Why Truth? Why Jesus?

By A.G Gann

We live in an age where religion is mass marketed. On every corner someone is peddling a worldview. Our answers about faith, meaning, truth, morality and destiny are therefore found deeply embedded within a pluralistic context. But how exactly do we sieve through the chaos to find what is true? Jesus Christ, an obscure Jewish carpenter, claims to provide mankind with truth, hope and meaning. He claims to have been God walking this earth and one having the power to forgive sins. Are His claims true? Can Jesus really be trusted? Why Truth, Why Jesus explores the validity of these claims. It positively meets any objection towards Jesus with sure historic and scholarly answers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: A.G Gann
• Release date: Mar 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370573035

Book preview

Why Truth

Why Jesus

Why Truth

Why Jesus

A.G GANN

Copyright © 2018 Ashley G. Gann

Published by A.G Gann Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by the Author using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Tony van der Watt for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.co.za

E-mail: [e-mail]

Bible scriptures used by written permission:

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version

Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

End Notes

Dedication

To our miracle baby girl, Zoehannah Ashleigh.

You are a constant reminder of the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I bow my knees and raise my hands in appreciation to my Lord Jesus Christ. He alone deserves my utmost gratitude and sincere appreciation. I’m at a loss for words to show my gratefulness towards my dear Lord and I have still not found the reason why He has chosen me for this task. It has been a tremendously challenging journey, one I’m certain would not have had any satisfaction without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus!

I am extremely grateful to the many people God has placed in my life, who have made an immense contribution to it. At the top of my list is my beloved wife, Genevieve. Thank you for your love and support and for never giving up on this dream. Thank you for listening to all my quotes, ideas and for your honest criticism through all those reams of research. You never allowed me to quit or fail, and together with our precious baby girl, you are my greatest inspiration.

When it comes to spiritual guidance and mentoring, no one comes close to the influence Dr Roger Lanka has had on my life. I will never forget the day you spoke prophetically over me and about the reality of this book. I’ve been privileged to have studied under some prominent professors and biblical teachers of our time but you have made by far the greatest spiritual impact on my life. To my associate pastors and faithful members of New Heart Family Church, it’s been a tremendous support having you all in my life. To my parents, thanks for giving me Jesus and for the continual prayerful support. Thank you to my friends for egging me on. A huge Thank you to all of my students at New Heart Bible Academy. Thank you for listening to me lecture for many years. I am grateful for every single one of you. A very special appreciation to Gerald and Charmaine Sivasunker – God bless you greatly.

A very special appreciation to the RZIM Academy and the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics global team: Dr Michael Ramsden, Prof John Lennox, Amy Orr Ewing and Vince Vitale and not forgetting Dr Nabeel Qureshi who was called to be with our Lord. Your testimony has truly inspired me. You will be greatly missed. You are all God’s handpicked men and woman who serve the body of Christ in an incredible way. Your knowledge and experience have left an indelible mark on my life which has had a profound effect on this book. Not forgetting Dr Ravi Zacharias. Even as a youngster I caught glimpses of your sermons and articles, and so when I got to listen to you lecture me, it felt surreal and inspiring. You are indeed a general in such a diversified field as apologetics. Thank you for your brilliance, but more so for your passion in bringing understanding and answers to many.

I want to also acknowledge my inspirational authors. The writings of Lee Strobel, William Craig, Ravi Zacharias, C.S. Lewis, Nabeel Qureshi, Amy Orr-Ewing, Josh McDowell, Sean McDowell, Frank Turek, Billy Graham, J. Warner Wallace, Peter Kreeft, J. P. Moreland, Gary Habermas, Norman Geisler and many more.

Thank You!

"Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about Him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries."

Jaroslav Pelikan– Yale

But Why...

Foreword

Truth. If it’s truth that you are pursuing, then truth is what you will find between these covers. No cover ups. Just the naked truth, it’s the least you can expect from Pastor A.G Gann. In this book Gann breaks into the world of Christian Apologetics with bold statements that catapult contemporary thinkers to a face-off with the reality of their personal existence, personal experience and their personal choices. The cloak of their defensive arguments is stripped to reveal the daggers of their personal biases. Gann slashes age old propaganda, proclivity and perversions of truth with the boldness of a crusader and the skill of a surgeon. Wielding sword and scalpel, he both graciously and grandiosely removes the layers of predispositions that have kept the world perambulating on the peripherals of truth for fear of the truth itself, as the liberal hypocrites would say, ‘Everyone’s worldview is acceptable, it’s just the Christian view that I can’t stand.’ Pastor Gann challenges the largely capitulating church in their inconsistent convictions. He sends out a clarion call to cement the foundational truths of the Gospels in preparation of the cataclysmic assault on all that is truth. Gann in this book calls every thinker and proponent of every worldview to seriously unpack without bias what he postulates.

