Christianity: High Probability or Absolute Certainty? (The Long Answer)

Necessary Questions
Dr. Dell Tackett of the Truth Project poses the great question, “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?”1 How did you come to believe it, and why do you still? Is Jesus really the only true path to the God who is? How does one know? Can one really know anything? An entire science called epistemology deals with these issues of how one knows and believes.

How Can We Know?
Epistemology is the discipline and study entailing the determination of what knowledge is, how knowledge comes about, and determination of foundational truths necessary and/or able to demonstrate something as true or false―the “how” we come to believe and know the truth or falsehood of something. The nature of epistemology is such that it determines what is ultimate truth, and therefore can become knowledge (one can only have knowledge of something in some manner extant). It grapples with truth in the sense of examining not primarily the truth claim or truth itself per se, but the process along which one travels to arrive at the conclusion of what is true or most reasonable. It does not focus on the “what” one believes, but rather the “why” or “how” one came to know or belief. Logic, perception, experience, tradition, written and verbal witness all may be among what was drawn upon to arrive at one’s discovery of truth. One or the other of these may or may not be as weighty as another in one’s mind or reasoning, but all are relevant. For example, how do college students know that caffeine aids in staying awake to study? Is it experimentation, classmate testimony, knowledge of what responses caffeine elicits in a human body through one’s study of chemistry and biology? The “how” particular students came to their discovery of the fact is their epistemology.

Critical Rationalism
Not surprisingly, there are different types of epistemology. My preferred approach is closest to “soft” or “critical” rationalism. It considers both experience (like fideism) and evidence (like strong rationalism). But, it considers belief not as dissected, but as a “whole,” based upon cumulative evidence. I prefer this building of a cumulative case and believing in the most probable or reasonable conclusion at the time until overwhelming evidence stands to the contrary. No honest faith or doubt is based on nothing. There is an epistemology for each. Furthermore, it is wrong to “nourish belief by suppressing doubts and avoiding investigation.”2 Faith and reason, though different, actually work together, and critical rationalism encourages the utmost use of rational capacities. It does not “leap” as to ignore further evidence as Fideism does,3 but builds a cumulative case,4 all the while realizing that faith may go beyond the objectively knowable.5 Aquinas understood this, and so separated truths into those we can grasp and those we cannot, Scripture itself attesting to both.6

Many truths exceed reason. For example, the single cell of a baby somehow turns into cells that become bone, and others in to skin, and others muscle, etc. Which develops first, why? This is beyond my reasoning capabilities, but it is true that it happens. How is it that the numerous chemical reactions the body goes through just to produced a scab so we don’t bleed to death all know when to begin, and stop, and begin the next one? It’s beyond me. One reaction not happening could result in death from a simple scrape. The glory of truth beyond reason it that it curbs presumption on our part that finite people can actually know everything.7 It also betrays that original sin affects intellect as well as will. It carries with it, “a sort of blindness, a sort of imperceptiveness, dullness, stupidity…[and] compromises both knowledge of fact and knowledge of value.”8 Considering that, “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God,”9 and so will have sensual, illogical, and prejudicial hindrances, strengths of critical rationalism include engaging doubts with both reasons and arguments, while at the same time resisting overconfidence and overoptimism about our current conclusions.10

Foundational Epistemology
Critical rationalism is a type of “foundational” epistemology. Foundational epistemology, seeks accepted foundational truths which are, or can be, used to prove other things. It offers evidences as a foundation that may persuade a reasonable person to believe the conclusion to which it points. Furthermore, “every proposition is either in the foundations or believed on the evidential basis of other propositions.”11 If a belief is in the foundation, it could be said to be “basic,” meaning that the belief is not accepted on any evidential basis of another proposition. Beliefs of this type include perception, memory, and a priori belief.12 For example, I cannot prove that I typed this paper simply by stating it. However, if one could perceive me typing as they looked into the room, or found this work on my computer dated and timed as I claimed, or noticed congruence in style with other papers I have typed, one could find adequate reason to believe that my statement is, in fact, true. It is through the lens of this foundational epistemology of critical rationalism that I will display a case showing that Christianity is an absolute certainty.

