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Too Good to be False: How Jesus' Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality

Tom Gilson (Goodreads Author)

4.64 · Rating details · 36 ratings · 23 reviews

What if we take the story of Jesus seriously—as a story? Skeptics urge us to do that—it’s “only a story,” they say, a legend just like many other god-stories from ancient days. Why do we treat it as anything more than that? Too Good To Be False takes up that question with an approach no author has taken in close to a century.

This book shows that although the skeptics’ que ...more

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Published August 1st 2020 by DeWard Publishing

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Dec 15, 2020 Kailey (Luminous Libro) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

If you examine Christ's life, his personality, his teaching, his leadership style, one thing becomes abundantly clear, Jesus is too good to be false. There has never been a human being who lived the way He did, and it would be impossible to make up a story of a man like Him. There's no way that Jesus could be anyone other than who He claimed to be: God Incarnate.

I love the way this book follows logical steps of reasoning and evidence from the Bible and from history to build an irrefutable argume If you examine Christ's life, his personality, his teaching, his leadership style, one thing becomes abundantly clear, Jesus is too good to be false. There has never been a human being who lived the way He did, and it would be impossible to make up a story of a man like Him. There's no way that Jesus could be anyone other than who He claimed to be: God Incarnate.

I love the way this book follows logical steps of reasoning and evidence from the Bible and from history to build an irrefutable argument for the reality of Jesus. The writing is forceful and vivid, but it leads the reader gently down a path of truth to the convincing conclusion that Jesus is the only perfect human to have ever lived and died and risen again. Each step of the way is coherent and meaningful.

I was personally inspired and invigorated by the power of the writing in this book! I love that there is Scripture and quotes from famous Christian theologians peppered throughout the pages. The author builds on old discussions and debates from previous centuries, and shows how their theology and reasoning is still true today. He also shows how old false ideas about Jesus are being dressed up for the modern era, and causing even Christians to falter in their belief. He spends several chapters addressing the arguments of skeptics and atheists, proving just how flimsy their reasoning is.

I am so impressed with the calm logic and piercing truth in this book. Somehow the author manages to write passionately, and yet with such a composed rationale that inspires trust in every word. It makes me say, "Hey yeah! That's true! I can see the evidence the author has laid out for me and know it is true." The author goes straight to the heart of the matter, and lays bare the real issue in all its aspects, then challenges the reader to decide for themselves what is true.

At a couple of places I was almost in tears, reflecting on the marvelous love of Christ. What a wonderful book for Christian believers to read to strengthen their faith, or for anyone to read if they are just curious about who Jesus really was!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone. ...more

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Jul 31, 2020 George rated it it was amazing

One of my complaints about many recent popular-level apologetics books is that they tend to cover hackneyed topics with more or less the same approach. (Try counting the number of books from the past decade or so that cover the minimal facts argument in a manner almost identical to the popular approach of Habermas or Craig.) This is not a complaint I have about 'Too Good To Be False' for two reasons.

First, the book is absolutely unique among modern apologetics books in terms of both content and One of my complaints about many recent popular-level apologetics books is that they tend to cover hackneyed topics with more or less the same approach. (Try counting the number of books from the past decade or so that cover the minimal facts argument in a manner almost identical to the popular approach of Habermas or Craig.) This is not a complaint I have about 'Too Good To Be False' for two reasons.

First, the book is absolutely unique among modern apologetics books in terms of both content and approach. In fact, it is so unique that reading Gilson’s opening chapters made me a tad skeptical. I wondered whether he really could pull off the lofty goal that he had set for himself, namely being able to prove the truth of Jesus’ story by conducting a character study from within that story. Yet, at the end of his final chapter, I couldn’t help but admit that Gilson had accomplished exactly what he said he would, and that my earlier incredulity was due to never having encountered his approach before.

Second and equally refreshing was the discovery that his approach isn’t as unique as I thought it was. Arguing for the truth of Jesus’ story based on his unique and perfect character isn’t new; Gilson says that such arguments have been around earlier than the 1860s. Yet, the last author to utilize this approach is the Methodist minister Atticus G. Haygood, who wrote on it in 1929. This makes it an approach that is so old, Gilson says, “that it’s new again”. And while he seeks to resurrect this approach, he does not do so in a trite manner. Instead, he reinforces it with his own unique discoveries and adapts it to counter the various challenges that have been raised against the person of Christ since Haygood’s day; the challenges posed by the likes of Bart Ehrman and Richard Carrier, to name a few. The only other book in recent memory that achieves something comparable in resurrecting an old-but-forgotten approach is Lydia McGrew’s 'Hidden in Plain View', and it is my sincere prayer that both these books inspire other apologists to take on similar projects.

