12 Points DFHDSH

Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True
1. Truth about reality is knowable.
Twelve Points that

Show Christianity is True
Copyright by Norman Geisler 2016
Defending the Faith:

The Bible Commands It
1 Peter 3:15: But in your hearts set

apart Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the
reason for the hope that you have.
Defending the Gospel
Phil 1:7: It is right for me to feel this way

about all of you, since I have you in my
heart; for whether I am in chains or
defending and confirming the gospel, all
of you share in Gods grace with me.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The opposite of true is false.

It is true that the theistic God exists.
If God exists then miracles are possible.
Miracles can be used to confirm a message from God.
The New Testament is historically reliable.
The New Testament says Jesus claimed to be God.
Jesus claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about Himself;
b. His sinless and miraculous life;
c. His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection.
9. Therefore, Jesus is God.
10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches, is true.
11. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God.
12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God (and
anything opposed to it is false).
Answering every question
Col. 4:6: Let your speech always be

gracious, seasoned with salt, so
that you may know how you ought
to answer every person.
Contending for the Faith
Jude 3: Dear friends,I felt I had to

write and urge you to contend for the
faith that was once for all entrusted to
the saints.
Reason Demands It
Socrates:
The unexamined life

is not worth living.
We add:
The unexamined faith

is not worth believing.
Skeptic: Truth is not knowable?

Answer: The claim that Truth
cannot be known is a truth the
skeptic claims to know.
Skeptic: What is Truth?
Answer: Truth is telling it like it is

This object is a
table.
Skeptic: What is Truth?

Answer: Truth is telling it like it is
Skeptic: Truth is not telling it like

it is.
Response: Is this a truth telling it
like it is?
All Views Cant be True because

the teach opposites and--.
Opposites cannot both be true!
There is a God vs. There is no God

God is infinite vs. God is finite
Jesus is God vs. Jesus is not God
Works are needed vs. works are not needed
All will be saved vs. All will not be saved
No! It is an
elephant.
Open your eyes and see!
Self-Defeating Claims
All the other

views are
wrong!
A Self-Defeating Statement
Truth is not telling like it is!
Isnt that telling it like it is?
Opposite can both be true.
Is the opposite of that true?
Can All Religions be True?

No! They Hold Opposite Views of God!
If Theism is true
(God exists), then-Then Atheism is false (God

does not exist)
There is no truth.
Is that true?
You cant know truth.
How do you know that is true?
You should doubt
everything!
Should I doubt that?
2. The opposite of true is false.
Skeptic: All views are true, even

opposite views.
Answer: Is the opposite of that true?
The Law of Non-Contradiction

Opposite ideas cannot both be true
at the same time and in the same sense.
A Sure Way to Convince a Skeptic!
Anyone who denies the law of noncontradiction should be beaten and burned
until he admits that to be beaten is not the
same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is
not the same as not to be burned.
(Avicenna, Great Medieval Philosopher)

3. It is true that the theistic God exists.
Three Reasons to Believe

a Theistic God Exists?
1. The Universe had a beginning

2. Life has incredible design
3. There is a moral law
Three Great Arguments

for the Existence of God
The First Reason
1. Everything that had a beginning had a cause.

The First Reason

2. The universe had a beginning.

The First Reason

2. The universe had a beginning.
3. Therefore, the universe had a cause.
Second Law of
Thermodynamics
The universe is
running down;
it is running
out of usable
energy
UNUSABLE
ENERGY
In the Beginning:
BANG!
An Agnostic Astronomer
An Agnostic Astronomer
Science Ends with a

Beginning
"That there are what I or

anyone would call
supernatural forces at
work is now, I think, a
scientifically proven
fact" (Jastrow in
Christianity Today, 18).
Now we see how the

astronomical evidence leads
to a biblical view of the
origin of the world.... The
chain of events leading to
man commence suddenly and
sharply at a definite moment
in time, in a flash of light and
energy" (Robert Jastrow, God
and the Astronomers, 14).
"The scientists pursuit of the past

ends in the moment of creation.
This is an exceedingly strange
development, unexpected by all but
theologians. They have always
accepted the word of the Bible: `In
the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth'" (Jastrow, God
and the Astronomers, 115).
Three Great Reasons

Complex Design has a Designer
The First Reason
The Second Reason
1. Every complex design has a designer.
2. The universe and life have highly complex

design.
3. Therefore, the universe and life have a

Designer
Two Types of Causes

Natural
Intelligent
TWO TYPES OF CAUSES
Natural
Sand Dune
What Caused Mt. Rushmore?
Past: Intelligent
Designer
Today: Intelligent
Designer
Intelligent
Sand Castle

The First Reason
The Second Reason
1. Every complex design has a

designer.
-1000 BC
10AD
1000
Principle of Uniformity
Causes in the past were

like those in the present
2000
2. The universe and life have

highly complex design.
3. Therefore, the universe and

life have a Designer.
Intelligent Design from

an Intelligent Being! (Mom)
O
H
G
O
Who Designed the Genetic Code?

