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…? It sure as heck wasn’t from the first three chapters of Genesis…! 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…? Again, it sure as heck wasn’t because of the first three chapters of Genesis…!
The foundation of Peter’s faith wasn’t something he’d read or had read to him. The foundation of Peter’s faith was what he’d seen. So for Jesus’ followers nowadays, what should be the foundation of their faith…? What should be the epicenter of their confidence…? It sure as heck isn’t the first three chapters of Genesis…!
Apostle 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 followers of Jesus nowadays oughta embrace: they embraced the stand-alone version of Christianity. They didn’t need the first three chapters of Genesis to prop up their faith. They didn’t need the creation narrative in Genesis 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.
