Man, Myth, Messiah

Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question

By Rice Broocks

I finished this book on November 19, 2016. It was about a two-week read. I read this as a follow up to God's Not Dead: Evidence for God in an Age of Uncertainty. I'm a believer, so you might wonder why I'm focusing so much on this particular topic lately, but it's helping me prepare myself to answer tough questions that I know will be there when sharing the message with others. My goal is to educate myself and become a defender of the faith, and hopefully to bring others to Christ. The only way I can do that is to prepare myself, and to make sure I follow the evidence. I'm thankful for authors like Rice, and books like this, that have taken up the gauntlet to prove the existence of Jesus, that He was the Messiah, and that real faith isn't blind, but is grounded in historical evidence.

"There is no greater message in life than that the gospel proclamation is true, that it answers our deepest needs and questions, along with the incredible benefit of eternal life to all who believe."
― Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University
"The Christian faith goes beyond simply declaring God exists and claims that God became man in Jesus Christ, lived among us, and ultimately sacrificed His life in order to atone for our sins. Three days after His death, He would rise again, proving that He was the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and the Savior of the world."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Conviction about the reality of the resurrection is the only foundation that can withstand the onslaught of skepticism and unbelief."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Churches are starting to realize that equipping people to defend their faith is just as vital as teaching the basic doctrines, or preaching comforting and encouraging messages on Sunday."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Regardless of who you are or where you were born, eventually you must make a decision about what you believe about this Man and the claim that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"No other name evokes such debate or emotion — the most popular as well as the most polarizing name in history. At the same time, no other name has inspired such beauty, courage, and sacrifice."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"This God was powerful enough to create the universe but accessible enough to become part of His own creation in Jesus Christ. This is why His words are different from all others. These are the words that give us more than blind rules to follow but provide, instead, loving instructions on how to live this life to the fullest. It's the voice that leads us to a narrow path of goodness and light, a voice we can trust because of the life and character that backs it up."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Of all the human rights we should be fighting for, leading the way should be the right of every living person to hear the gospel and have the opportunity to know Jesus."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The bottom line to me is this simple: if you believe the Jesus story is true and understand why, you will share it with others — if you don't, you won't."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"There is no neutral ground in this debate. The claims about Jesus made in Scripture make it virtually impossible to dismiss Him as just a mere man. The other two options are either myth or Messiah. The choice you make should decide how you operate in every area of your life. If Jesus is a myth, then you should live your life your way. Make up your own morality, be your own boss. But if He is the Messiah, the Lord of creation, then live wholly and holy for Him."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Your answer to the Great Question about Jesus — man, myth, or Messiah? — will be the most important of all. It's an answer worth pursuing with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Finding the truth becomes hard work. It also requires our being willing to accept it, regardless of our own personal preferences or biases. In other words, we must be willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Jesus Christ lived a life that went against that strong current of history. He lived the life that we should have lived, one that was morally and ethically spotless. No other figure in human history could or would make such a claim to be without sin — Jesus did. For this reason, it was the most unique and important life in history — one we cannot dismiss or ignore."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"While there are many who believe in God without being aware of all the evidence and logic attesting to its truth, this doesn't mean that the evidence and logic doesn't exist. If you believe in God and are a follower of Christ, that faith is well grounded in history and reason — real faith isn't blind."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"That which is really true can withstand the scrutiny of historical, philosophical, and rational inquiry. The very essence of truth is that it is true regardless of culture or context."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The specific criteria used by many modern scholars to verify the authenticity of Jesus have been so demanding that if they were applied to ancient history, most of what is currently accepted would dissolve into oblivion."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Scholars have discovered more literary sources for the historical Jesus within the first hundred years after His life than all of the primary literary sources for Socrates, which, incidentally, are in far less agreement with each other than the Gospels."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"In spite of having this front-row seat to observe the most amazing three years in human history, the disciples of Jesus still grappled with doubt. If they struggled with doubt, having actually seen the miracles unfold before their very eyes, what chance do we have to believe these things two thousand years removed from the original events? This question underscores a key reality when it comes to a relationship with God: there is more to faith than just believing a correct version of history. While the death and resurrection of Jesus are events that can be judged historically, what still remains is an invitation into a relationship that requires a step of faith (trust)."