Can We Trust the Gospels?
A helpful look at the history behind the Gospel accounts—and why they are reliable
I’m going to come back to the Identity in Christ statements next week. Let me know if you missed me including it.
For the main post this week, I wanted to share a short review of a video series I think would be helpful:
Are the Gospels Reliable?
This week, I want to recommend a 6 hour video series that helped strengthen my confidence in the Gospels. (Here’s the one hour video.) Many people today quietly wonder if Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John can really be trusted. This series looks at that question carefully and honestly. It walks through the evidence and lets the facts speak.
What I found helpful is how the series compares the Gospels to other ancient books. It uses the same rules that are used for other ancient writings—things like when a book was written, who wrote it, and how close the writers were to the events. When those same rules are applied to the Gospels, the results are strong. You see that historically trusting the Gospels is not blind faith. It is a reasonable and informed trust.
The series also helps answer common doubts. You may have heard claims like “the Gospels were written too late,” “they were changed over time,” or “we don’t really know who wrote them.” Instead of brushing those concerns aside, the videos deal with them calmly. Michael Jones shows why those claims often sound convincing at first, but fall apart when you look closer. That can bring real peace, especially if these questions have ever troubled you.
It’s also important to be clear about what this series does and does not do. It looks at the Gospels from a historical point of view and shows they are reliable using historical evidence. That is helpful. At the same time, it does not go as far as someone like me who believes God has preserved His words for His people in the King James Bible. I would personally go further than this series does. Still, it gives a strong and helpful overview of how Scripture has been historically preserved and why confidence in the Gospels makes sense, even before going deeper into questions of preservation and translation.
If you watch the video, let me know what you think.
Key takeaways from the series (quick overview)
If someone doesn’t have time to watch the full six hours, you can watch the one hour video here, or these are the main points the series makes:
The Gospels were written early, close to the time of the events (pre-70 AD)
The writers were eyewitnesses or closely connected to eyewitnesses (important)
The Gospels match the style of ancient biographies, not myths
The same core events appear in multiple Gospel accounts
The death and resurrection of Jesus are strongly supported by early evidence
Early Christians treated the Gospels as authoritative Scripture
Claims that the Gospels were heavily changed require more assumptions than the evidence supports
This Week in Review:
I wrote a lot more this week than I expected. The newsletter became too long to send, so I’ve posted the main headers below. Click into anything that seems interesting to you, and I hope these posts will be helpful to you.
Words Shape Belief. Belief Creates Action. Action Impacts Life.
How small changes in Scripture quietly form theology, practice, and entire systems
Old Language in the KJV
When a lot of people think about the King James Bible, they assume the language is archaic—too old to understand. It is old, but that doesn’t mean it’s outdated or unreadable.
English today is still filled with phrases that come straight from the King James Bible. We use them without even realizing where they came from.
Think about phrases like:
Salt of the earth
Let there be light
The blind leading the blind
Go the extra mile
A house divided
Fight the good fight
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
These aren’t strange or confusing. They’re part of everyday English. Our language has already been shaped by the King James Bible. (Read the rest of the post.)
Last year, I had an $11,000 plumbing bill I didn’t know how I was going to pay.
On paper, I handled it “the right way.” But inside, I was anxious, stretched, and constantly thinking about money. Then something unexpected happened—I realized I wasn’t just managing money anymore. I was serving it.
Finding My Singing Voice Again (with a Little Help from AI)
How Suno.ai, practice, and experimentation helped me create music—and sing again
Merry Christmas! Good Will Toward Men!
What I Learned from a Long Conversation with a Muslim About Scripture
Why Christian–Muslim conversations often begin with patience and careful listening
The narrative is changing.
The Internet is revealing more and more. If you ever talk to a Muslim who says there is only one Quran, show them this video.
Pray for every Muslim to come to Jesus.