A T
C G
T A
G C
A T
Adenine
Thymine
Sugar &
Phosphate
Molecules
Cytosine
Guanine
From Non-Living Matter
Base Pairs
Life is very complex
To A Living Organism
The cause must be intelligent!
One Ameba =
One Thousand Sets
of an Encyclopedia
Intelligent Design:
"The conclusion of intelligent design flows

naturally from the data itself--not from
sacred books or sectarian beliefs. Inferring
that biochemical systems were designed by
an intelligent agent is a humdrum process
that requires no new principles of logic or
science" (Behe, ibid., 193).
"Life on earth at its most fundamental
level, in its most critical components, is the
product of intelligent activity" (ibid.).
Who Designed the Human Brain?
The Search For Intelligence
Super-Intelligence
Found! 0
le
ng
i
S
ag
s
s
e
Who Designed the Universe?
0
0 ,0 E S !
0
,0
20 L U M
VO
A Super-Intelligent Cause
"The harmony of natural
law. . . reveals an
intelligence of such
superiority that, compared
with it, all the systematic
thinking and acting of
human beings is an utterly
insignificant reflection" (in
The Moral Argument for God

1. Every law has a lawgiver
2. There is a moral law
3. Therefore, there is a moral Lawgiver
Heeren, Shew Me God, 66).
How we know theres a Moral Law

1. We cant know in-justice unless we know
justice.
Whats the Standard for Judgment?

This world is absolutely unjust!
Whats the Standard for Judgment?

This world is absolutely unjust!

Mother Teresa is better than Hitler
2. We cant make moral comparison without an
objective moral standard. But we do.
How can he know what

is absolutely un-just without
knowing what is absolutely just?
10
An Outside Standard of Measurement
C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity, p 25.
The moment you say that

one set of moral ideas can
be better than another, you
are, in fact, measuring them
both by a standard, saying
that one of them conforms to
that standard more nearly
than the other. But the
standard that measures two
things is something different
from either.
4. We wouldnt know the world was getting

worse (or better) if there was no Moral Best.

3. Absolutes are undeniable
a. You should never say never
b. You should always avoid always

b. I am absolutely sure there are no
absolutes
5. We know the moral law by our reactions, not

by our actions:
a. Not by what we do to others, but
b. By what we want others to do to us!
What Kind of God Exists?

Answer: A Theistic God
1. He is super-powerfulreason 1
2. He is super-intelligentreason 2
3. He is morally perfectreason 3

3. It is true that the theistic God exists.
4. If God exists then miracles are possible.
Note: He is beyond the world

He is as different from the world
as painter is from his painting.
11
If God, then Miracles.
But if we admit
God, must we
admit miracles?
Indeed, indeed,
you have no
security against it.
That is the
bargain (C. S.
Lewis, Miracles,
109).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Truth about reality is knowable.

Nicodemus said: Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher

come from God, for no one can do these signs that you
do unless God is with him (John 3:2).
it [the message of salvation] was attested to us by
those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs
and wonders and various miracles (Heb. 2:3-4).
Judaism
Islam
Skeptics
The Reliability of the New Testament

1. There are more manuscripts
2. There are earlier manuscripts
3. They are better copied manuscripts
4. There are more contemporary witnesses
5. There are more reliable witnesses---than
any book from the ancient world!
When Skeptics Ask about Miracles....

