Why I Believe In Jesus

1. History Points Back To Jesus

1. The world's dating system is based on Jesus.
2. The life and teaching of Jesus was recorded by four people who were either eyewitnesses or wrote within the lifetime of eyewitnesses (scholars believe the four gospels were written between 50-90 AD).
3. Archaeologists have discovered thousands of manuscripts of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) dating back as far as the second century AD.
4. Ancient historians — including Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger — mention Jesus and the early Christians.

Here are the three oldest gospel papyrus fragments that have been discovered:

Papyrus 52 - 100-200 AD

FRONT: So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” (John 18:31-33)

BACK: Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. (John, 18:37-38)

Papyrus 90 - 100-200 AD

FRONT: Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber. Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” (John 18:36-19:7)

Papyrus 104 - 100-200 AD

FRONT: “When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.” (Matthew 21:34-37)

BACK: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. (Matthew 21:43,45)

2. Prophesy Points Forward To Jesus

The Hebrew Bible is full of prophesies about Messiah, and their existence before Jesus is verified by ancient manuscripts including the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Micah 5:2 - 735-700 BC

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.

Daniel 2:44 - 540-530 BC

In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

Daniel 9:25-26 - 540-530 BC

So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.

These three are enough to prove the point, but here are many others. Particularly interesting are Psalm 22 , which was quoted by Jesus from the cross and which seems to describes crucifixion in first person and was written by King David around 1,044 BC, and Isaiah 53 which clearly says that the Messiah will suffer and die for the sins of many and was written around the 6th century BC.

3. My Life Has Been Changed By Jesus

This one is subjective, but anybody who has known me has seen how God has healed me emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually, saved me from addictions to sex, drugs, alcohol, and pornography, destroyed the false god of self with its pride, arrogance, ambition, and lust, and allowed me to live an incredible adventure following Him.

I am sure of this: that Jesus is real, that He is God, that He died for the sins of anyone who will repent and follow Him, and that He is coming back very soon to judge the world. If Jesus can forgive me for decades of pursuing evil while knowing better, then He can forgive you too. If Jesus can heal me from the emotional damage that repeatedly drove me to self-destructive addictions, He can heal you too. And if Jesus can raise Himself from the dead, He can raise anyone who puts their life in His hands.