I must also add that I found Gilson’s writing absolutely enthralling. He doesn’t tell you about Jesus as much as he shows you who Jesus is. Furthermore, there were several moments when I sensed a childlike awe in his voice as he considered a particular aspect of Jesus’ character, often leading me to be filled with a similar sense of awe at the Lord I thought I knew so well. I am certain that other readers will sense this too.

In sum, Tom Gilson’s 'Too Good To Be False' is a book I wholeheartedly recommend. It is a timely reminder that the story of Jesus leaves us with nothing with which to ‘cancel’ Him, and more than enough to fall at His feet and worship Him. And this makes Him too good to be false. ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christian-non-fiction, apologetics-christian-case-building, 1st-century

Tom Gilson's Too Good to be False centers around Jesus' character and how His attributes reveal His divinity. This was a perspective I hadn't before heard which is what makes this book remarkable since it can sometimes feel like a new book on the market is just a rehashing of a book I've already read before. Gilson writes on Jesus’ exceptionality in the areas of His love, brilliance, authority, paradoxical leadership, His world-changing mission, His friendship, and the uniqueness of Him as both ...more

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Aug 07, 2020 Dawn Klinge rated it it was amazing

Too Good to be False is a Christian apologetics book that's rigorous in its' intellectual approach to the author's stated purpose: to show how Jesus' character proves he is God. The arguments stay true to logic and the author brings out several points that I hadn't thought about in quite the same way before. I appreciated this deep dive into the character of Jesus and I closed the book with a greater sense of awe and love for who he is. For both Christians and skeptics, I highly recommend this b ...more

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Oct 09, 2020 Jacob O'connor rated it it was amazing

Jesus is far and away the most impressive man I've ever encountered. I had this thought decades ago. I was in a ghetto convenience store. My high school girlfriend's family owned a chain, and I would keep her company. One long Saturday I brought my Bible, and I read the Gospels. Whatever the Pharisees threw at Him, Jesus had the perfect answer. He was quick, He was smart, and He saw right through them.

So I agree with Gilson. The more you know Jesus, the more clearly true His crucial cla ...more

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Aug 02, 2020 Michael rated it it was amazing

I was put on a quest to read about this Jesus who is Too Good To Be False, and like a newsboy in my formative years, I felt compelled to share the good news.

Too Good To Be False mentions we would expect Jesus to be “inaccessible, remote, far beyond human reach.” Gilson even appropriately asserts that if it were up to us, He would be. “Instead, shockingly, He calls us friend.”

If you want to see Jesus with fresh eyes without compromising the Scripture, then get yourself this book to find out wh ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 Jonathan Rodriguez rated it it was amazing

The Answer? Jesus Really IS Too Good to be False!

Tom Gilson covers the defense of Christianity from an interesting angle by looking at the incomparable characteristics of Jesus and how this reveals his reality. To create the unique personhood of Jesus would require a literary genius because the characteristics he had were unlike any you would read about in literature. Gilson also takes a look at his brilliance, his leadership, his relational skills and more to highlight the exceptionality of Ch ...more

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Aug 20, 2020 Susan rated it liked it

3+. Contains many interesting points not as often thought about regarding the utter uniqueness of Jesus, expressed in a very readable way.

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Jul 27, 2020 Stephen Bedard rated it it was amazing

Some people thing Jesus is too good to be true. But what if he is too good to be false? That what Tom Gilson looks at in this accessible new book about Jesus. Gilson looks, not just at what Jesus did, but what he didn't do to give us fresh perspective on the most important person in history. ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Katrina D. rated it it was amazing

I truly enjoyed this book, and how it used the Biblical accounts to show how unique and powerful are the words and actions of Jesus Christ. I discovered truths about Jesus I had never considered before, even as a lifelong Christian—facets of his personality that made me sit back in awe. It was easy to read and enjoy, and I will be referring back to this book for years to come.

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Aug 06, 2020 Clinton Wilcox rated it it was amazing

Shelves: apologetics-arguments

Special thanks to DeWard Publishing for the free review copy of the book.

When I first heard the title of Tom Gilson's book, I must confess I was puzzled. How could something be "too good to be false"? That didn't make logical sense to me. Now that I have read through the tome, I can see it is something that has stared us all in the face for a long time. Now Gilson has brought this fact to life.