Basic Ingredients
A religious system (as any legitimate belief system) must have certain qualities. It must be coherent, being consistent and making sense as a whole; comprehensive, being satisfying objectively, subjectively, and morally13; and correspondent, accurately reflecting the facts of reality.14 All three “C”s are necessary. Topics addressed in revealing Christianity as absolute truth include at least: truth itself, the universe’s origin, the nature of God and of man, the Bible, and Jesus. Also included must be a specific type of epistemology unique to Christianity and necessary for one to move beyond seeing Christianity as “highly probable” to knowing it as absolute certainty. I will address this toward the conclusion.

Is Christian theism is the only true religious system? Can one know its truthfulness with absolute certainty? Does it really matter? Dr. Steven Tsoukalas deftly states why these do, in fact matter. “Without an epistemology that in the end renders most plausibly true the Christian Faith, Christian theology and the Faith to which it points will only be considered one among many equally plausible truth claims.” Understanding that the success of reasons and arguments in bringing about belief is “person-relative,”15 the following begins a venture showing Christian Theism as one (and the one) of absolute certainty.

Basic Assumptions
Regardless of one’s worldview, reality does maintain certain inescapable truths.16 1. Something exists. Denying this is a dead-end. 2. There are absolutes, even those who (absolutely) claim otherwise. 3. No statement can be both true and false at the same time. This is known as the law of non-contradiction. For example, the God of the Bible says He is the only God, and that He never lies. This cannot be true while at the same time other gods do exist. Another god existing would make His statement false. But, if the Bible’s God exists, there is no other. 4. All people exercise faith everyday, such as stepping in an elevator trusting it will not “let us down.” 5. Truth exists independent of the belief of it. 6. There are, and will always be, truths that are beyond our current understanding. Now, to briefly set before us a cumulative case for Christianity.

The Beginning
Christian Theism believes in a personal creation by the One True God beginning at a particular moment. Other religious systems offer infinite existence or an impersonal creative force(s). However, any approach to the nature of the material world must begin with the data we actually have.17 Only finite existence is logical and corresponds with scientific reality. There must be a finite, existent universe for our time in history to exist, or else our time would still be infinity away from occurring. Also, given the second law of thermodynamics, all energy in our universe would be diffused by now. And, the intricacy of the order in nature from the cell to the universe is too overwhelming to reasonably consider that it all came about by chance. Further, only personal creation can give value to life, morals, etc., otherwise all is a product of random chance having no genuine standard. The design was designed by a personal Designer.

There are, however those who believe that humans ascended over time through evolutionary processes of random chance through mutations, disease, and death. With this premise as their foundation of intellectual development, I question the dependability of a mind so produced to reasonably know anything―or for that matter doubt anything. It seems that a mind so produced must even doubt its own doubts, thus leaving no hope for really knowing anything for sure.

Who is God
It has been said, “The most important issue is not that God exists, but what He is like.”18 Given the limited capacity of human reason, Calvin cautioned us from trying to figure out God’s essence using reason alone. He asks, “How can the human mind measure off the measureless essence of God?...Let us then willingly leave to God the knowledge of himself...But we shall be ‘leaving it to him” if we conceive him to be as he reveals himself to us, without inquiring about him elsewhere than from his word.”19 Based upon His word, one thing Christianity claims is that there is only one God. He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, which qualifies Him alone as this personal Creator/Sustainer. Lacking any of these three qualities would render Him incapable as universal Sovereign and Caretaker. He would then either be ignorant of what needs to be done due to absence or a lack of wisdom, or He would lack the power to do it. God also desires a genuine, personal relationship. Though God knew that, given a choice, man would go wrong unleashing much evil, He granted free will anyway, largely because “a world of free creatures with a meaningful range of choice is more valuable than a world of automatons.”20 In allowing the possibility for vice, God actually enabled genuine virtue.