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"God has made us in such a way that we can grasp something with our hearts (spirits) even if our minds cannot fully comprehend it."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"God gives us enough evidence in the things we can know, to trust Him in the things that we are not capable of understanding."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"This fact of history is settled in the minds of serious historians, regardless of their religious beliefs. Jesus' life of approximately thirty-three years is still the most important one in all of human existence. His teachings are the bedrock of civilization two thousand years later."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Something happened in the lives of real women and men; something that caused them to perceive their lives in a new and radically altered fashion... If we grant that something happened, however, then we must face the still harder question, what happened? What could be profound enough and powerful enough to change timorous followers into bold and prophetic leaders? What power could transform a fanatic persecutor into a fervent apostle?"
― Luke Timothy Johnson - The Writing of the New Testament
"The God of love is also a God of judgment. The reason? If He does not judge sin, He could not ultimately be loving."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Thankfully, you can't outrun the love of God."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died — in our place. Three days later He rose from the dead, proving that He is the Son of God and offering the gift of salvation to those who repent and believe in Him."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Christ had to be spotless. He wasn't just an extraordinarily righteous man; He was perfect."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Because of His sinless life, He was able to offer Himself on our behalf as our substitute. The only appropriate sacrifice to cover the sins of the entire world was a perfect one. Only Jesus could fulfill this requirement. He was not just an extraordinarily righteous man; He was completely free from sin and perfectly obedient to God in all His words and deeds."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Through our faith in Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit unites our lives with His. So we become transformed daily into His image. Over time we experience greater power over our sins, and our very thoughts to greater and greater extent conform to God's will. We can also experience peace and joy, knowing that God does not see us in the light of our own imperfections but in the light of Jesus' life."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"All of us deserve punishment, but Jesus' perfect life paid the unimaginable debt we owe God. Through faith in Him, we receive forgiveness of our sins and the power to live a new life."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"God forgiving us of our many sins motivates us to forgive others. And God's mercy and kindness toward us compels us to show the same to even our enemies."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"At the cross the greatest injustice in history took place. Jesus Christ, the only perfect person who had ever lived, suffered and died for the sins of others."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Christianity stands or falls on a singular event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It not only is the foundation for a credible faith, but it is a realistic hope from the suffocating uncertainty of what lies beyond the grave."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"God is not interested in eliminating the culture of any nation. He is interested in transforming hearts and minds."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The only possible reason why early Christianity began and took the shape it did is that the tomb really was empty and that people really did meet Jesus, alive again, and... through admitting it involves accepting a challenge at the level of worldview itself, the best historical explanation for all these phenomena is that Jesus was indeed bodily raised from the dead."
― N. T. Wright, one of the foremost experts on the resurrection
"The reality is that skeptics indeed use the New Testament, cherry-picking what they like and throwing out what they don't like based on presuppositions and biases... anyone who examines the evidence fairly will inevitably come to the conclusion that the resurrection happened."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Historians would never question the reliability of the Gospels if they consistently applied the same standards to them as with other ancient texts."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"To many, the concept of judgment is too frightening to consider, but ignoring this topic does not dismiss it or make it disappear."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"It was certainly God's love that motivated His sending Jesus to rescue humanity. However, it was His death and resurrection that accomplished the mission."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Christ's resurrection sets Him apart from all other religious leaders and sets Christianity apart from all other religions."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The best exclamation of the facts of Jesus' crucifixion, empty tomb, appearances to His disciples after His death, and the sudden emergence of the Christian faith is that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead. This event was at the core of the message the early disciples preached and spread to the nations of the world. Its truth and power compelled them out into a hostile Roman empire to declare that Jesus was Lord. It was a message that they would be willing to give their lives for and one that would give life to those who heard and believed."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"That some modern authors continue to suggest that the Gospel is based on myth is irresponsible and at best intentionally deceptive at worst."
― J. Ed Komoszewski
