The simplest definition we can give of a Christian is one who believes that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.  Ask the average Christian why he or she believes that Jesus is the Son of God and the likely answer is that the Bible teaches us so. Very good, but why do you believe what the Bible teaches?  The likely answer this time is that the Bible is the word of God.  Fine, but why do you believe that?  The answers given for this question might range from, “I was raised that way,” or, “That’s what my church teaches,” to, “I don’t know, I just do.”

All of those answers are fine, as far as they go.  There is certainly nothing wrong with simple faith – in fact it is to be commended in many cases.  Very often the simplest faith is also the strongest.  But that doesn’t mean that there should not be a reason for our faith.  Our faith should not be illogical or irrational.  God made us with brains and a gift of reason so that we may use these tools for His glory and our own enlightenment, in the continuing search for truth.

So let’s use those God-given faculties and learn to give people a reason for our faith.

Let us begin with the Bible -- not as the infallible word of God, but simply as a historic book, that is, a book from history, not necessarily a book about history.

We can be very certain that the Bible that we have today corresponds with the original text because we have more manuscript copies of the various books of the Bible, closer in date to the original writing, than of any other text from antiquity.  If we look at some other ancient texts as examples, we see that the earliest manuscript of Virgil’s writings that we have comes 350 years after his death.  The earliest surviving manuscripts of Livy post date his life by 500 years.  Most of Plato’s writings that survive for us date to 1300 years after he wrote them!

By contrast, we have literally thousands of manuscripts of Biblical texts – some whole books, others just small fragments, that are much closer in date to their original composition.  They exist in Hebrew, in Greek, Latin, Coptic, Syriac, and other languages.  So we can take all of this evidence together and be very certain that the Bible we posses is an authentic rendition of the genuine item.

If we look especially at the New Testament, we see one central figure, Jesus Christ.  We can deduce that Jesus actually existed not only from the witness of the New Testament writers, but also from other outside Jewish and Roman sources.  Jesus made quite an impact on the culture and politics of first century Roman Palestine, and even non-believers made note of Him in their records and annals.

We can learn much about what Jesus said and did based on the four different Gospel witnesses to His life and ministry, and also information found in the epistles contained in the New Testament.  Again, outside Jewish and Roman sources, as well as Christian writing from the first century not found in the Bible, would seem to back up the basic information found in the New Testament.

Faced with the outstanding character of Jesus Christ, His words and actions, and the message that He preached, we are forced to make a decision about Him.  Who was Jesus Christ? (Matt. 16:15).  Was He who He claimed to be – the Son of God?  If not, then he must be a lunatic; otherwise His actions and claims do not make sense.  He is either insane or the Son of God.

The testimony given by the writers of the New Testament lead us to believe that He was not insane.  Was He the Son of God?  The evidence needed to answer this question would seem to be the Resurrection.  Did Jesus Christ die on the cross and then rise from the dead?  His followers say that He did.

Crucifixion was a very public form of execution.  Jesus was a very publicly known figure.  Large numbers of people were witnesses to this event.  Therefore it seems very unlikely that a man other than Jesus was crucified in His place.  Jesus really was crucified. 

The Romans were very good at everything they did, including execution.  Death on a cross is a slow, painful, and certain process.  It is very hard to imagine someone “faking” death by crucifixion.  Moreover, when the Romans wanted to kill you, they made certain you were dead.  We even have the Biblical account of the Roman soldier piercing Christ’s side to be sure He was dead.  If Jesus was on the cross, He really did die on that cross.

Did He then rise from death?  Before we dismiss this as a possibility simply because it seems fantastic, we must objectively look at the evidence.  The written record indicates that hundreds of people saw and spoke with the Risen Christ.  Surely no one was that good at impersonating Christ that they could have fooled all those people, including His closest companions (Peter, John, the other Apostles, His mother Mary, and the Magdalen). 

It is also very unlikely that the people who claimed to have seen Christ were lying.  One or two, or even ten people may have created a conspiracy, but it is very difficult for the hundreds of people who claim to have seen Christ after the Resurrection to all maintain a lie.

Moreover we have the testimony of the martyrs as witnesses of Christ’s Resurrection.  People simply do not go to their deaths defending a hoax.  But people gladly went to their deaths to witness to the truth of the Risen Christ.  People really and truly believed in Christ as the Messiah and they joyfully proclaimed that truth until their deaths, with faith that they would gain eternal life.