God’s prevenient grace gives people what we often call “the conscience,” which means “with knowledge”: con―“with,” science―“knowledge.” Along with a measure of a basic knowledge of right and wrong, prevenient grace also grants the ability to choose God (or not), and therefore bear personal responsibility for that choice. Prevenient grace granting both knowledge of and ability for good and evil largely solves the “problem of evil” argued to contradict the presence of a loving God. A proper understanding of God’s prevenient grace also amends Plantiga’s proposition of the sensus divinitatis, whether he uses the term meaning “a disposition or set of dispositions to form theistic beliefs in various circumstances or stimuli.”21 or whether he misinterprets Calvin’s use of it misunderstanding it to mean a “faculty or cognitive mechanism” in us which actually produces beliefs about God.22 God does not absently rely on a faculty or disposition within us; He is always personal.

Who is Man
Christianity also teaches that the perfect, loving God created a perfect creation. But, perfection was lost through human disobedience which brought a curse upon all people and creation. This “fall” brought about the nature of people and the earth we see now. This aligns with current reality reflecting that we are not “basically good.” If we were, things would be getting better not worse. Contrary to what some may argue, society did not “make people bad.” Society is made of people. And, if people are basically good, then society would be good also, influencing evermore goodness not the evil we see perpetuated. Society is bad because people are bad; they are born with a tendency toward evil. Children automatically lie, steal, etc. Being created by God, we know this behavior is wrong. Moral evidence of the “fall,” as well as increasing diseases, drought, flooding, etc. testify to the truths stated in Scripture that it would be this way.23

God has made His existence evident through creation, but there are other evidences, like this whole idea of “right and wrong,” and the belief that we need to be better, or forgiven, or something. Richard Swineburn spoke of this being a reasonable expectation from God’s existence saying, “If there is a God who wills men to seek [him] or not, there is reason to expect that he will take steps to ensure that they acquire information as to how to attain that well-being...So there is a priori reason to suppose that God will reveal to us those things needed for salvation.”24

This begins in the conscience. We innately know that people deserve rewards for good and punishments for evil.25 But, one can do neither without genuine choice. If there is no response ability, there is no responsibility. Even Steven Cahn who believes God’s existence is “highly improbable” says, “evil character can only be meaningful if it is freely chosen.”26 He adds that this is “best accomplished by quenching one’s conscience through consistent evil choices.”27 There can be no true love or obedience apart from the choice to rebel. God does not will for evil, but allows its possibility.28 It is not God’s will that any perish, but that all come to repentance,29 but many will end up in Hell despite His wishes.30 Some even suggest that God letting people go to Hell is an expression of respect for our personhood: He lets us choose.31

Has God Said?
The source for Christian Theism is the Bible. It is unique in many ways among holy books, and literature as a whole. Some aspects unique to the Bible include its continuity, survival, and withstanding attack. But undergirding all of this is its distinctive mooring in historical reality.

The Bible is not one book, but 66. They were written in three languages on three continents and took over 1,500 years. There were over 40 authors ranging in station from kings to slaves, business owners to prisoners, statesmen to fishermen, shepherds to historians. What makes these facts so remarkable is that all these writings and authors agree on every ultimate issue of life.32 Today, we would be hard-pressed to find forty people agreeing on one ultimate issue.

Adding to this continuity is its survival. The Bible is the most circulated text in the world of all ages and translated into over 1,400 languages. More than that, no other book of antiquity compares in number of manuscripts or chronological proximity to the author. For example, Homer’s Iliad has 643 early manuscripts and are dated 500 years after Homer. Pliny’s History has seven manuscripts 750 years from Pliny. Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars has but ten copies, and they are 1,000 years distance from Caesar. The New Testament? It is separated only 25 years from Jesus with over 24,000 manuscripts.33 One can also corroborate New Testament writings with other non-biblical sources such as Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, The Babylonian Talmud, Pliny the Younger’s letter to Emperor Trajan, and more.34 Despite the fact that the Bible has the most historical evidence confirming its trustworthiness, no book is more scrutinized and attacked, yet it stands. And, science and archaeology provide more evidence every year of its accuracy.