The book is seriously researched and his defences are intelligently ordered. With a high standard of integrity that is characteristic of Gann, he respectfully treats the major views of Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity. His research is impeccable, his writing style is fresh and invigorating yet it is his personal application of The Truth that makes it more than a good read. Herein is the face off: ‘whom do you say that I am?’ Truth. Truth is what you will find between these covers. No cover ups. Just the naked truth. The question is: can you handle the truth?

Dr Roger Lanka

Doctor of Counselling in Christian Psychotherapy

(Founder of New Heart Ministries S.A)

Introduction

The religious climate of our time is indeed a playground of pluralism. On every corner and at every turn, someone is peddling religion, claiming to be a prophet, a messenger from God, a way to God or perhaps God Himself, and in the process challenging the status quo. Clearly heard is the blasting trumpet of the atheist, calling on all naturalists to join their increasing numbers. A theme of delusion is branded against any individual believing in an eternal being, yet the atheist himself believes that everything evolved from nothing in order to create something – which in itself is considered delusional, so who then is deluded? On the same thrust, the Muslim is adamant that there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his true prophet, yet a vast majority argue about its fanaticism ad nauseam. Adding to the religious chaos, a Hindu man in the streets of India gives a cow crossing the street more dignity than he does to another human being who is of a lower caste. At the same time a beggar in Mumbai is reluctant to change his way of life since he believes that his bad karma must be worked out for that change to occur. Then comes the ‘Golden Globe’ of religion – the New Age. Some have said it’s not a religion in itself but a combination of other religious beliefs and philosophies. It is difficult to control the numbers thus far. In the midst of this, the Christian evangelist stands with his open Bible calling sinners to repent and to turn to Jesus. All of this almost makes for a raucous sound. How do we find clarity in the midst of such plurality? Do the truth claims of Jesus add to the commotion, creating more religious tension, or do they have distinction, pointing us to the ultimate truth?

Whether we are like cute inquiring children asking why the sky is blue, or educated adults trying to understand why a loving God would allow evil, we are all hard pressed and haunted by the question of Why. The list is endless. With the same intensity and fervour, questions of Why surrounding Jesus Christ keep emerging. Why was He born into this world? Why did He have to die on a Cross? And why is His resurrection considered the most powerful event in human history? As we probe deeper into His life and message, we see how His claims of being the Son of God and the Redeemer of all mankind steadily unfold, separating Him from all other religious claimants. This then raises another question: Why should I trust Jesus? Why should I commit my life to Him and not to anyone else? I personally asked myself this question many years ago when I stood at a Church meeting without knowing why I was there. I made a decision that night to search for the truth and soon discovered that it was not hard to find. Decades down the line, my heart is desperately longing to spread this message of truth, the Gospel of Jesus, all over the world – but I have now discovered that the truth about Jesus is more difficult to accept than it was to find. On the one hand we demand truth for every area of our lives, but on the other we still have our preferences when truth is presented in matters of religion. In fact, many will openly reject the idea that religion holds any morsel of truth. This book is intended to separate the facts and the alleged fallacies surrounding the claims of Jesus. It aims to show you just Why Jesus must be considered and Why He can genuinely be trusted.

He Touched Me

I am often asked: What’s your story? Why did you become a Christian and more so a Bible teacher? I laugh, somewhat nervously, because my story is a strange one. I’ve heard it said that you can argue about doctrines and opinions, you can argue about philosophy and reason, you can even argue about science and historic events, but you can never argue a life experience. My story started with a life experience!

In a small township not far from where I lived, a large group of mourners had gathered together to show their support to a mother who was about to bury her five-year-old child. The young inquiring child had discovered a puddle of water while playing and, like most children her age, jumped into the puddle but, sadly, slipped and slid into a ditch running five metres deep. The little girl struggled to get out and it seemed her tiny body kept sinking deeper into the muddy water. Her lifeless body was discovered a few hours later, floating on the surface. The community wept bitterly that afternoon. The elders of the family held their hands firmly over their heads and lamented: Parents are not supposed to bury their children. Indeed, no parent can come to terms with the loss of their child. I remember standing at the edge of the crowd, biting my lip and trying not to burst into tears, but something kept me comforted that day. I kept reminiscing about how my own parents came ever so close to losing me as a child.

I was born into an orthodox Christian home. However, while my mum came from a Christian family, my dad was a staunch Tamilian Hindu. He had battled a major alcohol addiction, but eventually turned to Christ and later became involved in the Ministry. His conversion is a story all on its own. During my early years, my family was very poor. Both my parents had minimal education and were forced to work at an early age to support their families. Religion was only a means to an end; whatever worked at the time and provided a sense of hope and comfort was what my parents believed in. Before their commitment to Christ, they had lived duplicitous lives, until tragedy struck. How remarkable is it that our need for God increases the moment we’re faced with circumstances that require a miracle.

