More Than a Carpenter

1. My Journey from Skepticism to Belief

I had to admit that Jesus Christ was more than a carpenter.

Searching for meaning. As a young man, I felt a deep thirst for happiness and meaning, exploring religion, education, and prestige, but finding only emptiness and frustration. I observed a small group of students who possessed a genuine, constant joy and love that I desperately wanted.

The challenge issued. When I cynically dismissed their faith, one student boldly stated that Jesus Christ had changed her life, distinguishing Christianity from mere religion. They challenged me, a prelaw student focused on evidence, to intellectually examine the claims of Jesus, convinced I would find them baseless myths.

Evidence led to truth. Determined to disprove Christianity by showing the Bible was unreliable, I spent months researching ancient documents in Europe. To my astonishment, the evidence overwhelmingly supported the reliability of the Old and New Testaments, forcing me to conclude that Jesus was indeed who he claimed to be.

2. Jesus' Unique and Exclusive Claims to Deity

He was presenting himself as the only avenue to salvation and the only source of forgiveness of sins—things they knew that only God could claim.

More than a teacher. Unlike other religious leaders, Jesus made astounding claims about himself, identifying himself as God's Son and the sole path to salvation and forgiveness. This exclusivity often offends people today, but the historical question is whether Jesus actually made these claims and if they are true.

Names and attributes. The New Testament clearly presents Jesus as God, using divine names like "God" and "Lord" and attributing characteristics only true of God.

• Self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, eternal life.
  He also received worship, which devout monotheistic Jews would only offer to God.

Jewish leaders understood. Jesus' statements like calling God "my Father" and claiming "The Father and I are one" were understood by Jewish leaders as claims to equality with God. His assertion of authority to forgive sins, a prerogative of God alone, led them to accuse him of blasphemy and seek his death.

3. The Inescapable Trilemma: Lord, Liar, or Lunatic

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.

No middle ground. Jesus claimed to be God, leaving no room to simply view him as a great moral teacher or prophet. As C. S. Lewis argued, someone making such claims, if not God, would have to be either a deliberate deceiver (a liar) or genuinely believe it while being mentally unsound (a lunatic).

Was he a liar? If Jesus knew his claims were false, he was a hypocrite, a demon for deceiving people about their eternal destiny, and a fool for dying for a known lie. This contradicts his pure moral teachings and the positive transformation seen wherever his message has spread throughout history.

Was he a lunatic? Mistakenly believing oneself to be God, especially in a monotheistic culture, is a sign of severe delusion. Yet, Jesus displayed remarkable poise, sanity, and profound wisdom in his teachings, which psychologists recognize as a blueprint for mental health. His character is inconsistent with known forms of mental illness.

4. Historical Proof is Different from Scientific Proof

We all accept as true many facts that cannot be verified by scientific methods.

Science vs. History. Many people dismiss claims about Jesus because they cannot be proven scientifically, assuming scientific proof is the only valid method. However, scientific proof requires repeatable events in controlled environments, which is impossible for historical events or persons.

Legal-historical proof. Historical facts are established using legal-historical proof, which relies on testimony and evidence to determine truth beyond a reasonable doubt. This method uses:

• Oral testimony
• Written testimony
• Exhibits
  We use this method daily to accept facts about the past, like who won a historical battle or whether we ate lunch yesterday.

Applying the method. Questions about Jesus' identity or resurrection fall into the realm of legal-historical proof, not scientific proof. We must examine the available testimony and evidence for Jesus using the same rigorous standards applied to any other historical figure or event.

5. The Remarkable Reliability of the Bible Records

No other document has as much evidence to confirm its reliability.

Attacks on reliability. Critics often claim the New Testament was written too late to be accurate, based on outdated theories. However, archaeological discoveries and manuscript evidence have consistently pushed back the dating of New Testament books, placing them within the lifetime of eyewitnesses.

Manuscript evidence. The New Testament has vastly more ancient manuscripts than any other classical work.

• Over 5,600 Greek manuscripts exist.
• The Iliad, the next best-attested work, has only 643.
• The time gap between original composition and earliest copies is remarkably small compared to other ancient texts, leading scholars to conclude the text has been transmitted with high accuracy.

Addressing variants. While there are many textual variants among manuscripts, the vast majority are minor spelling differences. Less than 1% affect the meaning, and none jeopardize central Christian doctrines. The abundance of manuscripts actually helps scholars reconstruct the original text with high confidence.

6. Eyewitnesses Who Died for Their Convictions

It would be hard to find a group of men anywhere in history who would die for a lie if they knew it was a lie.

