existence after death. The logical “law of the excluded middle” – a thing either is or it is not – demands this.<\/p>\n
Now, reflect upon the implications of this principle in light of the charge that the New Testament writers lied about the events in the life of Christ. If they believed in eternity, why would they falsify the records regarding Jesus, knowing that such lies would exclude their entrance into heaven? Lying is well-nigh universally conceded to be unethical.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, if Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John did not believe in eternal accountability, and so callously fabricated the documents that affirmed Jesus’ divine nature, why would they have subjected themselves to the persecution that accompanied Christianity – since this life would be all they believed they would ever enjoy?<\/p>\n
It makes no sense at all. This is a problem that no skeptic can explain. The New Testament documents are reliable!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Wayne Jackson The writers of the Gospel accounts – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – quite definitely affirm that Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God and that he performed miracles to authenticate that affirmation. Further, they allege that even though Jesus was put to death on the cross, after three days…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[568,37,225],"class_list":["post-42837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-apologetics","tag-inspiration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7797,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/which-old-testament-prophet-did-jesus-quote-the-most\/","url_meta":{"origin":42837,"position":0},"title":"Which Old Testament prophet did Jesus quote the most?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Which Old Testament prophet did Jesus quote the most? Answer: I have not taken the time to make an exhaustive list of every quote Jesus made in the Gospels. But I have found several writers mention that the most quoted books in the Gospels are Deuteronomy and Psalms. Deuteronomy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44034,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wasnt-luke-a-disciple-of-paul\/","url_meta":{"origin":42837,"position":1},"title":"Wasn’t Luke a disciple of Paul?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Wasn't Luke a disciple of Paul and not Jesus though he did follow Jesus. So were the other three gospels were written even later because Luke didn't come in the picture till 30-40 years after our Lord's death. Answer: Luke is never described as being a disciple of Paul.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89953,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-jesus-retrofitted-onto-the-prophecies-of-the-old-testament\/","url_meta":{"origin":42837,"position":2},"title":"Was Jesus “Retrofitted” onto the Prophecies of the Old Testament?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton If the gospel writers just made the story of Jesus fit the Old Testament, what were the secular historical accounts doing? Tacitus (c. 56-120 CE), the Roman historian, in his final work Annals (written around 115 CE), wrote about Emperor Nero's persecution of Christians following the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4178,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-you-trust-early-christian-writers-when-you-disagree-with-them-on-some-topics\/","url_meta":{"origin":42837,"position":3},"title":"How can you trust early Christian writers when you disagree with them on some topics?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 18, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I appreciate and respect your willingness (and the willingness of your church) to so openly and staunchly defend your beliefs to the world. If anyone \"has a ready answer,\" it's the folks at La Vista Church of Christ! You previously wrote: Allow me a moment to answer your last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50990,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-the-gospels-not-historical-because-they-are-theological-documents\/","url_meta":{"origin":42837,"position":4},"title":"Are the gospels not historical because they are theological documents?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello. I just saw your study on Jesus being rejected at Nazareth after teaching in the synagogue. I am currently in a graduate-level course before I start my grad studies. I've been looking at your studies for quite some time since I became Christian, and I appreciate your loyalty\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28343,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-matthew-and-john-not-be-eyewitness-accounts\/","url_meta":{"origin":42837,"position":5},"title":"Could Matthew and John not be eyewitness accounts?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My friend sent me this critique on the gospels of Matthew and John not being eyewitness accounts. He said, according to the majority viewpoint, this gospel is unlikely to have been written by an eyewitness. 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