The Bible is also the only source of specific fulfilled prophecy. For example, Cyrus was named as the one who would set Israel free from captivity to rebuild the Temple some 150 years before Cyrus was even born.35 It was also generations before Israel was taken into captivity in the first place. In the New Testament Jesus specifically predicted the fall of the Temple in Jerusalem with not one stone being left upon another. This was specifically fulfilled in A.D. 70. In speaking of other holy books and pagan religious writings, R. S. Foster says, “No well-accredited prophecy is found in any other book or even oral tradition now extant, or that has ever been extant in the world. The oracles of heathenism are not to be classed as exceptions. There is not a single one of them that meets the tests required to prove supernatural agency, which every Scripture prophecy evinces.”36

Besides evidence regarding the texts and prophecy, many scientific discoveries were in the Bible long before man discovered them. There are physical science discoveries37 like the water cycle,the sun’s orbit, the earth being round and hanging on nothing, the currents through the oceans, and mountains being at the bottom of the sea. Even modern atomic theory stating that visible things are made from things we cannot see was in the Bible millennia ago. Medical truths in the Bible include the fact that life is in the blood; bleeding people actually weakens their life; it does not aid in healing as science once thought. Also, running water’s being more sanitary than standing water was in the Bible, while the science of latter year disagreed. And, Dr. Nelson Glueck said not one archeological finding has ever contradicted the Bible.38 There is much evidence for the claim that the Bible is indeed supernatural and accurate in all it touches.

Who is Jesus
Considering the Bible’s continuity and scientific and historical accuracy, what does it say about Jesus? First, He existed. Again, this corresponds with reality recorded by other historians such as Josephus, Tacitus, Seutonis, and more.39 What of His identity? The Bible records in several places Jesus claiming He is God. In light of this claim, there are basically only four options: liar, lunatic, legend, or Lord. Lying is contrary to all else Jesus lived and taught. Many religions will accept that Jesus is at least a prophet. So, if a prophet, He is one whose life is dedicated to telling the truth. If not, that would make him a false prophet. Lunatics do not speak and handle tense situations as reasonably and selflessly as Jesus did. And, generally it takes two generations for a legend to develop, so there was not enough time for that.40 “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic―on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg―or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”41 Jesus is Lord of all.

What of the capstone event in history, Jesus’ resurrection? Did it happen? There are two factors involved: the empty tomb, and the plausibility of the account of Jesus’ resurrection as the explanation for it. Was the tomb empty? On this point the followers of Jesus and their contemporary opponents both agree. Christians began believing it was empty from the first day. Consequently, the resurrection could not simply be legend; again, legends take years. The opponents thought it was empty right away as well. What’s more, the opposing religious leaders of the day even anticipated such a resurrection, which explains why they sought further protection of the tomb. The day of the resurrection they spread rumors that the disciples stole the body while the guards slept. So, the leaders and the guards both knew it was empty.42

Refutations claiming that the disciples were deceived or hallucinating, or of Jesus not really dying after His torture, or Jewish leaders simply taking the body all affirm the emptiness of the tomb, in essence agreeing with the result of the resurrection. But, the disciples and hundreds of others seeing Jesus afterward and their radical change in character following the fact dispel the hallucination theory. The idea that a recently crucified man moved a multi-ton stone away from his tomb and overpowered elite, Roman, special-forces soldiers is ludicrous. And, if Jewish leaders took the body, they needed only to produce it to squelch talk of a resurrection. They didn’t have it; He is risen. And, His rising inspired zeal, renewed character, and also provides proof of all He said...of Himself and of us.

