The Resurrection: Why Do Christians Believe In It?

May 5, 2008 – 1:47 pm

For Christians, Christ’s life did not end with his death. It is here that we realise that the Christian gospel stands or falls on the astonishing claim of his resurrection.

Christ did not only die according to the scriptures. It wasn’t to end there, but “that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”. His burial and resurrection was itself prophesied by Jesus himself as he took an illustration from Jonah the prophet. (Matthew 12:40) “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Also this again was prophesied in Isaiah 53. “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death”.

The Hebrew Scriptures speak also of his resurrection. There are many scriptures that prophesy this. The best known is from Psalm 16:10 and Peter the Apostle quoted this as he spoke to the Jews on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down.

Someone commented to me once that the apostles and the evangelists who wrote the gospels were not, for the most part, prophets. Yes, God spoke to us through prophets all down the ages, but what is equally important are “WITNESSES”. The New Testament emphasises this all of the time.

The prophets have spoken, the prophesied events have taken place, and there were those who saw it, witnesses. For instance Jesus himself as he spoke to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:46-47) “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.”

Now, Hebrew Law demanded that everything must be established by two or three witnesses. That isn’t talking about forensic evidence or people who “think” they saw something, but those who were present at the time. We are told that not only two or three witnesses saw Christ alive, but over 500 at one time, which is what is important to Christians. Read More »

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The Christian Belief in a Nutshell

April 12, 2008 – 11:23 am

The first installment of Grahame Belton’s Christianity series can be found here.

I’ve argued that the apostle Paul’s gospel was not his own invention, but that everything he taught was “according to the scriptures”. Everything he taught could be found in the Hebrew prophecies.

The gospel that Paul preached was precisely the same as the other apostles preached. After his conversion he went away into Arabia and had no contact with the other Apostles. When he came back to Jerusalem he discovered that the gospel that he preached was precisely the same as that which the other Apostles were preaching and so he was welcomed into their number. But what was it that Paul preached?

The text tells us: “… how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

The central theme of the gospel is seen in Paul’s words. Remove the foundational truths of the death and resurrection of Christ and the whole fabric of the Christian belief falls.

It says that first of all he died. Jesus’ death occurred exactly as the scriptures had predicted. “They shall look on him whom they pierced”–The quotation is from Zechariah 12:10; direct from the Hebrew. The choice of the words employed both by the prophet and the Evangelist for “piercing” matches exactly what happened to Christ on the cross. The word in Zechariah means to thrust through with spear, javelin, sword, or any such weapon. And where they nailed him to the cross can also be found in Psalm 22 where we read, “They pierced my hands and my feet.” The word there used for pierced is one signifying to bore as with an awl or hammer. In fact if you read the whole of Psalm 22 you will see a vivid description of the crucifixion of Christ, and it can also be seen written in the prophesy of Isaiah in chapter 53.

When the so called Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, there was much of the Hebrew scriptures found there which actually dated to the time of Christ or 100 years before him. There is a complete scroll of Isaiah as well, and when compared to those copies of which we have today, which are dated to around 900 AD they were to be found identical, with just a few grammatical variations. The entire prophesy was entact. So we have, as did the apostle Paul, a reliable source from which to take our teaching of the gospel.

Now, why did Christ die and why do Christians believe in his death? Read More »

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The Christian Faith Through the Teachings of Paul

March 28, 2008 – 12:04 pm

My name is Grahame Belton, and I am a Christian.

Just for the record, I’m British. I mention that because I recognise that many people nowadays think that Christianity is a Western religion. I had someone say that to me: “Why should you go and preach our Western religion?”

This person was actually surprised when I informed her that Christianity originated in the Middle East. Overall, though, the conversation made me to think. I had to admit that the churches in the West have indeed “westernised” the gospel so much that they have lifted it right out of context, so to speak. So it is a good thing, as we read the New Testament, that we try and put things into a Middle Eastern context.

