In a time of rampant unbelief and skepticism about religion in general and Christianity in particular, is there any reasonable basis for a genuine spiritual confidence? Or must we to surrender to equivocal statements and metaphysical relativism? I say no, but much better that that, God says no. On what basis can a stout Christian confidence be built?

The Apostle Paul in writing to the Christians in Rome gave them three irrefutable proofs that would provide a firm support for their faith in Christ. These pillars are as true today as they were in the First Century and will serve you well in times of testing and doubt.

The first confidence we have is based on the promises of God. Of course, a promise is only as good as the person who makes it. Fortunately, unlike us, God is perfect and therefore utterly reliable and faithful to his covenant people and His covenant Word. His Word is His oath.

This is why Paul assures the Romans that the gospel was “promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.” (Romans 1:2&3)

God’s perfect faithfulness is a matter of public record demonstrated over the centuries in the annals of the history of Israel. This is seen in hundreds of fulfilled biblical prophecies and especially in the messianic prophecies about Jesus Christ, who is the epicenter of the Bible. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Paul mentions that Jesus was “was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.” This is just one example of the fulfillment of God’s promises. God promised to David that there would be an heir of the Davidic dynasty that would sit on the throne of Israel forever. Who is that promised seed? None other than Jesus the Messiah. (2 Samuel 3:9; 7:10-16; Psalm 89:3,4, 28, 34, 35, 39; Luke 1:32,33, 69)

In his First Advent as the promised offspring of King David, Christ fulfilled nearly three hundred specific Old Testament prophesies written some 700, 900 and even 1500 years before his birth. Unfortunately, this fact often has lost its impact on our psyche, but it should shock us every time we consider it.

Just try it for yourself. Can you accurately predict someone’s birth in the year 2700, 2900 or 3500? Name the time, date, location and circumstances of their birth. Describe the person’s life and purpose and the details of their death. Remember that these biblical predictions weren’t the product of merely one prophetic messenger, but come from many witnesses going all the way back to Moses.

Dr. D. James Kennedy points out the likelihood of successfully predicting just eight predictions is one in ten to the 17th power. That’s 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 or a one in one quintillion chance. It’s like covering Texas two feet deep in silver dollars. Marking one with an x, stirring them all up, and then sending a blindfolded man in as far as he wants to go and randomly bending over picking out the marked dollar. In other words, it’s impossible. Yet Christ didn’t fulfill eight prophecies, He fulfilled three hundred.

The only explanation for this is that God is the Alpha and Omega. He knows the end from the beginning and He has graciously revealed it to us in the Bible. You can have absolute confidence in the promises of God in Jesus Christ.

Another very powerful proof of the veracity of the Christian faith is the miracle of Christ’s life. Paul put is this way. He was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness.” (Romans 1:4)

As Christians we confess with the Scriptures that Jesus always has been and always will be eternally God the Son. But, for our sakes, so we might know Christ’s true divine nature, God has graciously and irrefutably declared it.

Just as Jesus is the promised messianic seed, the Son of David, according to the flesh, so Jesus is declared to be the Divine Son, according to the Spirit of Holiness. By proving His absolute goodness we establish His divinity. The heavenly perfection and sinlessness of Christ's life is the grand demonstration of His Deity. Against the inky black backdrop of universal sinfulness, the glorious light of Christ shines forth in luminous contrast, like diamonds on black velvet or like the stars on a moonless night.

Without a doubt the writers of the New Testament viewed Christ absolutely without sin. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth…"(1 Peter 2:22); "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin," (1 John 3:5); "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," (2 Corinthians 5:21); "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

Even Christ's enemies admit they could not find even the smallest stain of sin, including those enemies primarily responsible for His death. Pilate, Christ's judge, seeks to disassociate himself from the sentence which he has been forced to pass and exclaims three times: "I find no fault in Him," (John 18:38; 19:4). Pilate's wife, in an effort to deter her husband from the criminal act, warns: "Have thou nothing to do with that just man." (Matthew 27:19) Even Judas, the betrayer, adds his incriminating testimony in the wail of hellish remorse, "I have betrayed the innocent blood." (Matthew 27:4.
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Just before the crucifixion Christ capped the climax of His spotless career with a devastating challenge to His unrelenting foes, the Scribes and Pharisees, "Which of you convicts me of sin?” (John 8:46) You know if they could have only found just one sin they would have shouted it from the rooftops.

Over and over again Jesus called for us to make confession of sin and to repent, but he needed no such experience. The Spirit of Holiness manifested in the sinlessness of Christ is incontestable and absolutely convincing proof of his divine power as God the Son.

J. P. Richer writes, "He is purest among the mighty, and the mightiest among the pure – and still continues to rule and guide the ages." If Christ was unassailably pure, then there is no natural explanation for him. Jesus Christ is the phenomenon of history, the moral miracle of the ages!

Christ’s challenge to his detractors remains. “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” This truth becomes especially compelling when comparing Jesus to every other so called prophet and founder of other religions, especially in our day when we consider the stunningly wicked life of Mohammed.

In addition, for our sake, so we might know the reality of His divine authority, Christ is “declared to be the Son of God with power … by the resurrection from the dead.”

How does this prove Christ’s divine power? Jesus explained it this way. "I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” (John 10:17-18) Who else has ever done that?

While other people have been raised from the dead, they never raised themselves and they all eventually succumbed to death, but not Jesus Christ. If Christ were merely a man, and a sinner, and under the power of sin and death, then he could not have raised himself from the dead.

Self-resurrection sets Christ apart from all others. The facts and proofs of the resurrection of Christ are legion, so what does the self-resurrection of Christ mean?

While at Mars Hill in Greece, the site of the great intellectual debates of that day, Paul confronted the eminent philosophers of his day with the claims of Christ and concludes his epic speech with these very famous words.

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

The Resurrection of Christ is proof of Christ’s absolute, divine authority as the judge of all mankind. This is completely comforting to the believer, but ought to be extremely troubling to the non-believer.

Only in this life is Christ revealed to us a merciful Savior. While we are alive we can turn to Him know His extravagant grace. But, if we die in our sin, having rejected his gracious offer of forgiveness and eternal life, we can only know Christ in the next life as our awful, righteous, dread judge.

Jesus warns us that on that fateful day when He judges the world to some he will say, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41) Please, while you have opportunity, put your faith in Christ and flee to Him and escape from the day of His wrath.

By the revelation of God’s Word and Spirit as seen in the fulfilled promises of God, Christ’s impeccable, sinless life and Christ’s self-resurrection from the dead gives to us the assurance we need to know that what we believe is sure and true.