Wednesday, May 29, 2024

MIchael R. Licona on the Importance of the Historicity of the Resurrection of Christ

  

If Jesus rose from the dead, it’s game, set, match. Christianity is true—period! Why? Because when Jesus’s critics challenged him for a sign to confirm his claims, he offered the sign of his resurrection from the dead (Matt. 16:1-4 // Luke 11:29-390; John 2:18-22). So if Jesus rose, he did so to confirm his claims. I now felt a freedom to investigate these other matters with an open mind because even if the answer turned out differently than I had hoped, Christianity is still true. . . . I do want to suggest that many people are bothered by Gospel differences far more than they should be. Since Jesus rose from the dead, Christianity is true. And it remains true even if it turns out there are errors and contradictions in the Gospels Once I understood that principle, a lot changed for me. Many things that had troubled me either no longer did or did to a much lesser extent. (Michael R. Licona, Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Academic, 2024], 5, 6)

 

The bottom line: Contradictions offer a challenge to the historical reliability of the Gospels and to some versions of the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. However, they do not necessarily call into question the truth of the Christian faith. So if Ehrman’s rhetoric troubles you, take a deep breath and relax. Things are not nearly as horrible as Ehrman and others would have us believe. If you are a Christian who worries every time someone brings up a Gospel difference or something in the Old Testament disturbs you, remember this principle: since Jesus rose from the dead, Christianity is true—period! You will be keeping matters in their proper perspective. And you will sleep better at night. (Ibid., 7, italics in original)

 

Embracing a flexible view of inerrancy should by no means result in giving up the Bible and Christianity. Christianity is true because of the person of Jesus and his resurrection. If Jesus rose from the dead, it’s game, set, match. Christianity is true—period! Thousands became followers of Jesus during the decades before any of the New Testament literature was written. If none of the New Testament literature had ever been written, Christianity would still be true. We just would not know much about Jesus. (Ibid., 215-16)