Lesson 12: Quintilemma

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Lesson 12Quintilemma Closing Arguments
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The Quintilemma
The New Testament presents Jesus as an historical
man who claims to be God.

• The New Testament is correct.

The New Testament is not correct.
Jesus is a Legend
Jesus meant to be taken in a mystical sense.
Jesus meant to be taken literally.
Jesus is a Guru.
The claim of deity was false.
The claim of deity was true.
Jesus is LORD.
He knew it was false.
He didnt know it was false.
Jesus is a Liar.
Jesus is a Lunatic.
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I. Why Not a Legend?
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• The N.T. is historically _______, confirmed by
  the Bibliographical Test, _______ Evidence, and
  _______ Evidence.
  
• The N.T. therefore gives an ________ picture of
  Jesuswhat He did and what He said.

reliable
Internal
External
accurate
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II. Why Not a Guru?
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• Jesus was a Jew raised in a strictly ____________
  culture.
  
• Jesus teaching was not the teaching of an
  Eastern ______, but that of a Jewish rabbi who
  believed in ____ transcendent Creator.

monotheistic
mystic
one
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• I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the
  really foolish thing that people often say about
  Him Im ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
  teacher, but I dont accept His claim to be God.
  That is the one thing we must not say. A man who
  was merely a man and said the sort of things
  Jesus said would not be a great ____________. He
  would either be a ______on the level with the
  man who says he is a poached eggor else he would
  be the __________.

moral teacher
lunatic
devil of Hell
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• You must make your choice Either this man was,
  and is, the Son of God or else a ________ or
  something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool
  you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or
  you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and
  God. But let us not come with any patronizing
  nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
  He has not left that open to us. He did not
  intend to.
• -- C.S. Lewis

madman
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III. Why Nota Liar?
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• According to Peter Kreeft, a Christian apologist,
  Jesus couldnt be a liar
  
• Because he has the wrong psychological ______.
  He was ________, loving, caring, compassionate,
  and passionate about teaching ____ and helping
  others to truth. Liars lie for ______ reasons,
  like money, fame, pleasure or power. Jesus gave
  up all worldly goods, and life itself.
• Because there is no conceivable ______ for his
  lie. It brought him hatred, rejection,
  misunderstanding, persecution, torture and _____.

profile
unselfish
truth
selfish
motive
death
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IV. Why Not a Lunatic?
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• Why Jesus could not have been a lunatic
• Because the psychological profiles are opposite.
  The lunatic lacks the very qualities that shine
  in Jesus- practical _______, tough love, and
  unpredictable ________.
• No Jew could sincerely think he was ____. No
  group in history was less likely to confuse the
  Creator with a creature than the Jews, the only
  people who had an absolute, and absolutely clear,
  _________ between the divine and the human.

wisdom
creativity
God
distinction
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V. What Is the Only ReasonableOption?
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Jesus is ____.
Lord
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Conclusions
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Premise A

• The New Testament is historically accurate it is
  a basically _______ and trustworthy document.

reliable
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Premise B

• On the basis of this reliable document, we have
  sufficient evidence to believe that Jesus ____
  from the dead as He predicted He would, and that
  He fulfilled dozens of other Messianic prophecies.

rose
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Premise C

• Jesus resurrection and fulfillment of prophecy
  show that He was who He said He was the _______,
  the Son of God____ in the flesh.

Messiah
God
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Premise D

• As the Son of God (God the Son), Jesus Christ is
  an ________ authorityWhat He says is absolutely
  trustworthy.

infallible
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Premise E

• Jesus Christ taught that the Bible is the
  ___________ (Matt 518, 154 Mark 1236 Luke
  244446). He also taught that He was the only
  way to God (John 146).

Word of God
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Conclusion

• If Christ said it, we must believe it. The Bible
  is the Word of ____, and Jesus is the Only Way to
  God.

God
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Application of Lesson
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• Present the flowchart to an unbeliever who may
  have doubts about the deity of Christ.
  
• Present the diagram of the general argument for
  Christianity to someone who doubts the validity
  of Christianity.