Fact or fiction, friend or foe? Does God exist? And if so, is He personally involved in our lives? These are a few of the crucial questions that Jim Jacob tackles in his newly-released book, A Lawyer’s Case for God. Brought up in Reform Judaism before becoming an atheist, Jacob, asuccessful attorney, viewed the Tenach (Hebrew Scriptures) as a collection of fairy tales akin to Hansel and Gretel. In fact, fables and myths were far more interesting than anything religion had to offer him. Jacobs admits, “I had arrived at these steadfast conclusions without examining any of the facts. I was not simply misinformed—I was totally uninformed.”
He hadn’t been taught to examine the Bible for himself because the rabbis were considered the ultimate religious authorities. Who was he to question their wisdom? How could he know the Tenach foretold that the Messiah would arrive to redeem the Jewish people in approximately 32 ce, before the destruction of the Second Temple? Nor did the rabbis point out how the Scriptures announced that the Messiah would suffer, die and return from the dead on behalf of Israel and the entire world. “They never mentioned that Yeshua (Jesus) could be found in countless pages in the Hebrew Scriptures,” Jacob notes. “Perhaps no one had told them either.”
His intellectual pursuit of truth began after observing Christians who were “filled with more joy than he had ever experienced.” On the advice of a friend, he read the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, a former atheist who presents undeniable evidence for the existence of God and the Messiah’s resurrection. Jacob found his logic to be “irrefutable” and eventually placed his faith in Yeshua.
Clear, concise, and challenging, Jacob’s book presents the reader with a series of eighteen arguments that once stood as stumbling blocks in the way of his willingness to believe in God and embrace the truths found both in the Tenach and the Brit Hadashah (New Testament). Writing with logic, as well as humor, he refutes claims that no absolutes exist from those who contend that the Bible is outdated, irrelevant and unscientific.
He meticulously details extraordinary intricacies of the human body as evidence of a complex and sophisticated Creator, noting that a “hand has more standard features than a brand new Mercedes.” His case is most compelling when exploring the accuracy of Biblical prophecies involving Israel, the Diaspora, and the first coming of the Messiah. He addresses specific Hebrew Scriptures which unequivocally claim that God has a Son. Sacred writings are factually verified through independent historical records, linguistics, archeology and science. Jacob leaves no argument unexamined in his quest for truth.
Jacob invites seekers to consider the question—Is there an afterlife?—asserting that no other decision could have “more upside or downside potential.” After a thorough review of the records, the author has concluded that Yeshua is not only real, but alive and well. Illuminating and instructive, Jacob pleads his case as he summons the reader to sift through the evidence and deliver a verdict. Given what hangs in the balance, A Lawyer’s Case for God is well worth investigating. MT |