Building on the works of 19th century Christian thinkers such as Atticus Haygood and William Paley, Gil Special thanks to DeWard Publishing for the free review copy of the book.

When I first heard the title of Tom Gilson's book, I must confess I was puzzled. How could something be "too good to be false"? That didn't make logical sense to me. Now that I have read through the tome, I can see it is something that has stared us all in the face for a long time. Now Gilson has brought this fact to life.

Building on the works of 19th century Christian thinkers such as Atticus Haygood and William Paley, Gilson systematically moves through the character of Jesus as elucidated in the Scriptures and shows us that no other person -- either real or fictional -- has done what Jesus has done. Jesus was a man of perfect moral character, who was so brilliant he never sought advice from anyone else, who used himself as an authority rather than citing the prophets from Scripture, who never improved because he was perfect and couldn't improve, etc. This kind of person would be insufferable to know in real life, yet people wanted to be around him and learn from him. This kind of literary character would be exceptionally dull in any story concocted by man, and yet Jesus is the greatest character in all of literature and millions of people want to read about him.

Jesus was also a man of unlimited power, yet he never used that power for his own benefit. In the stories we often read in comic books and watch in movies, characters with superpowers are often written as conflicted between good and evil, or as selfish, using their powers to benefit themselves even though they also want to save the world. Jesus wasn't like that. Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness after he fasted for 40 days but never managed to tempt Jesus into making bread from stones or worshiping Satan to gain monetary wealth. When he used his ability to work miracles, it was always for the benefit of others, never for the benefit of himself. We would never believe such a character in a movie -- we know that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But Jesus isn't like that. He has absolute power and he still remains a perfect man.

Gilson's book is very easy to read. It is written accessibly and punctuated stories from his own life to add color to it. But this is a book that should not be breezed through and then forgotten about. This is an argument that needs to be picked back up by the church. Gilson deftly explains how not only is Jesus a character too good to be false, but critics who try to get around belief in Jesus by arguing that he was merely a legend don't know what they're talking about. This book should be on every Christian's bookshelf and re-read periodically so that you can make the case for Jesus being too good to be false to your skeptical friends. ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 Erik Manning rated it it was amazing

As someone who takes an interest in the intersection of the historical Jesus and Christian apologetics, it sometimes feels like all that can be said has been said. Works asking the question “who was Jesus?” are legion, both from a skeptical viewpoint and a Christian perspective. Too Good to Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality by Tom Gilson takes a fresh perspective that makes this the first work of apologetics that made me want to worship.

There are plenty of books th ...more

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Oct 21, 2020 Scott Cherry rated it it was amazing

A masterpiece of fresh scholarship on Jesus and the Gospels!

Tom Gilson’s new book, 'Too Good To Be False', is extraordinary, and probably groundbreaking with respect to the gospels! I exuberantly recommend it to everyone, whether you are a current follower of Jesus, a skeptic, or a devoted Muslim, etc. This book compellingly demonstrates that the character of Jesus is unsurpassed in all of literature. Not only unsurpassed, but also unsurpassable! Gilson argues that no writer in history has every A masterpiece of fresh scholarship on Jesus and the Gospels!

Tom Gilson’s new book, 'Too Good To Be False', is extraordinary, and probably groundbreaking with respect to the gospels! I exuberantly recommend it to everyone, whether you are a current follower of Jesus, a skeptic, or a devoted Muslim, etc. This book compellingly demonstrates that the character of Jesus is unsurpassed in all of literature. Not only unsurpassed, but also unsurpassable! Gilson argues that no writer in history has every created a character—fictional or true—with such unparalleled qualities of goodness, authority, leadership, brilliance, supernatural power, and self-sacrificial love all in one person. Normally the combination of great power with goodness in a person corrupts that person. But not Jesus. He alone possessed the virtue to exercise his irresistible power for the benefit of others only, and to restrain his power to save himself when his self-sacrificial death was the highest possible good for the people of the day. And not only for his contemporaries, but also for the salvation of all humanity from the dawn of the world to the present day. Any characters that seem comparable are modeled after the exemplar of Jesus, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Arranged in three parts, 'Too Good To Be False' is superbly well-organized and footnoted. It is written with clear, engaging, and personalized prose, replete with anecdotes and analogies from the author’s own experience with the subject. Tom combines rich theological and devotional substance for the common believer with solid evidences and cogent logic for those troubled with doubts and the more ardent intellectual skeptics alike. And in chapter 9 he does not avoid the latters’ explicit challenges to the gospels’ authenticity (pp 107-123). One prominent strand of his argument that appears in part two of the book is that the gospels are enormously harmonious with each other. Gilson goes on to show that the only reasonable explanation for this is that from their own imaginations the gospel writers could not have created the character of Jesus that is consistent across the four gospels. He must have been real, and he must have been exactly the kind of man they reported him to be. This is a book that I would readily give as a gift to everybody, including Muslims with whom I interface regularly. I say all this also from the lens of an adult Sunday school teacher. In my class I am currently teaching a series on the Gospels + Acts. I have introduced 'Too Good To Be False' to my class as an exceptional resource, but it is well-worthy of being the primary text alongside the gospels themselves. Thankfully, Tom had that in mind when writing this masterpiece. In the appendix he has included a very helpful study guide for just that purpose.