I would set out, as clearly as I can, what I as a Christian believe. I find inter-faith dialogue to be of great importance. Why do I believe what I believe? Let me tell you.

I call myself a Reformed Believer. I believe the same things the English Reformers believed in the 15th and 16th centuries; they, in turn, believed the same things as those in the early Christian Church. Their aim was to “Reform”, to put right those things they considered to be errors that had grown up within the Church over the centuries.

As a Reform Believer, I am interested in the roots of Christianity. In that light, the portion of scripture which, I think, illustrates in a nutshell the entire Christian faith is to be found in one of the Apostle Paul’s letters to the churches that he himself founded in Asia Minor, the Church at Corinth. Read More »

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The Injustice of Cancer

October 1, 2007 – 12:26 pm

I recently watched a video of one of OJ Simpson’s alleged co-conspirators in a Las Vegas armed robbery holding a Bible and claiming that “I’m a Christian man.” His attorney immediately told him to shut up, which was very good advice. You can claim that his actions were just naive attempts at posturing; however, I see something much more interesting going on.

There’s an indelible link between our ideas of religion and our ideas of justice. More than loving your neighbor, more than forgiveness, more than culture and nationalism, the idea of justice is central to any persistent view of religious thought.

So OJ’s alleged partner in crime wasn’t actually stealing anything. In his mind he was righting a wrong, helping OJ get back his memorabilia that was stolen from him. That is justice, and that’s a religious concept, thus the Bible and his righteous proclamation. Read More »

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Motorcycle Diaries Part VI

September 21, 2007 – 11:57 am

(This article was first published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)

It’s the apple season in Geneva and the neighboring cantons. Plenty of them, mouthwatering and crisp, proudly showing off their red glow alongside the more predominant acres of grapevines. Switzerland may be better known for its chocolates, watches, cheeses, enviable standards of living, and secret bank accounts.

More than anything, this trilingual confederation is most famous for that unmistakable quality about being, well, you know, Swiss. Just place the word “Swiss” before most products or industries and you’re immediately sold. No need for gimmicks or spins. This magical noun has become a descriptive adjective with a universal marketing appeal of its own, instantly implying dedication, perfection, accuracy, trust, and meticulous craftsmanship. In politics, the name spells peace, neutrality, and impenetrable stability. Rarely does the national identity of any country come pre-loaded with such a reputation for superior quality and refined living. Why is that?

In my experience, it is because the Swiss have earned it. As individuals and as a community, they have worked very hard over centuries to establish such a status among nations and preserve it. Even their troubled national airline, Swissair, when it had to declare bankruptcy in 2001 and change its corporate name, bounced back simply as Swiss. If it’s Swiss, then surely you must be in safe hands, goes the legend. Never mind that Swiss Airlines is today owned by another European populace known for their brutal efficiency (Lufthansa acquired the Swiss national carrier last year), still, the name Swiss says it all – and even ze Germans think so. Read More »

By Zaid Nabulsi | Posted in entertainment | Comments (0)

Motorcycle Diaries

August 9, 2006 – 12:01 pm

(This article was originally published in Jordan’s Living Well magazine)

Forgive me, Ernesto, for helping myself to this undeserved title of which I am grossly unworthy. I ask permission not only because I’m so unlike you in that I cannot believe in a single earthly dogma for the salvation of mankind so as to dedicate my whole existence to fight and die for it.

This noble, but often blinding, human trait is only part of the abyss that demarcates your fearless soul from mine. What really sets us apart here is that my inconsequential motorcycle expeditions will not leave these pages, whereas your celebrated treks are already grand history. And so are you. From t-shirts to boxer shorts, your portrait is a cult image more recognizable than most Hollywood celebrities. Alas, the only portrait you’re likely to find of this author is a Swiss police mug-shot for some serious traffic violations, but we won’t get into that. So Comandante, you still rock! Read More »

By Zaid Nabulsi | Posted in christianity, entertainment, islam | Comments (0)