Christ began His ministry with 12 men and when He was captured and crucified, that seemed to be the end of the story.  People lost hope.  On Holy Thursday, when He was arrested, even His twelve chosen ones abandoned Him.  But within a generation, His followers had already begun to change the face of the Mediterranean world, and shortly thereafter would change the Roman Empire, and eventually the fate of Western Civilization – not to mention the world.  Why the change?

Looking at the evidence objectively, it seems to all point to one conclusion – Christ really lived, Christ really died, and Christ really rose from the dead.

If Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead, then that means that He is whom He claimed – the Son of God.  And if Christ is divine, then all that He said and did must be true, and we must then seek to be followers of His, as followers of the true God. 

Part of what Christ said He would do was to establish a Church. (Matt. 16:18-19, “Upon this rock I will build my church.”  Matt. 18:17-18, “if he refuses to listen even to the church.”  1 Tim. 3:15, “Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.”) 

To be in union with Christ, we must be in union with His Church.  (Lk. 10:16, “whoever hears you, hears me; whoever rejects you, rejects me.”  Col. 1:18, Christ is head of the body, the church.)

We can read in the New Testament (again, we are simply treating this book as an historical document) that Christ’s Church would have certain characteristics. 

It would be one… (Jn. 10:16, one fold, one shepherd.  Eph. 4:3-6, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God…”  Jn. 17:17-23 Christ prays that they all be one.  Eph. 4:4, “one body, one spirit, called to one hope.”  1 Cor. 1:10, “I urge that there be no divisions among you.”)

It would be Apostolic… (Jn. 15:16 “I chose you and appointed you…”  Jn. 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”  Mt. 16:18, Jesus builds church on the Apostle Peter.  Eph 4:11 shows church leaders are hierarchical.  1 Tim identified roles of bishops, priests, deacons.  Tit. 1:5 commission for bishops to ordain priests.)

It would teach with His authority… (Mt. 28:18-20 Jesus delegates all power to his Apostles.  Lk. 10:16Jesus gives Apostles power to speak with His voice.  Jn. 20:23, power to forgive sin.  1 Cor. 11:24 power to sacrifice.  Mt. 18:18 power to legislate.  Mt. 18:17 power to discipline. 

And it would endure forever… Lk. 1:32-33, No end to Christ’s kingdom.  Mt. 16:18, gates of hell (power of death) will not prevail against it.  Mt. 28:19-20, Christ is with church always.

We know from outside resources that such a Church existed.  Early Christian writers mention a Church, but also non-Christian writers, like Tacitus (a Roman), Josephus (a Jew), and Pliny the Younger (also Roman).   Does this Church still exist?

Christ’s Church does still exist, for one of its characteristics is endurance.  The only church body today that meets these criteria is the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church is One in that it professes the same faith to all peoples in all times.  While individual Catholics may differ in belief, this is due to their own errors or misunderstandings.  The faith taught by the Magisterium of the Church is one – and it is the same faith that has been taught for 2000 years.  Doctrines have developed but have never been contradicted. 

The Church is Apostolic not only because it still teaches the faith of the Apostles, but because its present day bishops can show a direct line of succession straight back to the twelve Apostles ordained by Christ.

The Catholic Church teaches with Christ’s authority, because the formal teachings of the Magisterium – that is the teaching body of bishops – as well as the Pope, as the Vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter, chosen by Christ to be the chief shepherd (Jn. 21:17), are proclaimed as infallible, to be given the assent of faith by all the faithful. 

As to the final category, the lasting endurance of the Church, there are many churches still around today, but only the Catholic Church has existed since the time of the Apostles and still continues to exist.  What is to keep the various Protestant churches from going the way of the other heretical sects that have existed over the course of the Church’s lifetime?  When was the last time you met a Docetic?  Or a Cathar?  An Albigensian, or a Lollard?

If we acknowledge the Catholic Church as the Church of Christ, and understand her teachings to be those of Christ, then we must adhere to those formal teachings.  One of which, coming out of the late fourth century councils of Hippo and Carthage and formally proclaimed by Pope Innocent I in 405 AD, is that a certain group of books – a canon – make up what we call Sacred Scripture.  These books are considered to be divinely inspired and therefore infallible in their teachings.  This is what we call the Bible.

So, as faithful Catholics and followers of the historic Jesus Christ, we can now look on the Bible not only as a book of historical interest, but also as the very word of our God speaking to us.   We also understand the Church to be the Body of Christ (Col. 1:18), and Christ is the Word of God made flesh (Jn. 1:1).  Using the Scriptures hand in hand with the teachings of Christ’s Apostolic and Universal Church, we can rightly begin to form our faith.