The Bottom Line
In the Bible we have the truth. We are created. We did rebel. We do need forgiveness and renewal. Jesus is God the Son, the Christ, and He paid the price for our forgiveness and renewal. We can appropriate it through repentance of sin and surrender with ongoing trust in who He is to both transform us now and fit us for life forevermore in the Kingdom in which dwelleth righteousness. Christian Theism is the only true religious system. No other system address these issues in a coherent, comprehensive manner that corresponds to objective reality. No other system is rooted in historic fact or attested to through the numerous supernatural evidences in its writings. A central tenet of Christian Theism, like other religious systems is faith. But again, Christian faith is unique. Christian faith is not a faith in itself, but in objective, historical reality. As Thomas F. Torrance said, “Faith becomes not the [foundational ground of Christianity]. Rather, faith is the expression of trust based upon that ground, that ground being Christ as the self-revelation of God in space and time.”43

So, Why the Doubt?
Earlier I mentioned that there is an epistemology that applies uniquely to Christianity. Up to this point, there are those who wold affirm, or at least accept these facts, and yet remain unconvinced. Why would this be? There are some who would claim there are other issues that must be satisfactorily addressed, and there may be. But, at the core of the issue is the fact that flesh and blood do not reveal the truth of who Jesus is but the Father in Heaven.44 We also cannot come know the sinfulness of ourselves, what true righteousness is, or the genuine wickedness of sin on our own. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts the people of sin and righteousness.45 Furthermore, it only through the law of God that we can know what sin is and perceive its sinfulness.46 It is God that does the ultimate convincing, not reasons, not arguments, not evidence, or experiences, however God uses these things. They are occasions for belief, not the ultimate foundation of belief. “It is we...who, in response to the Spirit's testimony or in the circumstance of experiencing His prevenient convicting and drawing, come to believe in God and the great things of the Gospel.”47 Afterward, it is also the witness of the Spirit that one is a child of God48 that continues one along the pathway knowing that Christianity is not merely highly probable, but absolutely certain. Without our yielding to the work of God in us, one will remain unconvinced―not due to a lack of evidence or reason or experience, but due to one’s continual refusal to accept what God has so plainly laid bare.

This “epistepneumatic” process, this coming to the truth by what/Who the Holy Spirit reveals and confirms, is the “missing link” to those who do not believe. However, having this knowledge and conviction of Christianity’s truth does not establish a right relationship with God. Satan knows the truth of Christianity, but is the devil still. If one is to experientially know the genuine, personal love of God, one must know and admit one’s sin, confess and repent of it, and continue in God’s grace trusting Jesus alone for salvation and successive sanctification―all of which is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirt.

How Can We Know?
In all the evidence I have given, there is none that is beyond dispute for everyone. Again, “proof” is person-relative. I merely offer multiple agreeing witnesses of various kinds that all line up and make sense. “Proof” was not my intention per se. I intended to build a cumulative case built upon a foundational framework adding evidence logically, scientifically, or revelatory unto a rational, cogent conclusion. However, just as the truth of your existence in history being researched 2,000 years from now is not based on foundationalism, neither are the truths of Christianity. The reality of one’s existence is based upon an absolute reality in space and time regardless of whatever evidence is found. Likewise are truths of Jesus and Christianity even though there IS a multitude of evidence and outside witnesses to its veracity.

