Accuracy Part B!

Secular (not religious) historians of the time, including Flavius Josephus and Cornelius Tacitus both confirm the existence of Jesus Christ, and indeed wrote about Him in a positive light. These aren't just ordinary people - they wrote texts that are accepted as being accurate histories of the times when Jesus Christ was alive.

Think for a second. If Jesus Christ did really exist, and a group of His followers gathered and wrote a ridiculous and fanciful story about salvation, death and resurrection, they would have been immediately discredited and shut down. In the true Roman style, any texts they would have written would have immediately been burned, hoping that they stamp out any cult-like behaviour.

But the word of God and the four gospels, accounts of Jesus Christ and his works on the earth, survive to this day and were accepted by much of the Jewish and Roman populace as the truth. That in itself is pretty much testament to how reliable they are. A gathering of five thousand people, fed and watered from just five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:1-15) and turning water into wine at a wedding (John 2:1-11) are both easily verifiable by people of those times, and only if they were true would the accounts hold true. They've held, and have never been refuted by any sort of archaeological and scientific evidence.

The four gospels were contemporary accounts of Jesus' life - written by people who travelled with Him, knew His teachings and were familiar with His followers. They contain verifiable, historical facts, and are as such the most accurate representation of Christ Jesus. On the other hand, the later-written Gnostic gospels (such as the gospel of Mary, the gospel of Philip) are not reputable sources, written centuries after Christ's resurrection and ascension. These accounts are not only controversial, but they make claims that are far-removed (and often contrary) to the original gospels.

If we can believe the four gospels are true, then by association, the rest of the bible is true also. Thus - 2 Tim 3:16a – All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training.

Stay tuned for part C! :D