Lesson 5: The General Argument for the Christian Faith

This short lesson introduces arguments to be developed in Lessons 6-8. You may not fully understand this lesson until you study the later lessons. To best understand the argument for the Christian faith, read this lesson, memorize the assigned material, study Lessons 6-8, and then review this lesson again. After you have learned the arguments in the following lessons, you can return to this lesson for a fuller understanding.

As Lee met Jia outside their apartment building, she looked serious. After visiting a few minutes, she said, “Can I ask you a question? Please give me an honest answer.”

“Sure!” Lee answered worriedly. Although he often argued with Jia, he respected her deep Christian faith. It was clear that she sincerely cared about Lee as a person. He hoped she was not angry with him. He continued, “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, but I have been thinking. We talk about the Christian faith, but are you really seeking the truth? If your questions are nothing more than mental exercises, you will never come to truly know the Giver of Truth. Is your heart seeking the truth?”

Lee thought for a few minutes. At times he envied Jia’s faith in God; but he wasn’t sure he was ready to accept Jia’s religion, even if she answered all his questions. Lee said, “I don’t know. I think I will accept the truth even if I don’t like it. But I’m not sure.”

Jia responded, “I think you need to ask yourself, ‘Am I really a seeker after truth?’ Without intellectual honesty, our conversations will never move beyond mental curiosity. Think about this question and let’s talk tomorrow.”

If you want to present the case for the Christian faith, it is important to have a good argument for the inspiration of the Bible and the truth of Christianity. Many people today say, “It doesn’t matter if a religion is true. What matters is that your religion is useful to you.” They insist, “There are no absolutes, so we cannot know that any religion is true.”

However, we learned in lesson 2 that this argument is not valid. The truth of our religion is very important. If Christianity is not true, Christians are foolish to follow a false religion. 

In this lesson, we will begin to build a case for the Christian faith. We will see that Christianity is a reasonable faith. We can trust that Christianity is true. Our case argues that:

1. The Bible is the Word of God.
2. Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
3. The Christian faith is true.

The following lessons will give evidence for each block in our case for Christianity. For now, you will learn each of the blocks used in our case.

The first block in our case is Historical Reliability. The New Testament is historically reliable. If the Bible is not reliable in its history, we have nothing to stand on. But if the New Testament is historically accurate, we have sufficient evidence to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and fulfilled many Messianic prophecies.

The blocks of Prophecy and Resurrection show that Jesus is who he said he was — the Messiah, the Son of God, God come in the flesh. The Prophecy and Resurrection blocks support the truth that Jesus is God.

The next part of our case says that Jesus is infallible. Since Jesus is God, we know that he is infallible. To be infallible means that Jesus cannot be wrong. Jesus said that the Bible was the Word of God and that he was the only way to God.

The fact that Jesus is infallible supports the top block of our case: Christianity is true! Jesus, God’s Son, took on human flesh, died on the cross, and rose from the tomb so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. This is the message of the Christian faith.

What are the six blocks that support the case for the Christian faith?

The six blocks represent a series of premises that lead to a logical conclusion. In Lessons 6-8, we will find evidence for each of these premises.  For this lesson, memorize each premise and the conclusion.

Premise A: The New Testament is historically reliable.

This is the foundation of our case for the Christian faith. If the New Testament is not historically accurate, we do not have a case. If the New Testament is historically accurate, we can argue strongly for the truth of the Christian faith.

Premise B: Jesus fulfilled messianic prophecies.

Jesus’ life, ministry, and death fulfilled dozens of prophecies made hundreds of years before his birth.

Premise C: Jesus rose from the dead.

Based on the reliability of the New Testament, we can trust the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead.

Premise D: Jesus’ resurrection and fulfillment of prophecy show that he was Messiah, the Son of God, God come in the flesh.

If Jesus rose from the dead and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, he must be the Son of God.

Premise E:  Because Jesus is God, he is infallible.

To be infallible is to be without error. If Jesus is God, his words are absolutely trustworthy.

Premise F:  Jesus Christ taught that the Bible is the Word of God and that he is the only way to God.

Repeatedly, Jesus testified that Scripture is the Word of God.[1] Repeatedly, Jesus told his listeners that he is the only way to God.[2]

Conclusion: If Jesus was God, we must believe what he said: The Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus is the only way to God.  Therefore, Christianity is true.

If each of the premises above are true, the conclusion must be true. Each premise builds on the previous premise, starting with the historical reliability of the Bible.[3]

First, we will study the evidence that the New Testament is reliable. Skeptics say, “The Bible has been copied so many times that we don’t know what was originally written”, or “The stories in the New Testament are myths because they slowly developed over time. The original events were nothing like the accounts in the New Testament.”