1. If there is a supernatural Being who can act,
then there can be supernatural acts (i.e.,
miracles).
2. If God exists, then the greatest miracle has
already occurredcreation from nothing.
3. If the Big miracle has occurred (creating
life), then smaller ones (resurrecting the
dead) are possible.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

50
New Testament
# Manuscript Copies
400
Homer
Demosthenes
Herodotus
Plato
Pliny
20
10
5838
1758
1400
Tacitus
Caesar
1400
200
Time Gap in Years
1200
1000
1000
750
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
12
Total Number of Manuscripts

Greek:
Latin:
Others
Total
5,800+
10,000+
8,000+
Some 24,000 mss.
Nothing else in the ancient world

even comes close to this!
Archaeology Affirms the Bible

In extraordinary ways, modern archaeology
has affirmed the historical core of the Old
and New Testamentscorroborating key
portions of the stories of Israels patriarchs,
the Exodus, the Davidic monarchy, and the
life and times of Jesus.
(Jeffery Sheler, Is the Bible True, US News & World Report,
October 25, 1999, 52)
Archaeological Evidence
Over 30 people in the NT have

been confirmed
Over 60 historical details in the

Gospel of John (Blomberg)
Over 80 historical details in

the book of Acts (C. J. Hemmer)
Without a single mistake!
How we know the witnesses

were were telling the truth:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
There were numerous witnesses.

Many were eye witnesses.
The rest were contemporaries.
Their testimony was independent.
Some testimony was embarrassing.
They were all willing to die for it.
Archaeological evidence confirms it.
Luke as a Historian
According to Sir William Ramsay, Luke

records without error:
32 Countries
54 Cities
9 Islands
12 Confirmed Ruling Figures (Luke 1-3)
Pool of Bethesda
Excavations have
found the five
porches
(colonnades)
located a short
distance
from the Sheep

Gate as
described in John 5:2.
13
Pontius Pilate Inscription
Ossuary of Joseph Caiaphas:

High Priest 18-36 A.D.
(Discovered 1990)
Tiberium Pontius Pilate

Prefect of Judea
Matthew 27:2; Luke 3:1
Crucifixion Victim 1st Century A.D.

(Discovered in Jerusalem 1968)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus
(1) Ossuary was from

Jesus (20 BC and AD 70)
brother.
(2) Josephus said James
was executed in AD 62.
(3) It is very unusual to
have a brother of the
deceased listed in the
inscription.
(4) Court case verified
the authenticity of the
inscription (2008).
Was Jesus was the Son of God?
14
Seven Ways Jesus Claimed to Be God:

He claimed:
Jesus Claimed to be and Proved

to be the Son of God
1.
2.
3.
4.
To be the great I Am (Jn. 8:58)

To be share Gods glory (Jn. 17:5).
To be equal with God (Jn. 10:30).
To be the Messiah-God (Jn. 4:25; Mk.
14:61-62).
5. To be worthy of worship (Jn. 5:22) .
6. To be equal in authority with God (Mt.
28:18).
7. To be able to answer prayer in His Name
(Jn. 14:13).
1. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God!

2. Jesus proved to be the Son of God!
a. By fulfilling supernatural predictions
b. By performing supernatural acts
c. By His supernatural resurrection
Jesus: Just a Great Moral Teacher?

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the
really foolish things that people often say about
Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'
That is the one thing we must not say. A man
who was merely a man and said the sort of things
Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
He would rather be a lunatic - on a level with the
man who says he is a poached egg - Or else he
would be the Devil of Hell.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

c. His prediction and accomplishment of His resurrection
(C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 55-56).
Jesus Claimed to be and Proved

to be the Son of God
1. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God!
2. Jesus proved to be the Son of God!
Three Ways Jesus Proved to be God:

15
Human Race
Woman, Gen 3:15
Ethnic Group
Abraham, Gen 12:1
Tribe
Judah, Gen 49:10
Dynasty
David, 2 Sam 7:12
How
Virgin, Isa 7:14
Where
Bethlehem, Mic 5:2
When
33 A.D., Dan 9:24

Turning water into wine
Walking on water
Multiplying loaves
Calming the sea
Healing the incurable
Curing a man born blind
Raising the dead

c. By His supernatural resurrection
No other religious leader ever did this
Evidence Jesus Died
Evidence Jesus Died
1. Nature of his wounds (whipping,

crucifixion and spear in side)
ensured death (Mk. 15:25).
2. His mother, friends and closest
disciple witnessed his death (Mk.
15:40).
3. Romans, who were professional
executioners, pronounced him dead
(Mk. 15:44-45).
.
4. Crowd head his death cry (Mt. 2:46)