Finally, I truly appreciate the Epilogue for Pastors, Teachers and Other Ministers (pp. 177-183). In it the author shines the spotlight on the New Testament book of Hebrews as a primary treatise on defending the Christian faith with reason and faith combined. Here is a quote from this epilogue:
The writer of Hebrews showed his readers “the matchless supremacy of Jesus Christ, and he did it through the use of persuasive reasoning. …He certainly didn’t think reasons were unnecessary. If he had he could have saved himself a lot of trouble, for he could have said everything that needed saying in the first four verses [text inserted here]. If reasons were unneeded, he could have [skipped right to the juicy theological parts about the new covenant and Jesus as High Priest]. He didn’t write it that way, though. Instead he presents a rational, reasoned case for believing Jesus was great enough to follow. …The writer laid out evidence and reasons to show them how they could know it was true. …This is the model, a model that today we call apologetics. …The letter took their [the Hebrew Christians’] knowledge and convictions as a starting point, then built layers of new knowledge and reasoning on top of it…that supply reasons for belief in Christ.”

I heartily agree! So if you haven’t already, go to Amazon.com and get your own copy of 'Too Good To Be False'. I think you will relish it as much as or more than I did.

– Scott Cherry ...more

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Aug 02, 2020 Jen M rated it it was amazing

“… we believe that all human history, all human destiny, indeed the life of every single individual who’s ever lived, rests entirely on this one young man’s shoulders and his alone, now and throughout all eternity.” (165)

Throughout my undergraduate education at a Christian university, I’ve read books on apologetics, systematic theology, biblical theology, and the like. I’ve also read literature that embodied the beauty, goodness and truth of the Christian story. Therefore, when I heard of Gilson “… we believe that all human history, all human destiny, indeed the life of every single individual who’s ever lived, rests entirely on this one young man’s shoulders and his alone, now and throughout all eternity.” (165)

Throughout my undergraduate education at a Christian university, I’ve read books on apologetics, systematic theology, biblical theology, and the like. I’ve also read literature that embodied the beauty, goodness and truth of the Christian story. Therefore, when I heard of Gilson’s Too Good to Be False, I thought to myself, “What new Christian book exists to evoke in believers (and people of other faiths) a deeper appreciation and awe for the person of Jesus Christ?”

I admit that I was suspicious when the author introduced to readers a way to “see Jesus through new eyes.” How can a book use an approach so old that “they’d become new again”? Thankfully, Gilson rightfully asserts that the book’s approach to viewing Jesus through new eyes does not lead to the “new truths” that undergird deceptive cults and falsehood.

Rather, Gilson goes into depth looking at the truths of Jesus that are often overlooked. I, for one, have personally gained a deeper appreciation for the person of Jesus. It was convicting for me to realize as I read Gilson’s chapters on Jesus’s brilliance and authority that my supposed familiarity with the gospels has made me lack the depth of appreciation for Christ. I admire Gilson for reminding readers of the social and religious climate of the text that explain why Jesus is so unique and controversial. This is an aspect of the book I value.

My only critique of this book is that I wish the author discussed in more depth on how Jesus is perceived in non-Western countries. He did state that the world he knows best is the "Western world: Europe and its cultural descendants," so it is understandable why he takes a Western approach, describing cultural influences in the West like the Enlightenment in relation to Christianity.