"The fact that Jesus existed was virtually unchallenged for almost seventeen hundred years."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"People don't mind acknowledging the Creator, just as long as God keeps His distance from us, until we really need Him. The thought of a personal God who knows our thoughts and actions and will call us to account is unnerving. Even though Jesus came and sacrificed His life on our behalf to demonstrate His love, the fact that there is a judgment to come is not a pleasant thought."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"It is incredible that virtually none of the scrutiny and verification is applied to the myth theories by the skeptics that they demand the Gospels be subjected to."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The enormous success and growth of early Christianity provoked proponents of mystery religions to retell their story with Christian imagery and themes."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The greatest need for change is in the human soul. Yet where will this change come from? The concept of survival of the fittest means that nature selects the characteristics that help individuals survive and reproduce. From that perspective, where do character traits such as unselfish love and self-sacrifice come from?"
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Recognizing the Messiah requires the right spiritual condition as much as acknowledging the facts surrounding His identity. Just because you know Jesus is the Christ doesn't mean you believe in Him to the point of submitting your life and destiny to His leadership and authority."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"To live by faith means that we trust God and His truth regardless of our circumstances."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"I draw enormous comfort from the fact that the great men and women of faith in Scripture had to face times when it seemed that God was nowhere around. They served God faithfully regardless of their circumstances."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"We are called as believers to preach the good news of this resurrection from the dead and the hope that comes from the knowledge of the existence of God."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Real grace is indeed unmerited favor from God. He forgives us and cleanses us from sin, regardless of how spiritually destitute and bleak our lives may be. But He doesn't leave us in this condition. The grace of God transforms and becomes and inner motivation to obey God's commands."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"You can't love God and not love others."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Counting the cost means seriously and thoughtfully understanding the full implications of our commitment. It means we give up not only our wrongs but also our rights."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Carrying our cross means that we stay in a place of submission and obedience to God's will, not our own."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"The most important work we can be involved in is the labor of serving others and helping to bring them the truth of the knowledge of God, Christ, and salvation."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"In this cosmic struggle of good versus evil, there is no neutral corner. All must decide where they stand, what they believe, and how they can make a difference in their generation."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Ignorance of God's truth results in your being susceptible to almost any and every kind of deception."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"All of the aspects of being connected to a group of fellow believers, being equipped, trained, and learning to walk out the teachings of Christ in an open and transparent environment, must be a part of your life before you can consistently launch out and help others."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"It is impossible to grow spiritually without learning to help others come to a place of faith. It's a strange phenomenon, but the more you help others, the stronger your faith becomes."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Real faith isn't blind. We don't come to God against reason but through it. There isn't a lack of evidence keeping people from believing in God but an abundance of it that leaves us without excuse. This includes the beginning of the universe, the origin of life and morality, and the witness of God in history through Jesus Christ."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"If you have the truth, then there is no need for anger or impatience with others. We must give our reasons to believe with the kindness and respect that people made in the image of God deserve."
― Dr. Sean McDowell, Biola University
"Remember, there is no one too lost or too far away from God that His love cannot reach them."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Jesus Christ is the true Son of God and the promised Messiah and Savior of the world. Because this is true, then it is news that is meant to be shared with others. This is what evangelism is. A part of that is an area called apologetics, which means to give the reasons why this story is true. This is a charge of Scripture as well, to be prepared to give those reasons, but to do it with gentleness and respect. Our character is always on display when talking to people about Jesus Christ, not just the content of our message."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Because Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and Savior of the world, then His message should be the preeminent focus of our lives. Regardless of your calling and occupation, the gospel should be your priority. The obstacles that stand in the way must be identified and removed."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question
"Faith begins with believing what the evidence about Christ and the Scriptures say is true; but it then goes a step further into actually experiencing what the promises of God offer. This includes salvation, a new birth, the indwelling power of the Spirit, and victory over the fear and doubt that plague the mind and vex the soul."
― Rice Broocks - Man, Myth, Messiah: Answering History's Greatest Question

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