There are many arguments from critics regarding why they believe the New Testament is not reliable. The majority of these arguments are based upon conjecture and speculation with no evidentiary proof to support these suppositions.

One of the primary proofs of authenticity for the New Testament is the life of Saul of Tarsus. When we read of his fervency as a Pharisee against those who were preaching Jesus as the Messiah, intellectual honesty demands proper consideration.

How could a man of such standing amongst the Jews, instantly turn from hater of Christ to His chief advocate? If Saul only saw an apparition of the risen Jesus but not Christ Himself raised, how is it that immediately afterwards he began preaching that Jesus is risen from the dead and became the chief architect of the Christian Church?

The record of history demonstrates that Paul is recounting truthful narratives of events that actually took place. Imagine one man who so hates Christians that he carries documents with him to arrest and condemn those who believe in Christ, suddenly cease from his persecution and begin to write fourteen of the most profound literary works ever penned.

In Philippians chapter 3, Paul writes to the Christians of this church:

“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” ~Philippians 3:5-11

Critics say that the entire narrative of the New Testament is made up, contrived, none of the events described actually happened. How is it that eight authors conspired together to write twenty-seven books about one man, whom they all say, died on a Roman cross though He had done nothing wrong, and then was seen alive three days later?

How did these eight New Testament writers conspire with the men who wrote the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, also stating that one man would come to earth who would be God in human flesh, and then predict four hundred prophecies that describe His every word and deed?

No, the only way that a man like Saul of Tarsus could really exist is if the story were absolutely true. The only possibility that the twenty-seven books of the New Testament could exist, is if the story Really took place. No one could create such a narrative with so many personal letters of communication that describe events of history that are known by secular sources as taking place.

The New Testament is a truthful account of Jesus Christ, and the men who recorded these events for us are not lying. We can trust what Paul wrote, as well as the writers of the four Gospels, and every other book that describes all that Jesus said and did.

See Also:

• The Primary Issues Of New Testament Criticism
• Is The New Testament A Valid Historical Narrative?
• The Prophecies Of The Messiah: The 400 Messianic Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled

Categories: Anonymity of the Four Gospels, How The NT Writers Remembered, Jesus confirmed by secular sources, Jesus is the Messiah, Literary authenticity of the New Testament, Messianic Prophecies, New Testament Criticism, Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus, Robert Clifton Robinson, Secular sources for Jesus, The Historical Jesus

Tags: 400 Messianic Prophecies, Fulfilled Prophecies of the Messiah, History verified by the New Testament, New Testament Criticism, New Testament Forensic Evidence