I constantly fell ill. On one particular occasion, I battled sickness right up until the point of death. I’d been admitted to the local hospital for several days with no improvement. Doctors did their very best to find a remedy but no diagnosis was made, and my parents were told to take me home because nothing could be done to save my life. I was given two weeks to live. My mother tried every tradition, every prayer and every religion in an attempt to save me from death – but everything failed, every religion had failed.

My dad, however, numbed his feelings with alcohol and lots of it as my body grew weaker by the day. I could not retain any food or liquid. My tear ducts had dried up through dehydration; I had become skin and bones, emaciated, ready to succumb to death. But a mother’s love is relentless. Despite the reality of an inevitable loss, she singlehandedly carried my dying body and ran down to the local Church in the early hours of the morning, desperate for a miracle. A few people came to the Church each morning to commit their day in prayer and no one noticed my devastated mother running into the House of God with her dying baby. My mother wrapped me up in a shawl and placed my fragile body on the bottom step in front of the pulpit. She left me there for several minutes and while in her seat she whispered: Lord, if you are the true living God, then you can give him back or you can take him away.

A shiver runs down my spine every time I hear those words. My mother had come to a point of decision. It was either the God of the Bible or no god at all. This was her last resort; everything else had failed miserably. I lay there in front of the preacher’s pulpit for about twenty minutes, and then my mother picked me up and took me home. My extended family was already preparing to bury me. Three full days passed, and the miracle for which my mother had come to Jesus happened. For the first time in months I was able to keep down food and even wanted to leave my bed and run around outside with the other children. I will never forget this story, and certainly never stop telling it. It’s a reminder to me and to my family that when every other religion had failed and every other tradition, spell and mantra didn’t work, it was Jesus who touched me at that altar. There was no preacher there that morning, no intercessor and no missionary; it was the miracle power of Jesus that saved my life. Because of this, my father quit alcohol and my entire family is now serving the Lord. Today, Jesus has taken that death-stricken baby lying before that pulpit and turned me into a preacher standing behind it. At this very moment, both my parents serve in the Ministry. My younger brother is a musician, my elder brother a Deacon.

Perhaps this one experience out of the several that my life has seen is not enough to convince you. Maybe you still have your reservations about Jesus, but hardly anyone can argue that Jesus is the reason I am alive today.

Searching for Answers

When I examined my own ethical imperatives, I was never given to immorality. I upheld good Christian values; my father’s firm arm made certain of that. However, I learned fast that this was all driven by fear. My greatest motivation to live right didn’t stem from a deep love for God and the integrity of the Bible, but rather because I was afraid of my dad’s discipline. It kept me in good stead but I knew that it was never going to help me understand the truth about Christianity. I needed to experience the reality of the Christian faith for myself. I needed answers as to why Jesus said the things He did. Was He right? What else could I choose? Did I have other options when it came to religion? I felt like I was in search of religion but the truth was actually what I needed.

How could I, even in all sincerity, bow my head on the floor of a mosque in prayer finding security and hope in what I prayed for, if the god to whom I were to pray can’t be called Father? It seemed that the endearment of addressing God as Father created a path for my prayer, and without that acknowledgment I would feel half done, cold and unfulfilled. Would there be then some reward for my prayers? Muslims believe that the god of the Quran and the God of the Bible are the same. I beg to differ. As a little boy I was always taught to call God Father, Heavenly Father or my Father. It would be anathema to Muslims if those words were to come out of my mouth during prayer.I once had lunch with a Muslim businessman and he told me: What is meant for you, you will have. I am grateful for his genuine friendship and his encouragement, but unfortunately I couldn’t live by that principle. Not that the Christian worldview promised that I would have everything my heart desired from God, it also drew me into a relationship with Him – one that allowed me to understand the heart of my Father so I would appreciate even His disallowances. When I think about calling God my Father, I clearly see the unrestricted construct for our relationship. If anything, God should not want to have anything to do with a sinner like me, but the God of the Bible almost sends out a distress call for sinners by revealing Himself as Father. I see the freedom, not to exploit His love but to find meaning and security in it. If the god of the Quran is so unsearchable, then how would he know what I needed? How could I have observed the holy fast of Ramadan during which time I must pray several times to an unknowable god?

If for just a moment I could feel a little closer to god when my head remained bowed, then perhaps I might consider the way of Islam. If I gave as much as I could give to those in need, I really couldn’t know for sure if Allah had seen that what I did was for him or for me. If I tried to do the best I could in terms of my actions but kept failing at it, would I have to start from the beginning all over again? I would find difficulty in this system to keep track of my position on Allah’s moral scale. How was I to be sure that heaven would be my final abode if my actions were tipping the scale against my favour? Would Allah still send me to heaven if I did more wrong than good or would he change his mind at the last moment? The uncertainly would be unnerving. It’s too much to blindly follow. Too much to risk!

