A Few Words on the Christian and History
It is worthy to note that while many belief systems lay foundational claims regarding character, morays, and morals, Christianity has a distinct and unique foundational claim. The foundational claims of Christianity surround historical events. These historical events then form the basis for all imperatives of the Christian religion.
In the seminal historic event of the Old Testament, the gracious action of the Lord God to redeem his covenant people out of slavery in Egypt via the Exodus is the basis for the relationship and loyalty between the divine and the mortal.
It was this historic action of the divine intervening in the daily events of mortals that imperatives were derived from during the Old Testament. The 10 commandments which were so paramount to the ordered life of the ancient Israelites began not with a list of instructions and prohibitions. The instructions and prohibitions follow after the foundational historic claim of God.
Exodus 20:1–2 (ESV): 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Before any "thou shall" or "Thou shall not" comes a reference to a historic event. A receipt of activity that then lays the bedrock for all which follows. We observe something quite different about the God of the Bible than the gods of any other belief. The instructions and prohibitions flow from a position of authority mixed with active loving grace.
In a continuous thread of consistent displays, the God of the Bible instructs, informs, and prohibits only on the basis of his own character and activity towards his covenant people. In this way, in the strictest sense, we see that history and not philosophy are the pillar of Christian claims. It is conceivable that there are errors within various forms and traditions of Christian philosophy. It is inconceivable for there to be errors within the definitive Christian claims in history regarding the actions of the divine and there to be any remaining Christian religion at all. In other words, if Christian historical claims are not true, then all that flows out of those claims is subsequently inconsequential.
If there was no Exodus event, then the God of Exodus 20 is a liar. He did not bring his covenant people up out of Egypt if those events did not in fact occur. The ethical codes which then follow in Exodus 20 would have only as much a claim as any beliefs codes of conduct.
The Exodus event is the most referenced single event in all of the Old Testament.
While philosophy is a supporting companion to history, it is not to be confused with the bedrock of Christian faith, which is the gracious action of God intervening in real temporal human experiences. Christianity without philosophy would be like a house missing a wall. Christianity without history would be a house with no walls, no floors, and no roof.
If for no other reason than God's own methodology for staking his claim on his Old Testament covenant people, anyone who claims to follow the God of the Bible must root their faith in history. Specifically, in the history of what God has done, and how God's intervening actions in the past inform present-day living and shape hope for the future.
In the seminal historic event of the New Testament, the action of the Lord God to redeem his covenant people out of slavery in sin via the Cross & the Tomb is the basis for the relationship and loyalty between the divine and the mortal.
The philosophy of the 1st century was often spoken of as foolishness or as inconsequential (1 Corinthians chapters 2 & 3) in comparison with the historic person of Jesus Christ. The central event which is continually appealed to, whether it is in the arguments for Christian conduct in the book of James, or the instruction for the diaspora scattered due to persecution in 1 & 2 Peter, or in the various encouragements and corrections from Paul to various churches, it is the Cross and the Tomb that are the foundation for all imperatives and directives.
While plenty of other beliefs have historical claims and have made appeals to history, no other groups, faiths, or beliefs stand or fall based on their historical claims like Christianity. The Christian places the whole sum of their faith in these divine actions by God. The redemption foreshadowed in the Exodus event was then fully accomplished in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and in the tomb.
For those who make the claim that Christianity is "similar" or "basically the same" as other belief systems, there is a glaring error of misunderstanding. If the historic events are stripped from Christianity, then it is no Christianity at all. For it is on the person, work, redemption, resurrection, reign, and return of Christ that all of the Christian's hopes and faith hang.
If the historical events as detailed in the Bible truly occurred, then the imperatives recorded within the Bible for human life truly flow as well. If the imperatives of the Bible are divorced from the events, then the imperatives, just as the events, hold only as much weight as any individual mortal person chooses to ascribe.
While many belief systems derive their ethics, codes for social order, and individual aspirational character traits from a particular teacher or set of teachings, only Christianity derives the whole sum from a single person's singular event. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then all Christian faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:17-19)!
The whole of our faith, and hopes for eternal life rests on this one person, the God, Man Jesus Christ. All of the imperatives of our religion flow from him. His resurrection is so magnificent and weighty, it can hold all of our faith and hopes with the strength to spare.
While the study of nearly every belief system must begin with an understanding of its imperatives, Christianity in contrast, starts with an understanding of a single person within history.
In this way, all errors regarding the imperatives of Christianity are reflective of either a misunderstanding of the person of Christ, or a mistreatment of Christ. Similarly, all right Christian living flows from a proper understanding and following of Christ.
The real, bodily life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ as detailed in history is the foundation of faith, and the wellspring of Christian living. All biblical imperatives can find their root in the historic person of Christ.
For this reason, we who claim faith in Christ, above any other system of beliefs, ought to study, learn from, treasure, and teach history. The stakes are too high for the Christian to be a lazy student of history.
Further suggested readings: