A Familiar Position in Pride Would Be Lost if God Had Answers

Most scholars, including skeptics, agree that Paul experienced a conversion into the faith of Christianity. And Paul mentions several times his encounters with the 12 apostles, even mentioning some by name, such as John and Peter, as well as the brother of Jesus who is James. James who is a family skeptic also experienced conversion into the faith after seeing Jesus resurrected.

Paul talks about how they agreed with him and he agreed with them in their several encounters. Paul talked about their experiencing the appearance of Jesus after His resurrection in several different group sizes and settings. He talks about Jesus' "appearance" to himself when those men around him who also experienced the flash of light which caused them to crouch down and heard his voice, but they could not see "the man" that Paul could see.
The apostles truly believed they saw Jesus resurrected. Jesus said He would be resurrected and that He is God. The tomb was empty on Sunday after Jesus was placed there on Friday, given spices by men on the Sanhedrin and secured by Roman guards before the Saturday Sabbath.

Hallucination is not possible because hallucinations occur individually, not in groups. Psychologically group hallucinations have never been recorded in history. Groups can experience illusions of an object that is already there, but it is misperceived. The apostles said they ate with Jesus, talked with Him and touched Him. If it was an illusion there needed to be an actual object there that was being misperceived, but that sort of thing usually happens at a distance, not with a person standing right next to you putting food in his mouth-the same person that walked with you for three and a half years in His ministry. Paul also saw Jesus, but somehow Jesus made it so that only Paul good see Jesus in the flash of light and in hearing the voice that the others with him could not.

We know God exists because everything in nature has a cause and effect, so that nature could not have caused itself. Therefore, logically speaking the big bang or singularity or first event in nature had to have been caused by the uncaused. That which is spaceless, immaterial, supernatural, timeless, eternal, infinite caused the space-filled, material, natural, time-filled, mortal, finite.

We also know we all sin, that is, make mistakes. As a sign of sin, notice that we throw people into jail. Sin leads to death, we all die. Sin also leads then to the second death, an eternal separation from God. We are all to be resurrected like Jesus was. Since God made us all in His image with a free-will to choose the cross to receive salvation, there is no excuse.

What Christian scholars then ask, since this evidence is so powerful, what alternative explanation do you have that can be supported and not merely conjectured about?

Michael R. Licona writes, "Many times this is simply an objection of the will rather than intellect. Perhaps this person simply does not want to have a relationship with God. Some enjoy the position of unbelief too much to want to give it up. A familiar position in which pride is invested would be lost if the questions about God really found answers. There are often motives behind our beliefs." :wink: