I don’t know of a single scholar—Christian or non-Christian—who claims that Jesus Christ never existed. The evidence for His existence is so overwhelming that even scholars who totally reject the Christian faith still acknowledge that Jesus lived and taught some two thousand years ago.

How do we know this? First of all, each of the four Gospels of the New Testament gives us a detailed account of Jesus’ life and ministry. When they were written, thousands of eyewitnesses to His ministry were still alive, and it would have been impossible for their writers to lie about His existence. As Luke stated concerning the facts of Jesus’ ministry, “They were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:2).

But we also know Jesus was real because of the impact He made on His followers. People don’t willingly die for what they know is a lie—but immediately after His death and resurrection, Jesus’ followers courageously faced persecution and death because they were convinced He was the Savior of the world.

I can’t help wonder, however, why you want to ignore Jesus and dismiss Him from your life. Only you can answer this, of course—but could it be because you’re afraid you’ll have to change your way of living if Jesus is real? Don’t deceive yourself, and don’t base your life on a lie. Instead, examine the Gospels with an open heart and mind. When you do, you’ll discover why He alone is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Have you trusted Jesus with your soul?