What served as the foundation of faith for the first-century church…? What was their view, and how did they begin to understand the old testament regarding Jesus’ life and death and resurrection…? Should we take our cues about the foundation of the faith, and should we take our cues about how to approach the old testament from the very people who were closest to the action ~ the first-century, first followers of Jesus…?
And if we take our cues from them, and if other’s take their cues from them…especially the next generation…if our loved ones take their cues from this group ~ then it makes sense that we’ll all end up with the supportable, defendable, conclusive version of Christianity, which was the original version.
So what was the foundation of Peter’s faith…? Where did Peter get his hope…? Where did Peter get his boldness…? Where did he get his confidence…? How is it he’s out walking around in the open…proclaiming Jesus to the very people who had Him killed…whereas before he was afraid and ran for his life…?
The foundation of their faith wasn’t something they read or had read to them. The foundation of their faith was what they’d seen. So for Christians, what should be the foundation of their faith…? What should be the epicenter of their confidence…?
Peter would say “that’s easy…the resurrection”…!
This is how the message of Jesus survived the Jewish Temple and the Roman Empire. And remember that the first persecution of Christians was from the Jewish Temple, it wasn’t from Rome. This is how Christianity survived the first, second, third, and the beginning of the fourth century.
The first-century followers of Jesus embraced what all Christians oughta embrace: they embraced the stand-alone version of Christianity. They didn’t need a book to prop up their faith. They didn’t need creation explained to them to prop up their faith. They didn’t need the story of Noah, or the story of Jonah to prop up their faith. They didn’t need the Law of Moses to prop up their faith. Christianity stood on its own two nail-scarred, resurrection, first-century feet. It did then, and it does now.
The foundation of Christianity is not a book, it is an event. A book did not create Christianity; Christians eventually created the Christian Bible. The old testament is at the front of the Christian Bible, but it should be at the back of the Christian apologetic. If we were to ask Peter “where’s the foundation”, “where do you find your hope”, “where do you find your courage…?”, he sure as heck wouldn’t quote a verse from the old testament.
I'm guessing you are saying the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb proved he was who he claimed to be? And that his teachings were the truth from God? As would have the miracles he performed during his ministry?
Patriotism (and religion) is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