Christianity is not merely highly probable, but is absolute certainty. How can one know for sure? Jesus Himself makes the statement, which includes an incredible offer. “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”49 So, there it is. Anyone who has and obeys Jesus’ commands will be granted a personal manifestation in such a way that reveals and confirms the truthfulness of Himself. What were His commands? There were many, but the first three set a great pattern for knowing God more and more. They are “Repent,” “Believe in (put your complete trust solely into) the Gospel,” and “Follow Me.” To anyone wanting ultimate “proof,” I would say, “call His bluff” (which is not a bluff at all, but a fact). Obey His commands and see if He doesn’t manifest Himself. He will; and if you continue with Him, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.50

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1 Dell Tackett, “Veritology: What is Truth?” The Truth Project DVD series (Colorado Springs, CO:Focus on the Family, 2006).
2 William Clifford in Michael Peterson, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, (New York:Oxford University Press, 2007), 107. Afterwards “Readings.”
3 Michael Peterson, Reason and Religious Belief: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), 65. Afterwards “Reason.”
4 Ibid., 62.
5 Readings, 90.
6 Readings, 92.
7 Thomas Aquinas in Readings, 94.
8 Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief (New York:Oxford University Press, 2000), 207-208. Afterwards WCB.
9 Romans 8:7.
10 Reason, 62.
11 WCB, 83.
12 Ibid., 175-176.
13 Steven Tsoukalas, “A Survey of Worldviews.”
14 Probe Ministries, Mind Games Survival Course (Richardson:Probe Ministries, 1998), Sect.1 p. 6.
15 George Mavrodes in Reason, 63.
16 Mind Games, Sect. 1. p. 1.
17 William Hasker, Metaphysics: Constructing a Worldview (Nottingham:Inter-varsity Press, 1983), 82.
18 Jerry L. Walls, Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy (New York:Oxford, 2002), 15.
19 John Calvin, Institutes, I, xiii, 1, p. 146 quoted in WCB, 46-47.
20 Reason, 160.
21 WCB, 173.
22 That this understanding is a misinterpretation see: J.P. Moreland and William Jane Craig, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (Downers grove:InnerVarsity Press, 2003), 168. Plantinga’s understanding of the sensus divinitatis as a faculty or mechanism, see: WCB, 172.
23 See Genesis 1-3, Matthew 24, 1 Timothy 3.
24 Richard Swinburne, Revelation: From Metaphor to Analogy (Oxford:Clarendon, 1992), 72-74, quoted in Jerry L. Walls, Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy (New York:Oxford, 2002), 28, 31.
25 Metaphysics, 31-32, 34.
26 Steven M. Cahn, “Cacodaemony,” Analysis 37 (1977) referenced in Heaven, 28.
27 Ibid.
28 Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity: A Plain Exposition of His Teaching on Christian Doctrine, (Grand Rapids:Zondervan, 1994), 114.
29 2 Peter 3:9.
30 Ibid., Revelation 21:8, etc.
31 John Spano, Philosophy of Christian Religion, Wesley Biblical Seminary, Spring 2009.
32 Jordan and Justin Drake, in Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort, The School of Biblical Evangelism (Orlando:Bridge-Logos, 2004), 346.
33Josh McDowell. Evidence that Demands a Verdict. (San Bernadino: Here’s Life Publishers, 1972) 42-43.
34 Richard M. Fales in Biblical Evangelism, 353-354.
35 Isaiah 44:28-45:1
36 R.S. Foster quoted in Biblical Evangelism, 373.
37 See Amos 9:6; Psalm 19:4-6; Job 26:7; Psalm 8:8; Jonah 2:6; Hebrews 11:3; Leviticus 17:11; 15:13.
38 Nelson Glueck, Biblical Evangelism, 361.
39 Mind Games, sect.1 p.27-28.
40 Ibid., sect. 1 p.29.
41 C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York:MacMillan, 1952), 40-41.
42 See Matthew 28:13-15.
43 Thomas F. Torrance in Steven Tsoukalas, “Toward a Foundational Epistemology,” lecture 1 Philosophy of Christian Religion, WBS, Spring 2009.
44 Matthew 16:17.
45 John 16:8.
46 Romans 3:20; 7:7.
47 Philosophical Foundations, 169.
48 Romans 8:15-16.
49 John 14:21. ESV, emphasis mine.
50 Ibid., 8:31-32.