Testimony is key. Our knowledge of history, including Christianity, relies on testimony. The crucial question is the reliability of the witnesses. The apostles' testimony is particularly compelling because they were eyewitnesses to the events they described.

Convinced against will. The apostles were initially skeptical and fearful after Jesus' death, hiding and disbelieving reports of the empty tomb. Their transformation from discouraged deserters to bold proclaimers willing to face torture and death is powerful evidence. They were convinced only after seeing the resurrected Christ.

Martyrdom as proof. Eleven of the original apostles died martyrs' deaths for their belief in Christ's deity and resurrection. While people die for lies they believe are true, it is highly improbable that these men would die for something they knew was a lie, especially given their moral teachings condemning dishonesty.

7. The Compelling Evidence of the Empty Tomb

The empty tomb was "too notorious to be denied."

Death and burial. Historical evidence confirms Jesus was brutally whipped and crucified, resulting in certain death. His body was wrapped with heavy spices and placed in a sealed tomb guarded by Roman soldiers, making theft or accidental removal highly improbable.

The empty tomb fact. Despite the guard and seal, the tomb was found empty. This fact was widely known and acknowledged by both followers and opponents in Jerusalem shortly after the crucifixion. The presence of the graveclothes, undisturbed but empty, further challenges naturalistic explanations.

Alternative theories fail. Various theories attempt to explain the empty tomb without a resurrection, but none adequately account for all the facts.

• Wrong Tomb: Authorities would have produced the body.
• Hallucination: Psychologically improbable for mass, repeated sightings.
• Swoon: Jesus would have been weak, not a "Conqueror."
• Stolen Body: Disciples were cowardly; authorities would have produced the body.
• Relocated Body: No historical support; doesn't explain appearances.
• Copycat: Mystery religion parallels are superficial myths, not historical events.

8. Hundreds of Prophecies Point to One Man

Certainly God was writing an address in history that only his Messiah could fulfill.

Jesus fulfilled prophecy. Jesus and his apostles repeatedly appealed to Old Testament prophecies to validate his claims as the Messiah. The Old Testament contains over 300 references to the Messiah's coming, written centuries before Jesus' birth.

A specific "address". These prophecies provide a detailed "address" in history, specifying:

• Lineage (seed of woman, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, David)
• Birthplace (Bethlehem)
• Time period (while the Temple stood)
• Manner of birth (virgin)
• Forerunner (John the Baptist)
• Betrayal details (by a friend, for 30 pieces of silver, money returned to Temple)
• Manner of death (pierced hands/feet, crucifixion)

Probability rules out coincidence. The chance of just eight of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person is astronomically low (1 in 10^17). The likelihood of one person fulfilling all 60 major prophecies and 270 ramifications is statistically impossible by chance alone.

9. Why Jesus is the Only Way to God

Wherever there is forgiveness, there is payment.

God's nature. Understanding God requires recognizing all his attributes, not just love. God is also holy, righteous, and just, meaning sin cannot exist in his presence. Humanity's choice to sin created a barrier, separating us from a holy God.

The dilemma and solution. God's love desired relationship, but his justice required a penalty for sin ("the wages of sin is death"). To reconcile these, Jesus, the God-man, took on human form and lived a sinless life. His death on the cross was accepted by God as a substitute payment for the sins of the world.

Forgiveness requires payment. Just as a judge must uphold the law even for a loved one, God's justice required payment for sin. Jesus' death was that payment, satisfying God's righteous requirements (propitiation). This payment, unique to Jesus, allows God's love to be freely offered, making Jesus the only way for sinful humanity to be reconciled to a holy God.

10. The Power of a Transformed Life

It is this transformation that assures me of the validity of my conversion.

Mind vs. Will. Despite intellectual conviction from the evidence, I initially resisted becoming a Christian due to pride and the fear of losing control and pleasure. This inner conflict caused significant distress until I decided to act on the truth my mind had accepted.

My conversion. On December 19, 1959, I prayed, thanking Jesus for his death, confessing my sins, asking for forgiveness, and inviting him to be my Savior and Lord. This decision was based on evidence, not blind faith.

Life-changing results. While not instantaneous, my life began to change profoundly over the following months.

• Mental peace replaced restlessness.
• A violent temper was removed.
• Deep-seated hatred, especially towards my alcoholic father, was replaced by a capacity to love and forgive.
  This transformation was so evident that it led my father to also place his trust in Christ.

Last updated: June 10, 2025