Can you respond to these statements? These are common objections to the historical reliability of the New Testament. In the next lesson, we will learn how to show that the Bible is historically reliable.

► Discuss each of the six premises and the conclusion. Make sure you understand why the conclusion must be true if the premises are true. Memorize the six premises and the conclusion. This will be the foundation for the next three lessons. You will need to write these premises and conclusion on the quiz for this lesson.

[1] Matthew 5:18, 15:4; Mark 12:36; Luke 24:44-46

[2] John 14:6

[3]“I didn’t become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing…. I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take.”
- Lee Strobel

List the six premises and conclusion that provide the case for the Christian faith.

Jordan Monge[1] was an atheist throughout high school. When Christians talked to her about the Bible, she was able to defeat all their arguments.

In 2008, Jordan went to Harvard University to study government. The motto of Harvard is Veritas, “Truth.”  As an atheistic student at Harvard, Jordan Monge came face to face with eternal truth.

At Harvard, Jordan became friends with another student, Joseph Porter, who was a committed Christian. Not only was Porter a Christian, but he had a brilliant mind and could respond to Monge’s arguments against the existence of God. As she brought argument after argument to him, he listened respectfully and answered carefully. She had never met a Christian like this.

Ms. Monge was an atheist, but she believed that there are absolute moral laws that govern our universe. Joseph showed her the inconsistency of claiming absolutes of right and wrong without believing in a God who created these absolutes. He also showed her the inconsistency of believing that the universe was created by a “Big Bang” without showing that someone or something caused this Big Bang to occur.

Because of these arguments, Jordan became a deist. She believed that God exists but still rejected Jesus as the incarnate God.[2] As she continued to read, however, she learned that Christians define love as “a commitment to the true good of the other person.” Ms. Monge realized that this was the reason for God’s sacrifice of his Son to die for sinners. God “so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” That is true love.

One day, Jordan read for the first time the story of the crucifixion. She began to weep as she realized the beauty of God’s sacrificial love.

Through the next several months, Jordan studied the writings of great Christians such as Augustine, Blaise Pascal, and C.S. Lewis. She began to realize that the Christian faith is not only beautiful; it is true. On Easter 2009, Jordan Monge was baptized as a new believer. For the first time, she knew Veritas, “Truth.”

[1] This material is adapted from Jordan Monge’s testimony was retrieved from https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/march/atheists-dilemma.html April 25, 2020.

[2] A deist accepts a “divine power” but does not believe God reveals himself in personal ways to mankind. A deist rejects the incarnation and other forms of special revelation, but accepts general revelation through nature.

The next morning, Lee was waiting on the sidewalk for Jia. “I’ve thought about your question. I don’t think you can prove the truth of the Christian faith because I think it is a fairy tale. However, I want to be an honest person. If you show me that the Christian faith is true, I will admit my error and try to believe.”

Jia replied joyfully, “That is all I ask, Lee. I believe that the God of Truth will reveal himself to everyone who truly seeks after truth. I have been studying reasons to believe the Christian faith. If God helps me, I think I can show you that there is good reason to believe that God exists and that Jesus Christ lived, died, and was raised from the grave in order to bring us to relationship with God. Let’s talk next week about the Bible and what it shows about the truth of Jesus Christ the Messiah.”

(1) Apologetics and the Head: You will begin the next class with a test over the review questions from Lesson 5.  Study these questions carefully in preparation for the test.

(2) Apologetics and the Heart: When witnessing to an unbeliever, there is a danger of creating an intellectual competition. This causes a skeptic to feel that if he is convinced of the truth of the Christian faith, he has ‘lost’ the argument. Ask God to make you sensitive to the spirit of the people to whom you witness. Apologetics must communicate heart to heart, not just head to head.

(3) Apologetics and the Hands: After studying the argument for the Christian faith, share these premises with an unbeliever. If possible, speak with an unbeliever with whom you talked in previous lessons. Ask, “If I could show that each of these blocks is true, would you be willing to listen to my presentation?”  Remember that your goal is not to win an argument, but to win the opportunity to share the truth. Take notes about your conversation to share in class at your next meeting.

(1) What are the three parts of the case for Christianity in this lesson?

(2) What are the six blocks that support the case for the Christian faith?

(3) List the six premises and conclusion that provide the case for the Christian faith.

(4) Write 1 Thessalonians 2:13 from memory.