Don’t talk to me about your faith as though it has any relevance. So you’ve got faith have you? You say there is a God and that you know and trust Him through faith! What you mean is that you have no proof at all that there is God but you still want to believe that there is “something out there”. So you come up with a word that can express how you can believe in something for which there is no evidence. Worst of all you try and use this to satisfy anyone who disagrees because if you can’t prove it how can anyone else disapprove it. Science can be proved, it’s the only thing that counts, not your emotionally based faith rubbish. How can believing in something for which there is no basis make you feel better anyway? Surely you are just deluded.

I disagree!

Christian faith is the opposite of believing in something for which there is no proof. It is not a blind trust, something for which there is no evidence.

We all express faith in every day life, usually towards something or in a situation over which we have little control. We have faith in the legal system to deliver justice, faith in our insurers to pay out a fair claim, trust in the faithfulness of our partner. How do we decide in whom to trust? We examine the evidence.

So you say that Christian faith has no basis, do you not realise that there is evidence to support this belief. Christians are not simply empty headed, gullible people.

Please examine the following evidence for the most important event in history, Jesus’ death and resurrection.

1. Jesus did die. The Romans were a brutal occupying force. They knew how to kill people and their cruellest method was crucifixion. You could never persuade me that Jesus fainted and just appeared to be dead, therefore tricking the guards. There is no logic to this argument. During crucifixion, to speed up the process, the guards would break the legs of those hung on the cross to quicken suffocation. They did not need to do this to Jesus as he was already dead.

2. Jesus did rise from the dead. His body was definitely missing from the tomb 3 days later, but had someone moved it? Was this the Roman authorities or maybe the religious authorities who were apposed to Jesus? Surely they would have produced the body as proof that he remained dead, instantly stopping the rumours which were so damaging to them. Perhaps Jesus’ followers moved it so that they could deceive everyone and claim to be right. His tomb was under Roman guard. How do you explain that a small group of men could sneak or fight past armed guards – the guards would themselves face death if found ineffective. But if Jesus’ followers did steal the body would they continue on with the pretence. May of them were killed for preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead. Would they really have been prepared to die for what they knew to be a lie? Jesus appeared to his followers after he had risen from the grave as a man, not a ghost, before they saw him ascend into heaven. No, Jesus definitely rose from the dead.

Ok, so there is evidence to support a faith in Jesus and a belief in God. So what does it matter anyway, just because you believe it why should I?

If Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven we can also believe that;
- there is a God who made all things
- there is life after death
- there is a heaven, a hell and a judgment to come.

You can no longer just dismiss the Christian faith as believing something without evidence. You now only dismiss it wilfully, knowing the truth but refusing to acknowledge it. This has consequences; you can’t just continue to ignore the questions about the purpose and meaning of life. You need to cry out to God, acknowledge your sin, seek His forgiveness and have faith in the saving power of the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.