5. Pilate double-checked to make sure
Jesus was dead (Mk. 15:44).
6. The Jews never denied the account
of Jesus being buried in the tomb of
Joseph of Arimathea (a member of
the SanhedrinMk. 15:42).
16
Evidence Jesus Died
JAMA March 21,1986, p. 1463
Clearly, the weight of historical and medical

evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before
the wound to his side was inflicted and supports
the traditional view that the spear, thrust
between his right rib, probably perforated not
only the right lung but also the pericardium and
heart and thereby ensured his death.
Accordingly, interpretations based on the
assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross
appear to be at odds with modern medical
knowledge."
7. Non-Christian writers from the first

and second centuries recorded the
death of Jesus (e.g. Josephus,
Tacitus, Thallus, Lucian, Phelgon,
The Jewish Talmud.)
8. In light of the historical evidence,
modern medical authorities have
verified his death (JAMA 3/2/86).
Evidence Jesus Rose for the Dead
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The tomb was empty with grave clothes still in it

Over 500 witnesses say Him on 12 occasions
They touched His physical body twice
They saw His crucifixion scars twice
They ate with Him four times
He taught them for 40 days
He did miracles for them
He transformed them
From cowards to martyrs overnight!
The Order of the Twelve Appearances of Christ

Persons
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Saw
Mary
X
(Jn. 20:10-18)
Mary & Women
(Mt. 28:1-10)
Peter
X
(1Cor. 15:5)
Two Disciples X
(Lk. 24:13-35)
Ten Apostles X
(Lk. 24:36-49;
Jn. 20:19-23)
Eleven Apostles X
(Jn. 20:24-31)
Heard Touched Other Evidence

X
X
X
X
Empty tomb
X Empty tomb
Empty tomb/clothes
Ate with Him
X**
Saw wounds, ate food
X**
Saw wounds
**Offered Himself to be touched
The Order of the Twelve Appearances of Christ

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Persons
Saw
Seven Apostles X
(Jn. 21)
All Apostles X
(Mt. 28:16-20;
Mk 16:14-18)
500 Brethren X
(1Cor. 15:6)
James
X
(1Cor. 15:7)
All Apostles X
(Acts 1:4-8)
Paul
X
(Acts 9:1-9;
1Cor. 15:8)
Heard Touched Other Evidence

X
Ate food
X
X*
X*
X
Ate with Him
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches is true.
*Implied
17
The Son of God Said--
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
It is divinely authoritative (Mt. 4:4, 7, 10)

It is imperishable (Mt. 5:17-18)
It is infallible (Jn. 10:35)
It is inerrant (without error) (Mt. 22:29)
It is historically reliable (Mt. 12:40; Mt. 24:37-38)
It is scientifically accurate (Mt. 19:4-5)
It has ultimate supremacy (Mt. 15:3, 6)
Jesus Promised the New Testament
Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would teach the

apostles all things and lead them into all truth.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father

will send in My name, He will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance all things I said
to you (John 14:26).
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come,
He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak
on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will
speak; and He will tell you things to come. (Jn. 16:13)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) teaches, is true.
12. Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the Word of God.
18

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Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True

1. Truth about reality is knowable.

Twelve Points that

Copyright by Norman Geisler 2016

Defending the Faith:

1 Peter 3:15: But in your hearts set

Defending the Gospel

Phil 1:7: It is right for me to feel this way

The opposite of true is false.

Answering every question

Col. 4:6: Let your speech always be

Contending for the Faith

Jude 3: Dear friends,I felt I had to

Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True

1. Truth about reality is knowable.

The unexamined life

The unexamined faith

Skeptic: Truth is not knowable?

Skeptic: What is Truth?

Answer: Truth is telling it like it is

Skeptic: What is Truth?

Skeptic: Truth is not telling it like

All Views Cant be True because

There is a God vs. There is no God

Open your eyes and see!

All the other

Isnt that telling it like it is?

Is the opposite of that true?

Can All Religions be True?

(God exists), then-Then Atheism is false (God

How do you know that is true?

Should I doubt that?

Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True

1. Truth about reality is knowable.

2. The opposite of true is false.

Skeptic: All views are true, even

The Law of Non-Contradiction

A Sure Way to Convince a Skeptic!

Twelve Points that Show Christianity is True

1. Truth about reality is knowable.

2. The opposite of true is false.

Three Reasons to Believe

1. The Universe had a beginning

Three Great Arguments

1. Everything that had a beginning had a cause.

Three Great Arguments

1. Everything that had a beginning had a cause.

Three Great Arguments

1. Everything that had a beginning had a cause.

3. Therefore, the universe had a cause.

Science Ends with a

"That there are what I or

Now we see how the

"The scientists pursuit of the past

Three Great Reasons

Complex Design has a Designer

The First Reason

The Second Reason