Question:

I am reading one of your book titled “Reason for Belief”. I must say it is
really impactful. However, I have a question on one area there. You
mentioned about the base of our faith. If we want to grow deep, we must
explore the basis of our faith, could you expand on each category?

Answer:

I am not sure what you are asking. Faith is “belief in things unseen.”
In the end, faith in Jesus and in the message of Christianity requires
belief in things which simply cannot be nor will they ever be provable by
any sort of direct evidence. For example, I cannot prove or even provide
evidence that heaven exists or that Jesus will come back, or even that I
am saved by the blood of Jesus. Such things require a pure faith.
However, the basis for our faith is not blind. It is at least in part
built on facts and on proof, although it certainly is not entirely based
on such evidence. Areas of evidence which strongly supports the Christian
faith includes;

1. Fulfilled historical prophecies (messianic, other prophecies,
prefigure, foreshadow, etc.)
2. External evidence for miracles attested to in the Bible (more on this
in my new book to come out this month on miracles, see www.ipibooks.com)
3. Historical accuracy of biblical accounts.
4. Scientific support of biblical statements.
5. Evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
6. Consistency of message and lack of contradiction of the dozens of
authors and the many books of the Bible.
7. Consistency of the Christian world view with what we know about how
human beings work and how they think.
8. Consistency of the claims of Jesus Christ with his teachings and with
the life that Jesus lived.

I go into some detail on all these categories in my various books; all of
which are available at www.ipibooks.com

If there is one specific category you want me to expand upon, you will
find all these covered in various articles at the web site, as well as in
questions and answers at the site. If you need more clarity on any of
these, please do not hesitate to send me a more specific question and I
will be happy to expand on any of these categories.

John Oakes