What do I believe and why?

I have been having some interesting conversations lately with a friend about my faith. He asks challenging and penetrating questions with a level of respect that I appreciate. As I have thought about his questions, it has led me to rethink and refine some of my answers.

Providentially, this weekend I listened to a White Horse Inn podcast entitled "Why is Christianity True?" The program focused on apologetics. They asked some Christians the question, "Why do you believe in the Gospel?" The answers they got back were almost all something like, "Because it has changed my life." This is not good enough. As they said, this could be the answer for any faith that a person held, Islam, Hinduism, Oprah, etc. The only reason to believe something is because it is based on true things. They pointed to I Corinthians 15, where Paul defends the faith that he holds.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Paul here is appealing to things that are provable by eyewitness accounts.  Of course the interpretation of those accounts could be different.  Someone could say that they all lied or that they were all deranged, but that is an interpretation of the accounts.  The above is a great definition of the Gospel.  It's a great definition of what I believe.  I believe it because it is true and because it really happened.  You could argue that it didn't really happen, but if it did, then its true and it should be believed.

I read this chapter over again last night and was once again struck by the gift of faith that God has given me that allows me to believe this.  I have prayed for many people in my life that God would give them a similar gift.