How Can We Know Jesus’ Claims Are True?

All across America, men and women who were raised in the church have recanted their faith in Christ.

I see it all around me–in the media, in our churches, in our families.

When it comes to defending our faith, it all comes down to this question: How can we know Jesus’ claims are true?

Please see the end of this post for a giveaway of Crossroads, the latest Miller’s Creek novel and story about how a soldier wages war for the soul of a prodigal.

Because of my concern for loved ones who have turned away from their faith, I’ve been on a quest for well over a year now to better be able to understand and articulate my faith in Christ as the Son of God and my Savior with whom I have a personal relationship.

Though my upbringing in the church did a great job of growing my faith and my walk with Christ, it did very little to prepare me for the crisis that now faces us. Maybe it’s because at the time, in my little back-roads Bible-belt town, it seemed preposterous that we’d ever see the day when we would be challenged and attacked for our faith.

I’ve already written posts on two of the books I’ve studied–Finding Truth by Nancy Pearcey and The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel–both books I highly recommend. But of all the books I’ve read on the topic of defending our faith so far, I must confess that I find The Case for Christ (also by Lee Strobel) to be the most compelling for those who question the historical accuracy, identity, life, death, resurrection, and deity of Christ.

This post is my overview and review of this book.

How Can We Know Jesus’ Claims Are True? About the Book

A SEASONED JOURNALIST CHASES DOWN THE BIGGEST STORY IN HISTORY – Is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God? Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates who are specialists in the areas of old manuscripts, textual criticism, and biblical studies. Strobel challenges them with questions like: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event? Strobel’s tough, point-blank questions make this bestselling book read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it is not fiction. It is a riveting quest for the truth about history s most compelling figure. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ?

“Lee Strobel probes with bulldog-like tenacity the evidence for the truth of biblical Christianity.”  Bruce M. Metzger, PhD, Professor of New Testament, Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary

The Case For Christ – My Overview and Review

Lee Strobel was an investigative reporter and legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, as well as an attorney. Outside of his profession, he was a skeptic and atheist, who launched into an investigation of Jesus. Here is the conclusion he reached in his investigation, as stated in The Case For Christ:

Frankly, I had wanted to believe that the deification of Jesus was the result of legendary development in which well-meaning but misguided people slowly turned a wise sage into the mythological Son of God. That seemed safe and reassuring; after all, a roving apocalyptic preacher from the first century could make no demands on me. But while I went into my investigative thinking that this legendary explanation was intuitively obvious, I emerged convinced it was totally without basis….In light of the convincing facts I had learned during my investigation, in the face of this overwhelming avalanche of evidence in the case for Christ, the great irony was this: it would require much more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to trust in Jesus of Nazareth!

Drawing on his legal and journalistic background, Mr. Strobel interviewed experts in order to answer the following questions for writing this book:

Can the biographies of Jesus be trusted? (The Eyewitness Evidence)
Do the biographies of Jesus stand up to scrutiny? (Testing the Eyewitness Evidence)
Were Jesus’ biographies reliably preserved for us? (The Documentary Evidence)
Is there credible evidence for Jesus outside his biographies? (The Corroborating Evidence)
Does archaeology confirm or contradict Jesus’ biographies? (The Scientific Evidence)
Is the Jesus of history the same as the Jesus of faith? (The Rebuttal Evidence)
Was Jesus really convinced that He was the Son of God? (The Identity Evidence)
Was Jesus crazy when He claimed to be the Son of God? (The Psychological Evidence)
Did Jesus fulfill the attributes of God? (The Profile Evidence)
Did Jesus–and Jesus alone–match the identity of the Messiah? (The Fingerprint Evidence)
Was Jesus’ death a sham and His resurrection a hoax? (The Medical Evidence)
Was Jesus’ body really absent from His tomb? (The Evidence of the Missing Body)
Was Jesus seen alive after His death on the cross? (The Evidence of Appearances)
Are there any supporting facts that point to the resurrection? (The Circumstantial Evidence)
What does the evidence establish–and what does it mean today? (The Verdict of History)

As you can tell by scanning these questions, the author thoroughly investigated every detail of Jesus’ life. During the interviews, he presented opposing views and tough questions, not leaving a stone unturned in his investigation.

I particularly enjoyed how Strobel began each chapter (and investigative question) with an actual modern-day case that related to the type of evidence he sought with each question. He also did a great job of listing the qualifications of each person interviewed during the course of the book.

My own faith in Christ has been bolstered by reading this book, and I intend to pass it along to someone who once professed belief in Christ, but has since changed their mind and life direction. I believe that this book contains many of the answers that younger generations seek in their own questions about Christ.

I highly recommend The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel both for seekers and current believers. For seekers it provides much-needed proof and answers. For believers, it gives both assurance and practical ways in which to answer those who challenge our faith. Read this book. You won’t be sorry.

GIVEAWAY – Crossroads

Since the topic of Crossroads (the latest Miller’s Creek novel) deals with defending and sharing our faith in Christ, I’m giving away three print copies of the book via an Amazon giveaway.

Christian Contemporary Texas Romance (4.8 stars on Amazon)

A bitter single mom denies God’s existence until… What will it take to bring her back around?

After a devastating divorce, a bitter single mom and atheist starts her own real estate company in the nostalgic and picturesque town of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Then her young daughter’s disturbing symptoms lead doctors to discover that her leukemia has relapsed. With her new life now turned upside down, Mara Hedwig struggles to keep her business afloat. And her daughter’s worsening condition forces her to rethink her beliefs about Carter Callahan and his God. Will Mara make the return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge?

An ex-military operative struggles with the return to civilian life while coping with his rebellious teen-aged daughter. During a house-search, Carter meets Mara, a headstrong Realtor who wants nothing to do with his God. But when Mara’s little girl is diagnosed with leukemia, the clock begins ticking for him to convince Mara to return to a life of faith. Just as he seems to be making headway, circumstances beyond his control throw his efforts into a tailspin. Can Carter learn to rest in the sovereignty of God?

Enter the Amazon giveaway of CROSSROADS here.

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