This book is a light read, and one that paints a portrait of Jesus highlighting his personal attributes in an intimate, human way without compromising his divinity. I respect how Gilson writes in a way that convicts me of my own bias as a 21st century Christian, and my need to take a look at Jesus through a 1st century Jewish perspective. In fact, his book has made me evaluate the questions I personally wrestle with. Why do most Jews not believe that Jesus is the Messiah? How can they read the same Torah/Old Testament, but come to a vastly different conclusion on who Jesus is?

While these questions require much more depth that I doubt will be adequately explained in a brief book, Too Good to be False has deepened my awe for the ever-familiar stories and most importantly, the main character that I often forget in Scripture. This books points my heart and mind to the one man whose nature and work rests the eternal destiny of humankind. ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 Jennifer DeFrates rated it it was amazing

Too Good to be Missed

Do you want to fall in love with Jesus again? Maybe you have never taken the time to really get to know Him or to see Him clearly. This book will rekindle a sense of awe and wonder for the person and deity of Christ. It really is too good to be missed.

I read a lot of apologetics books. So when someone claims to have a new teaching on Christ, I tend to be a tad suspicious. I certainly was when I began reading Tom Gilson’s new book, Too Good to be False. But Gilson claims old ...more

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Aug 04, 2020 Amber rated it it was amazing

Too Good To Be False was a breath of fresh air in the Christian non-fiction realm. I love to read Christian apologetics books but they often repeat themselves to the point that what they say gets to be commonplace.

Too Good To Be False takes a whole different approach and because it does, I have come away with a whole new view of who Jesus is and how worthy He really is of worship!

The first chapter was really hard for me to get through. (Probably cause I am a tired mom of littles who shouldn't re ...more

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Aug 01, 2020 Chan Arnett rated it it was amazing

This book takes a refreshing approach to examining the life and works of Jesus of Nazareth, one that he admits he "resurrected" from the past but has been lost to modern readers. This approach is to look at Jesus based on what He "didn't say," and what He "didn't do," rather than what He did do and what He did say, which ends up being very refreshing and insightful! Every chapter has something that I found unique and interesting and had me taking a new look at the context of passages I've read o ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 Brian rated it it was amazing

Too Good to be False gives an overview of why Jesus is someone we are STILL talking about thousands of years later. Why do you ask? Jesus has personal attributes that history had never before seen and will never see again. Jesus had parents that learned from his teaching on love instead of the other way around. Jesus was the most brilliant man who ever walked the face of the earth. When he gave his Sermon on the Mount, it was by his authority. He didn't need any sources. He was never dumbfounded ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 Carla Lake rated it really liked it

Through highlighting the extraordinarily powerful and excellent character of Christ, and exposing the holes in skeptics' theories about the credibility of the Jesus 'story', Tom Gilson takes the reader on a journey that ends in worship. Interestingly much of his case is made in what Jesus didn't do which I found to be a rather unique approach. By the end of the book and the epilogue, one is left standing in awe of Christ and searching her heart to see how best she can devote herself wholly to Hi ...more

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Jul 25, 2020 Judy rated it it was amazing

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a lawyer, or an investigative reporter, or maybe a detective, or if you love to ask questions, you will love this book. Reading it was as though I were sitting with Tom Gilson, meeting this amazing Jesus all over again. We marveled at his love and his goodness. His clever questions and brilliant responses, his leadership and humility all came alive. This book puts it all together: history, apologetics, a perfect character and unexpected humor. It offers insightful ...more

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Oct 24, 2020 Philip Esguerra rated it it was amazing

The book delved into unnoticed character traits of Jesus which clearly identifies His deity. I've got many a-ha moments in reading the author's highlighting these divine attributes. Well crafted book that made you worship more of Jesus and made you feel that you have put your trust in the right Person. ...more

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Jan 02, 2021 Kat rated it really liked it

3.5 stars. Many compelling arguments for an apologist’s point of view, but got a little repetitive and really needed something to pull it together as a whole. It was also in desperate need of competent editing. How a book with so many grammatical mistakes could go to print is beyond me.

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Oct 24, 2020 Blake Western rated it it was amazing

This is an interesting approach to apologetics in which the author points to the reality and greatness of Jesus through His character.

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About Tom Gilson

Tom Gilson

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Tom Gilson writes on the truth of Jesus Christ for a world that's more and more confused about spiritual reality every day. His areas of special interest include sexuality, science rationality, and above all, Jesus Christ himself.

He's a senior editor at the highly respected Christian news and commentary website The Stream (stream.org). Since 2007 he's also run the widely praised Thinking Christian ...more