“A REASON

FOR OUR HOPE”By

Mark Copeland

In Peter’s first epistle we find this command:

1 Peter 3:15 NET But set Christ apart as Lord in

your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the

hope you possess.

We must always be ready to explain the basis of our hope... What reasons are

there for the hope we have in Christ? Let’s begin by

suggesting some facts which no one can deny, not even an atheist or an

agnostic...

FACTS WHICH CAN'T BE DENIED! 1) JESUS LIVED... Only the most

ignorant or prejudiced skeptic would question the historical record of Jesus. The reason? The evidence

from unbiased

sources: Roman historians attest to this fact. The

Roman historian Tacitus wrote concerning the

Great Fire of Rome, in book 15, chapter 44 of his

Annals (c. 116): Consequently, to get rid

of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and

inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the

populace. Christus, from

whom the name had its origin, suffered the

extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the

hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most

mischievous superstition,

thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the

first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all

things hideous and shameful from every part

of the world find their

centre and become popular. Accordingly, an

arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an

immense multitude was convicted, not so much of

the crime

of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.

Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths.

Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by

dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or

were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a

nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

Pliny the Younger was governor of

Pontus/Bithynia from 111-113 AD. We have a

whole set of exchanges of his letters with the

emperor Trajan on a variety of administrative

political matters. Two letters are the most

famous, in which Pliny encounters Christianity

for the first time. PLINY, LETTERS 10.96-97 They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their

fault or error had been that they were accustomed

to meet on a fixed day before dawn and

sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and

to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their

trust, nor to refuse to return a trust

when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and

to assemble again to partake of food but

ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they

affirmed, they had ceased

to do after my edict by which, in accordance with

your instructions, I had forbidden political

associations. Accordingly, I judged it all the more

necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing

two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing

else but depraved, excessive superstition. Seutonius was a court

official and annalist under Hadrian around 120 A.D.,

who wrote in,

Life of Claudius, 25.4: “As the Jews were making

constant disturbance at the instigation of Chrestus, he

expelled them from Rome.” Luke makes

reference to this same expulsion. Acts 18:1 After

this Paul departed

from Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he found

a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to

depart from Rome. Seutonius mentions

Christianity in Lives of the Caesars, 26.2: "Punishment by Nero was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a

new and mischievous superstition."

Josephus was a Jewish general turned Roman

historian, born in 37 A.D. Much knowledge about

the culture and background of New

Testament times can be gleaned from his writings.

One important point to make is that Josephus was

not likely to be sympathetic to

Christianity, and risk Roman anger. However,

he makes several references to Jesus in

History Of The Jews, such as Antiquities XVIII, 3:3:

"At that time lived Jesus, a wise man, if he may be called a man; for he

performed many wonderful works. He was a teacher

of such men as

received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to

him many Jews and Gentiles. This was the

Christ. And when Pilate, at the instigation of the

chief men among us, had condemned him to the

cross, they who before had conceived an affection for

him did not cease to adhere to him. For on the third day he appeared to

them alive again, the divine prophets having

foretold these and

many other wonderful things concerning him.

And the sect of Christians, so called from him,

subsists to this time." In Antiquities XX, 9:1, we

find a reference to James, the brother of Jesus:

“...and brought before it the brother of Jesus, the so-called Christ, whose name was James.” The

Talmud, Books of Jewish law, speak frequently of Jesus. Denying not that

Jesus lived, only that He

was not what He or others claimed. A Samaritan

historian, Thallus (52 A.D.), tried to explain away the

darkness at the crucifixion So overwhelming is the evidence, even atheistic historians admit Jesus

lived.

(H. G. Wells, Outline Of History) The gospels and the Acts of the Apostles present a

patched and uneven record, but there can be little question that on the whole it is a quite honest

record of those early days. …regard Jesus of

Nazareth as being much more than a human

teacher, and his appearance in the world not as a natural event in history, but as something

of a supernatural sort interrupting and changing

that steady development of life towards a common consciousness and a

common will, Will Durant spent two

chapters on Jesus in his book, “The Story Of Our

Civilization”

2) EVIDENCEFOR THE

NEW TESTAMENTAS A

HISTORICALDOCUMENT

ISREMARKABLE...