The way of the Buddha also seemed enticing, but I would be very apprehensive. In Buddhism, my ultimate goal would be to think good, act good, speak good and do good, only to end up at a place called ‘spiritual nothingness.’ Even if I managed to shape my morality through my own achievements, what was promised to me was not appealing at all. I am certainly not looking for ‘nothingness’. Instead, I am searching for something meaningful and genuinely real. Besides, how do I wrap my mind around the re-birth process? No Buddhist or Hindu I knew could come close to telling me who or what I was in my previous life as a result of me inheriting this life. What was I in my first life and how did I inherit that life? It just makes my head spin and leaves my heart still empty. I have realized that reincarnation is a false system of hope without any evidence of its reality. If this was not grounds enough to dismiss it, not even the Buddha himself could guarantee whether or not I would be a tiger or a fish in my next life.

But There’s More…

I have read the most famous English translation of the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, from cover to cover, and I looked for the word redemption or even a glimmer of it – but it was not there. I wondered then, if every single human being sinned and only God was able to bring about forgiveness, then how exactly does the god of the Quran do this if there is no atonement, sacrifice or redemption? In like manner, I have spoken to many Muslims about the aspect of forgiveness and I have never once heard anyone talk about redemption, let alone use the word. All I hear is that Allah is most merciful, but how does he show that mercy? What is even more startling, I have paged through the 900 pages of the Bhagavad-Gita and couldn’t find a glimpse of redemption either. Krishna talked about the need for redemption but gave no solution. There was no need for a sacrifice. More than just a word, in the worldview of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, the concept or idea of redemption is unheard of and never a part of their doctrine. I realized that the concept of redemption, where the innocent is killed on behalf of the villain, or the sinner pardoned for his sins by the loving act of God, is sovereign to the Christian worldview, one that adequately satisfies sin’s wager of death and justice. As the great French philosopher, Pascal, said: There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which only Jesus Christ can fill. Pascal was absolutely correct!

Jesus is unique among other gods; secular, mystic or otherwise. We can therefore expect Jesus alone to answer the question of our identity and give us meaning and hope in this life. Only Jesus ventured to emphatically make the claim of being the only true and living God. Only Jesus publically displayed His love for the world by dying on the Cross. Only Jesus forgives sinners by providing Himself as the means for that forgiveness. Only Jesus gives all mankind a free invitation to accept His love without having to do anything to deserve it. Only Jesus can be trusted to have the answers of life since He is the only one who is alive today because of His resurrection.

At The Crossroads

Even with me having been brought up in a Christian home, I often wondered if Christianity was the true religion to follow. Was I a victim of just being born into a Christian home and having to simply follow that worldview? I often asked myself: What if I’m wrong about what I believe? Was I a follower of Christ because I was brought up that way? Did I believe the Bible to be God’s Word because that was the only religious book at our home? What if I had been born in India, would I have become a Hindu or a Buddhist? What if my parents were atheists? Would I have become one as well? It’s only later on, after reading the story of Abdu Murray, that I was slapped with the reality of what I faced. In an interview, Abdu Murray, a former Muslim who is now a Christian Apologist, notes how he grew up as a proud Muslim and was eager to share Islam with non-Muslims in Detroit. He made use of any opportunity to talk about Islam and challenged Christianity. He would often catch Christians off-guard and stab them with this question: Why are you a Christian? He recounts that the most common response he got was: I was raised that way or because my parents go to such and such a church. Abdu’s punch line would thereafter be: Are you really going to trust your soul to a worldview just for tradition; just because your parents believe it? I hate to admit it but that’s precisely the position most Christians find themselves in today, and I was certainly one of them. The difference with me was that I didn’t need a Muslim to point that out; I asked myself those very same questions. I had no strength in my faith. I was not even sure why I was a Christian. But God always has a sure way of reaching any person.

In the late eighties, I remember seeing thousands running to the altar-call made by the renowned Evangelist, Billy Graham. They heard the message of Jesus and came to surrender their lives to Him. The sight itself was majestic. People of all ages descended from the stadium stands. To an undiscerning eye, this rapid movement of people could be likened to crowds hurrying to get something for free. A free meal or a free gift. But with the emotions captured on camera, both young and old were seen weeping. Some were kneeling down and others could barely remain on their feet. They looked so desperate, empty hands lifted to the heavens as if they were all receiving something. The joy was evident, but their hands were still empty. I knew that emptiness very well but not the joy.

There are two things I’ll never be. One is an undertaker and the other is a preacher, said Billy Graham. Ironically, he became one of the greatest preachers of