The Historical Case for Christ

After making the case for God’s existence, the next crucial question is: Which religion accurately depicts what this God is like? In this article, I will present the historical case for Christ—showing why Jesus is God and why Christianity gives the truest picture of Him.

We must start with Christ, because He is the very foundation of Christianity. Without Christ, there is no Christianity (1 Corinthians 15:12–19). If He is not who He claimed to be, the entire faith collapses. But if He is who He claimed to be, everything changes.

Did Jesus Exist?

Some skeptics claim there’s “no evidence” Jesus ever existed. Often, this comes from individuals who have not engaged seriously with the historical record. Even most secular historians agree that Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure.

Ancient historical sources outside the Bible include:

• Flavius Josephus (Jewish historian) – Described Jesus as a wise teacher and mentioned His crucifixion and His brother James. He even recorded claims that Jesus appeared alive after His death.
  
  

• Tacitus (Roman historian) – Wrote of Jesus’ execution under Pontius Pilate.
  
  

• The Babylonian Talmud – References Jesus in a historical context.
  
  

• Pliny the Younger – Noted early Christian worship of Jesus as God.
  
  

• Mara bar-Serapion – Compared Jesus’ execution to the deaths of other wise men.
  
  

All of these are considered credible historical records. Together, they confirm Jesus’ life, ministry, and the claims of His resurrection.

The Gospels themselves are also trustworthy historical sources. The apostles wrote as eyewitnesses or as those closely connected to eyewitnesses. They proclaimed Jesus’ words and deeds at the cost of their lives. It’s implausible that all of them would willingly die for something they knew to be false.

Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

Establishing Jesus’ existence is important, but it’s not enough. The central claim of Christianity is that Jesus rose from the dead. If the resurrection didn’t happen, Christianity crumbles (1 Corinthians 15:12–19).

After His crucifixion, multiple independent witnesses—including the disciples and over 500 others—claimed to have seen Jesus alive. These witnesses faced persecution and death, yet none recanted.

Common objections to the resurrection fall apart under scrutiny:

1. The Disciples Stole the Body – Highly unlikely. Roman guards were disciplined and deadly. Passing them unnoticed—or bribing them—would be nearly impossible. Why die for a lie you created?
   
   

2. The Authorities Stole the Body – Illogical. If Jewish or Roman authorities had the body, they could have ended Christianity instantly by displaying it.
   
   

3. The Women Went to the Wrong Tomb – Unlikely. They had seen where Jesus was buried, and it was a new tomb with no other bodies. Even if they were mistaken, the authorities could have easily corrected them.
   
   

4. Jesus Didn’t Really Die – Impossible. Roman executioners were experts in death. Jesus was scourged, crucified, pierced by a spear (producing a blood-and-water flow—a sign of death), and wrapped for burial. Surviving three days in a sealed tomb without food or water, moving a massive stone, and escaping guards would be beyond human capability.
   
   

Can We Trust the Gospels?

The New Testament is the most well-preserved work of antiquity. There are over 24,000 manuscripts—vastly more than works like Homer’s Iliad or Plato’s writings, which have only dozens of surviving copies.

The manuscripts agree with remarkable accuracy, and where small variations occur, none affect core doctrines. As J. Warner Wallace notes in Cold-Case Christianity, the Gospels’ accounts are consistent enough to agree on essential details while differing in minor ones—exactly what you’d expect from independent eyewitness testimony.

If the God of the Bible exists, it follows that He would preserve His Word. While faith is necessary, we have abundant historical reason to believe the Gospels are reliable.

Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

The historical record shows Jesus lived, died, rose again, and that the Gospels faithfully record His words. But did He actually claim to be God?

Yes—and in ways His original audience clearly understood. In John 8:58, Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” This was no casual phrase—“I AM” was the sacred name of God revealed in the Old Testament (YHWH). The Jews considered it so holy that they avoided saying it aloud. When Jesus applied it to Himself, His listeners immediately picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy.

Other passages—John 10:30, John 1:1–14, John 20:28—reinforce His divine identity. The reason He was crucified was not for political rebellion, but because He claimed equality with God.

Conclusion

The evidence points powerfully in one direction:

• Jesus existed and is recorded in both secular and biblical history.
  
  

• He rose from the dead, as attested by numerous witnesses who died for their testimony.
  
  

• The Gospels are historically reliable.
  
  

• Jesus claimed to be God—and proved it through His resurrection.
  
  

If these things are true, Christianity is not just one belief system among many—it is the accurate revelation of who God is. Jesus is not simply a wise teacher or prophet; He is God in the flesh, the Savior of the world.

The question is not just “Did Jesus rise?” but “What will you do with that truth?” The answer to that question changes everything—both now and for eternity.