Its authors claim to write as historians or even eyewitnesses to real events. a) Luke, the physician, his gospel

(Luke) and history of the early church (Acts)

compose over a third of

the New Testament. He wrote as one describing

historical events. Luke 2:1 NET Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to

register all the empire for taxes. 2 This was the

first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3

Everyone went to his own town to be registered. 4 So Joseph also went up from

the town of Nazareth in Galilee to

Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because

he was of the house and family line of David. Acts 1:1 NET I wrote the former

account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do

and teach 2 until the

day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit

to the apostles he had chosen. 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many

convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-

day period and spoke about matters concerning

the kingdom of God. b) John, the beloved

disciple, his gospel (John) was written as an

eyewitness account.

John 20:30 NET Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the

presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the

Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 21:24 NET This is the

disciple who testifies about these things and has

written these things, and we know that his

testimony is true. 25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be

written.

John calls himself an eyewitness. 1 John 1:1 NET This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen

with our eyes, what we have looked at and our

hands have touched (concerning the word of life 2 and the life was revealed, and we have

seen and testify and announce to you the

eternal life that was with the Father and was

revealed to us). 3 What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so

that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ). 4

Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. c) Paul, the Jewish rabbi, half of the

books of the New Testament are his personal

letters. He claimed to have been an eyewitness,

along

with others. 1 Corinthians 15:3 NET For I passed on to you as of first importance

what I also received — that Christ died for our

sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third

day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he

appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one time,

most of whom

are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then

he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong

time, he appeared to me also. As a historical

document, it's evidence is

remarkable! It was written soon after the events it records. As stated by

Nelson Glueck, former president of the Jewish

Theological Seminary in the Hebrew Union College

in Cincinnati, and

renowned Jewish archaeologist: “In my

opinion, every book of the New Testament was

written between the forties and eighties of the First Century A.D.’ ‘It may be stated categorically that

no archaeological discovery has ever

controverted a Biblical reference.” It is noted for its historical accuracy in areas that can be tested.

“We can already say emphatically that there is

no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after 80 A.D.” (W. F. Albright, Biblical archaeologist)

"Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are

his statements of fact trustworthy, he is

possessed of the true

historic sense...in short, this author should be placed along with the

greatest of historians.“Sir William Ramsay The manuscript

attestation for the New Testament is unsurpassed

in the number

of copies for the purpose of comparison. There are

over 4,000 Greek manuscripts, 13,000 copies

of portions of the New Testament. Contrast that

with other historical documents.

Caesar's "Gallic Wars", only

10 Greek manuscripts; "Annals" of Tacitus, 2; Livy, 20; Plato, 7; Sophocles, 100 In the

time between the originals and earliest copies,

fragments exist that are

within 50-100 years; complete copies that are

within 300-400 years after the originals were written.

Compare this with manuscripts of other classical histories:

"Histories of Thucydides"

earliest copy is 1300 years removed from the original "Histories of Herodotus"

earliest copy is 1350 years removed from original.

Caesar's "Gallic War" 950 years, Roman History of

Livy - 350 years (and the earliest

copy is only a fragment)

"Histories" of Tacitus - 750 years "Annals" of Tacitus - 950 years

(and there are only two manuscripts) Variances that exist between the

ancient copies are minuscule. Only 1/2 of

one percent is in question (compared to 5 percent for the Illiad)

Even then, it can be stated: "No fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith rests on a disputed reading... It

cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance

the text of the Bible is certain: especially

is this the case with the New Testament." Sir Frederick

Kenyon (authority in the field of New Testament textual criticism) Such

evidence led to the following statement: "The

evidence for our New Testament writings are ever so much greater

than the evidence for many writings of classical

authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. And if the New Testament were a

collection of secular writings, their authenticity

would generally be as beyond all doubt.”

(F. F. Bruce) 3) IF NOT TRUE, THE NEW TESTAMENT IS A CAREFULLY

CONTRIVED LIE... The writers of the New

Testament leave us no alternative They are either

"eyewitnesses" or "false witnesses"

1 Corinthians 15:14 NET And if Christ has not been

raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith

is empty. 15 Also, we are found to be false witnesses

about God, because we have testified against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when in reality he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not

raised.

