Twenty

WAS JESUS A LIAR?

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, if the claims of Jesus were false, then we have only two alternatives. He either knew they were false, or He didn’t. We will consider each possibility separately and examine the evidence for it.

“If, when Jesus made His claims, He knew that He was not God, then He was lying and deliberately deceiving His followers. But if He was a liar, then He was also a hypocrite because He taught others to be honest at whatever cost. Worse than that, if He was lying, He was evil because He told others to trust Him for their eternal destiny. Finally, He would also be a fool because His claims of being God—claims He could have backed away from to save Himself even at the last minute—led to His crucifixion. However, historically, we know that the character of Christ was impeccable. Even His enemies praised His character. Pilate said, ‘I find no fault in this man.’”⁷⁸

Mina looked down the row of students and noticed Andrea taking notes.

Dr. Peterson adjusted his glasses. “William Lecky, one of Great Britain’s most noted historians and a fierce opponent of organized Christianity, saw the effect of true Christianity on the world. He wrote,”

It was reserved for Christianity to present to the world an ideal which though all the changes of eighteen centuries has inspired the hearts of men with an impassioned love; has shown itself capable of acting on all ages, nations, temperaments, and conditions; has been not only the highest pattern of virtue, but the strongest incentive to its practice…. The simple record of these three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists.⁷⁹

As Dr. Peterson spoke, Andrea was silently praying, “Jesus, I now know that You’re for real. Please forgive me. I do believe in You and I will trust You with my life.” She held back her emotions and continued to listen.

Dr. Peterson set his eyes on the rows directly behind Andrea where several students were wearing atheist T-shirts. “You know, many of the ‘New Atheists’ avoid the historical case for the reliability of the New Testament. For example, in Christopher Hitchens’ chapter ‘The Evil of the New Testament,’ he provides no strong arguments against the historicity of the New Testament. How can you call the New Testament evil? Christ is the most compassionate teacher in history. Hitchens fails to refute this fact. He simply mentions some alleged contradictions and repeats Bart Ehrman’s popular-level work that mentions that a portion of Mark 8 is not in the original.⁸⁰ Christian theologians have admitted this for years! By the way, Ehrman didn’t discover that idea on his own. He probably learned it from an evangelical! His evangelical mentor, Bruce Metzger, a textual critic, testified that the copies of the New Testament we have now resemble the original to an extremely high percentage. And if Ehrman wants to be intellectually honest with the conclusions of his academic textual criticism, he also needs to admit the very high accuracy of the New Testament copies we have today.”

With this statement, many in the audience broke out in applause, though the row of atheists and a number of professors refrained. Jessica glanced beside her and was surprised to see Andrea clapping.

“It is extremely illogical to think that Jesus Christ is a liar. Historian Philip Schaff said,”

How in the name of logic, common sense, and experience, could an imposter—that is a deceitful, selfish, depraved man—have invented, and consistently maintained from the beginning to end, the purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of truth and reality? How could he have conceived and carried out a plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude, and sublimity, and sacrificed his own life for it, in the face of the strongest prejudices of his people and age?⁸¹