Last week Carol and I attended a fine lecture by Dr. Paul L. Maier at Crown of Life Lutheran Church, in Sun City West. About 200 people heard Dr. Maier explain the blessings of having non-Christian "outside" sources which affirm the reality and authenticity of Jesus Christ and the Bible.
He stated that these are challenging times for Christians, since the faith is under fire from religious competitors, critics, sensationalist authors and hostile media producers. These often take delight in unveiling caricatures of Jesus rather than portraying Him accurately.
How are believers to defend the faith in this secular climate? Is it possible to learn more true details about Jesus of Nazareth than are found in the Bible? Are there any other proofs that the New Testament record is reliable?
The news here is good - three other sources affirm Christianity! Geography affirms the authenticity of rivers, mountains, cities and countries mentioned in the New Testament. The Bible is the only religious holy book which consistently speaks of places that do exist or have existed in the past. This is untrue of most other religions such as Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or Mormonism.
Archeology, while a young discipline, again and again supports the locations, cities and even rulers mentioned in the Bible through the ongoing discovery of artifacts and inscriptions. A third source, historians, also support the truth of the Bible by the mentioning Jesus, His disciples and the Christian faith in manuscripts by such non-Christian sources as Tacitus, Suetonius, Pliny the Younger and Josephus.
But is it necessary, someone asked, that we have such "outside" sources for Jesus to be authentic and real? Dr. Maier stated, no it was not necessary, but it is truly helpful. Because we have plentiful proofs of the existence of the people, places and events in the Bible, we can rest assured the rest of the story of God's redemption through Jesus Christ is real and true.
Thank God for all His blessings, including those from non-Christians!
(Paul L. Maier is a world-famous author of many books about the Christian faith. See them at your favorite library or book seller.)
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