History

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Beyond a doubt, facts are an important step in determining whether or not you want to believe in what you are hearing. This reminds me when I first studied the life of Christ, I wondered about historical facts. It was later on I discovered there had been a Jewish historian named Josephus Flavius who had kept ancient records on what happened to the Jewish population.

Even though Josephus was not a believer in Jesus, he did record about him and the fact of his crucifixion in his ancient historical writings. For example, Josephus says in Book 18: 3(63):

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was (the) Christ.”

And in Book 18:3(64) we read:

“And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day…”

But the Bible is the infallible record of who He is and what He does.

Other facts I wondered about was how Jesus, His Father, and the Holy Spirit were revealed at the very beginning of the history of the Bible. I believe if you read Proverbs 8 you will be pleasantly surprised.

In my attempt to elicit facts from the Bible, I desire to make the name of Jesus, as well as His life, so real to you, that if you are a person who doubts, you will join those of us who believe. The Bible is the one book that gives an inerrant history of our world.

Many people discredit its truth. But those of you who look beyond the scorners will be blessed with knowledge that will give you assurance, help in times of sickness and trouble, and a spirit of love that will endure forever. Your life will be enriched by a loving God to whom you can relate and receive answers through prayer and study of the Bible.

We can study and learn about ancient times, and from our studies we can learn how people lived, whether or not they believed in God, and why. We learn of their hardships, their wars, and their governments. We also learn that we are a people of disobedience. We learn how their disobedience to God gave them problems they could not solve. By learning about their lives, we have a mirror image of how we ourselves commit the same discretions. We find we are living immorally, selfishly, and foolishly. We are led to discover we are unreliable, untrustworthy, and worthy of death.

We are trapped, lonely, and struggling for survival, lost and fearful. What do we do? If we want to be released from this prison of imperfection, we need to look to the Bible and learn from God how to extricate ourselves from our disobedient existence. God has given us an understanding and a way to freedom by telling us of His wonderful gift of salvation. We were doomed to die, but Jesus loves us so much, He gave His life for us by His death on the Cross. He, by His great love, paid for our sins by shedding His blood as a sacrifice for our sins. He nailed our sins to His Cross.

Copyright © February 2013
by Ethel C. Pechman

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