How can we believe the testimony of the New Testament regarding the resurrection, when there are apparent inconsistencies and contradictions in the text, and when no two versions are exactly alike? Well, we may have many translations, and many versions, but all agree on the same general message. Versions and translations are the labors of men seeking to bring to the public the message of the unmerited favor of God towards us through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the visible manifestation of the invisible God. In a court of law the likelyhood of four or more witnesses all agreeing to the same lie reaches what is called today moral impossibility. Moreover, if the testimony of four or more independent witnesses agree basically to the same sequence of events, then the argument for the truthfulness of the main facts is greatly augmented by the conversion of their several perspectives. This is the state of the four gospels. The Bible was not handed down to us from heaven en-toto. It is a collection of independent works by over 40 authors over a period of 1500 years, and the only reason they are in one volume is for convenience, since they all deal with the same subject matter. I have been studying the Book for 20 years. The so-called "lies", "inconsistencies", "contradictions", and "conflicting" passages etc. are all resolved when original language, historical context, age or period, exegesis, dispensation, grammatical form, isogogics, textual criticism, canon, and other factors are taken into consideration when examining the text. The only blatant contradictions I find are those that are man-made, such as the doctrine of eternal security versus the doctrine of falling away. Blanket eternal security is without scriptural support, yet to lose one's salvation by falling into unbelief after having been saved is scripturally supported. You will find proponents on both sides of the issue, yet only the second is correct. These inconsistencies are what divide and ruin. The issue is not: "Can we believe the Bible, and therefore its message?" The issue is that apart from the Bible, Christianity was born through the proclamation of the Good News, and could continue to fluorish apart from the Bible if God chose, merely on the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God alone in his people as they testify of his Grace. The birth and founding of the church came about as a result of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, heretofore known as the Christ, or to the Jews, Messiah. He now lives on in his people in the form of the Holy Spirit. If the Pharisees, as worried as they were that his body would be stolen by his disciples and a claim made to resurrection from the dead, were able to produce a body to refute that fact, then they would have pulled out all stops in order to do so. They were not able to. The tomb was empty. Everyone knew which tomb it was. The Roman guards were under penalty of death if they failed in their duties. The Romans who crucified were experienced enough to know when a man was truly dead. It was their livelihood. That was at stake. They knew their job, did it well, and did it with glee. Now if Jesus were able to have survived mangulation, flogging, and crucifiction, and merely swooned, was in his weakened state able to move a one ton stone, and show himself in his emaciated condition to be some sort of believable example of a conqueror over death and the grave, then I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Jesus appeared in enough different places, to enough different people, and even to five hundred witnesses at once, who could have all been interrogated concerning the facts, if need be, yet all the authorities could do was to charge those propogating the Good News not to preach in his Name. The authorities were impotent to stop the momentum of the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now, if I remember correctly, all of the disciples were sniveling cowards, afraid of the authorities - all forsaking Jesus in his greatest hour of need; yet all became bold proclaimers of the Good News of the resurrection after the advent of the Holy Spirit of God to indwell them, and were in the face of the authorities even after threat of persecution and even death. If the resurrection of Christ were a lie - a fabrication, if you will, then why would these and others have given up their lives, fortunes and families to travel preaching the Good news? If the resurrection from the dead were a fabrication, would all eleven of those twelve disciples have given their lives for a fabricated lie? Those who wrote the records of Old Testament scripture were inspired of the Holy Spirit of God to do so, and their testaments were adequately preserved to us by the Masorites. As far as the New Testament is concerned, the church was born without it. The Gospel was oral, and took whatever form or shape the speakers and letter writers chose to use as they were inspired by the indwelling Holy Spirit in each believer. Paul and others wrote letters which were inspired. God works within the parameters of human agency - despite its fallibility. That does not in any way diminish or negate the message, nor the consequences of unbelief. We are saved by unmerited favor through faith, not by sight or proof. That is how God has chosen to work with us. He makes the rules, and calls the shots. It is his game. As an atheist, you have been giving audience to the wrong people for too long. You have heard their arguments for so long that you have espoused them as your own. Please, for your own sake, do some independent thinking and investigation. As long as you have breath, you haven't blown it yet. All religions are the efforts of man appeasing and attempting to gain the approbation and approval of God. Even atheism is a sort of religion - a religion of unbelief. Only Christianity, not as a religion, but as a faith, stands alone as God doing for man what man cannot do for himself - to satisfy the demands of God’s own justice for our sinfulness which is rebellion against him. Jesus Christ died an ignominous death - the just for the unjust - to pay the due penalty for our ineptitudes which are an affront to God's holiness and righteousness. That is the Love of God for you. Then he was raised from the dead for our justification, thus giving the stamp of approval by God that his sacrifice in obedience to God was accepted on our behalf, and that through him we may have everlasting life through belief in his Name. Place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved from the consequences of the life you have chosen. Adjust to the Justice of God before the Justice of God adjusts to you. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. |
New Testament Questioned
