The Death Jesus Died In this lesson we examine various aspects of Jesus’ death by crucifixion and the doctrine of vicarious atonement. There are two major charges skeptics make in these areas, 1) Jesus didn’t really die by crucifixion and 2) The Christian belief that Jesus’ death somehow atoned for people’s sin is a repellent concept. In this lesson we answer both of these objections. How did the Roman world view crucifixion? Why did Paul say that the preaching of the cross was foolish and scandalous? What is the “swoon” theory? How do Muslims discount Jesus death by crucifixion? Why do atheists and other skeptics think the vicarious atonement by Jesus’ death is a brutally repellent doctrine? How do we know that Jesus actually died on the cross? What do we mean when we say that Jesus’ death by crucifixion is part of the “historical bedrock?” What do atheists and others overlook when they object to the need for vicarious atonement? Why can’t God just forgive sins without a sacrifice? What is necessary in order for vicarious atonement to be justified? (50 min)
Lesson 43: Review Questions
Lesson 43: Lesson Notes

Tags: Jesus, Death, Crucifixion

Jesus and Miracles As we learned in our previous lesson, Jesus made some remarkable claims about himself. It is easy to make such claims, it’s something else to prove them. This is where the miracles of Jesus come into consideration. What are the two primary issues regarding the miracle accounts of Jesus in the Gospels? What is a miracle? What are some of the objections that are sometimes raised to the possibility of miracles? How does one’s worldview influence how someone views miracles? What is the prevalent attitude in the Majority World regarding the possibility of supernatural occurrences? What are the two difference kinds of explanation we consider when seeking the cause of and event or phenomenon? What is wrong with the oft repeated claim that extraordinary events require extraordinary evidence? What is necessary in order to establish that a miracle has occurred? What is the growing consensus among modern historians regarding the Gospel reports of Jesus' miracles?
Lesson 42: Review Questions
Lesson 42: Lesson Notes

Tags: Jesus, Miracles, Gospels, History

Who Is Jesus? What was Jesus' self-awareness and what did he say about himself to others? What are the two categories of Jesus’ teachings? Which category is the most controversial? What was C. S. Lewis’ trilemma regarding who Jesus was? What three groups of people in the gospels represent the three positions in the trilemma? How do people often try to avoid being caught in Lewis’ trilemma? In what ways did Jesus make implicit claims to Messiahship and Deity? Did Jesus ever make any explicit claims to be the Messiah or to be God? What are meant by the Gospel references to the Son of God and the Son of Man? Why is it not possible to exclude Jesus’ claims from the historical accounts of his life? How do New Age adherents attempt to redefine Jesus and thereby escape from Lewis’ trilemma? How do attempts to attribute gnostic/pantheistic teachings to Jesus ignore his historical context?
Lesson 41: Review Questions
Lesson 41: Lesson Notes

Tags: Jesus, Divinity, Messiah, Christ, Son of God, Son of Man