Either the events occurred as described, or they are

"cleverly concocted fables" 2 Peter 1:16 NET For we did not follow cleverly concocted fables when we

made known to you the power and return

of our Lord Jesus Christ; no, we were eyewitnesses

of his grandeur. 17 For he received honor and glory

from God the Father, when that voice was

conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory: "This is

my dear Son, in whom I am delighted." 18 When this voice was conveyed

from heaven, we ourselves heard it, for we were with him on the holy mountain. We cannot say they might

have been sincerely

deceived. Especially in reference to the

resurrection of Jesus They claim they ate and drank with Him afterwards. Acts 10:39 NET We are

witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea

and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him

on a tree, 40 but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be

seen, 41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had

already chosen, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

They claim they saw and touched Him. I refer you to 1 John which we read earlier: …what we have

heard, what we have seen

with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched …They leave us no room

saying they were MISTAKEN or

DECEIVED! Some sympathetic skeptics have

tried to offer this as an

Alternative. That perhaps in their grief and loss over the crucifixion of Jesus

they "hallucinated" or had grief-inspired "visions" of Jesus. But hallucinations

or visions are highly individualistic.

One person might see the hallucination or vision.

But several or many people don't see the same vision at the same time!

As outlined in the gospels and also the resurrection

appearances of Jesus were

often witnessed by many at the same time

(over 500 on one occasion!) You will recall Paul’s letter we read earlier:1 Corinthians 15:4 …

buried,…was raised on the third day according to

scriptures, 5… appeared to Cephas, ... the twelve.

6… to more than five hundred …7… to James, …all the apostles 8…he appeared to me also. So they leave us no choice;

either the New Testament is a “Book Of Truth,”

or it is a “Book of Lies” I believe I can fairly say

that no one can deny these three facts: 1) Jesus lived 2) The evidence for The

New Testament as a historical document is

overwhelming

3) If not true, it is a carefully contrived lie!

Given that these facts are undeniable, then consider with me... THESE ARE

THE FACTS, WE ARE FORCED TO MAKE A DECISION...

Concerning Jesus: We can't deny that He lived.

Therefore we must decide who He is. Is He what His followers claimed, the Son of God? Matthew 16:13 NET When Jesus came to the

area of

Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son

of Man is?" 14 They answered, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But

who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter

answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the

living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "You are

blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and

blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! Or is the New

Testament's representation of Him false? We can't deny the overwhelming evidence for the New

Testament.

We must decide concerning its historical

reliability. Will we accept it on the same basis we accept other historical

documents? If so, then will we either accept it at face

value, or reject it

and along with all other historical documents

whose evidence are much less? We cannot say that it was simply a sincere but mistaken effort to explain who Jesus was. We must decide whether it is true,

or a carefully contrived lie! It is this last issue

upon which all else truly depends! THE

IMPLICATIONS OF OUR DECISION... If the

New Testament is a carefully contrived lie...

We must concede that a book with the world's

highest standard of morality was composed by

a group of liars, frauds, and deceivers! For what book contains a higher standard of love and

morality than the New Testament? We must also concede that a book with

overwhelming evidence as a historical document was carefully put together to

deceive. Known historical names, places and events

were carefully intertwined with bold-faced lies. Solemn affirmations

concerning its truthfulness are made, intended to

deceive those to whom such affirmations were

made. We must also

concede that we know nothing about Jesus. For

outside the New Testament, there is no

reliable historical record of Jesus’ life and teachings. And how can we trust the

record of

liars, frauds, and deceivers? But is that a reasonable or logical

conclusion? If we decide that the New Testament is true...We have a reason for

our hope of salvation! It tells us of the life and

death of Jesus Christ.

And how we can receive remission of sins through

His blood! We have a reason for our hope

concerning this life! For it tells us of the teachings and promises of Jesus

Christ. And how we can

have the peace and joy only He can provide! We have a reason for our hope concerning the future! For

it tells us of His resurrection, ascension, and coming again. And

how we have the hope of

our own resurrection along with eternal life!

CONCLUSIONOne reason for hope is based upon three facts

which can't be denied... 1) Jesus lived.

2) Evidence for the New Testament as a

historical document is overwhelming

3) If not true, then it is a carefully contrived lie. To conclude that it is a carefully contrived lie

makes no logical sense. Instead, we are persuaded

it contains a sincere, truthful account of who

Jesus is and what He did. Then the New Testament, is a strong reason for the

hope that we have in Jesus Christ.