Is There Really Anything New to Learn About Jesus?

Is there really anything new to learn about Jesus?

Jesus died more than 2000 years ago. Everything we can legitimately know about His life was written down within a generation of his death.

So when someone claims to have a new teaching on Christ, we should rightfully be a tad suspicious. I certainly was when I began reading Tom Gilson’s new book, Too Good to be False. 

But Gilson claims new old truths we can learn about Jesus.

The facts that Gilson points out aren’t really new, but they are things that even dedicated believers like myself may have never considered. His way of looking at the life and ministry of Jesus is truly unique for today.

We think Jesus lived a perfect life, but we don’t often think about that in a concrete manner. What did that look like at home, with His family, friends, etc.? What do we not see in Jesus’s life that we would expect to in any other person’s life?

We can learn about Jesus that He was truly unique!

Has any other character EVER in literature or history been perfect? As a former teacher of literature, I cannot think of any. Even in our wildest imaginations, we cannot even conceive of a person without flaws.

What makes us think that the authors of the gospels could have invented Jesus?

Not even the greatest literary giants ever conceived of a character so powerful, so selfless, so loving, so perfect.

Gilson uses the unique character of Jesus and the details of his ministry to take us down a path to see how that helps solidify the likelihood that the Gospels have to be the true recollections of the disciples.

Gilson challenges us to learn about Jesus from what is absent in His story.

We know He was wise, but don’t always consider how He always gave exactly the answer each person needed, knowing the condition of their heart immediately. He never had to get to know someone before clearly diagnosing their need.

He never got better at spiritual things. Physically and mentally, Jesus had to mature, and those bodily limitations would have affected His skill levels, but only for a time.

By 12, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue with wisdom and maturity and authority. He never gave a bad sermon and then improved His technique.

He never learned from mistakes, because he never made any.

Some of the very things that make us human and define our human experience, like learning from our mistakes or growing in our abilities, were things that Jesus never did.

Is Tom Gilson’s book Too Good to Be False worth reading?

Absolutely!

First, it’s easy to pick up and read quickly. If you’re a busy wife and mom, this is an enjoyably easy, and yet rich, book to read to solidify your faith. Additionally, Gilson has included a nice study guide that makes this a great book to use with your teens or in small group study.

As someone who is regularly attacked for believing in the reliability of the Gospels, I can tell you that the way Gilson reflects on what the Gospels don’t say, don’t do, and how they don’t match up with the concept of a “telephone game legend” was truly refreshing.

In some ways, his arguments feel very much like Frank Turek and Norman Geisler’s I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist because you need more faith to believe the skeptics’ versions of the Gospels!

I read many great apologetics books about Jesus, but this one was truly very different.

I didn’t walk away with a ton of facts and figures to memorize. Instead, I walked away with a renewed sense of awe for the person of Christ and some great logical points solidifying my faith that the Gospel stories about Jesus are true.

I would encourage all Christians to read this book to strengthen their faith.