In this new devotional series "Good Question", we are considering the basics of the Christian faith. Last week, we asked the question: should I even care about this question? Isn't Christianity boring, untrue and irrelevant? Is there any reason to believe that Jesus is God and the Christian faith claims are real?
In this episode, we explore the evidence that Jesus even existed as a historical figure. While we can't prove the claims of Christianity in the same way we would a math theorem or scientific experiment, there is significant historical evidence that Jesus was a real person who lived in first-century Judea.
We look at accounts from ancient Greek and Roman historians that corroborate key facts about Jesus' life - that he was a teacher who performed miracles and made prophetic claims, that he was condemned by Jewish leaders for acts of sorcery and apostasy, and that he was crucified by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate. We also see how the rapid growth of the Christian movement, even in the face of persecution, lends credibility to the historical accounts.
While the question of whether Jesus is truly divine is still to be addressed, this episode establishes that there is good reason to believe Jesus was a real historical figure. Join us tomorrow as we continue our exploration of the basics of the Christian faith.
