The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-04-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR APRIL n.

Subject! The Resurrection, I Cor. xv.s 70.
~, 6o-5S-Gosdsn Tsxt. I Cos. zv., To-
Memory Verses, SS-6s - c~emmsntary
On the Days Lesson.
!. Christ's resurrection affirmed Tvs. %.
20. Now is Christ risen" Paul begins
the proofs Of the resurrection Of Christ.
He brings witness after witness, even 500
at ono time, who, during the forty days
between the resurrection and the ascension
saw Jesus, touched Him, heard Him talk,
ate with Him, walked with Him ut differ.
ent times in various places. And many Of
these witnesses were familiar acquaint-
ances. Later N Paul himself met Jesus,
saw Him, heard Him. Jesus must be alive.
No event in all history has greater or more
convincing, proofs than that Jesus rose
combined in the proof. Then, the Chris.
tian church, and indeed every convert and
every miracle, wa q proof that . living
Saviour was working in the world. The
First Fruits" The first fruits were the
first ripe ears Of grain, offered under the
law (Lev. q: 10, ~ as Q grateful acknowi.
edgement to God for His goodness. It was
the pledge and promise Of the whole har-
vest. 80 Christ's resurrection was the
pledge that the whole resurrection harvest
would follow. That slept" A most beau.
tiful and instructive term for death. Gem.
tey means slsepins place. Death Is called
UNCONSCIOUS Of the worldly activity around
him. 2. The soul continues to live, while
the body 10 unconscious. 8. There 10 to
be m awakening to new and fresh life.
The very expression implies immortality.
81. by man." It pleased God that in
some way humanity should within itself,
however aided with divinity, work out its
own destiny, both for death and life, in
Adam and in Christ. Game death"
Compare Rom. S: 1919, with the narrative
in Gen. 3. by mantle resurrection"
Mortality came by Adam, immortality by
Christ; 30 sure as all have been subjected
to natural death BY Adam; 20 SURF shall all
II. The incorruptible body Tvs. 5o-57).
50. This I say:' The apostle shows
clearly that man in his present condition
cannot enter the portals Of eternal glory.
Flesh and blood" Man in his present
state Of infrmity and decay, with a body
that - fragile and weak. Cannot inherit"
His nature 10 not capable Of enduring the
eternal weight Of glory" In order to be
able to inhabit the eternal mansions mar
must be immortal. Kingdom Of God"
Heaven; appropriately called the kingdom
because He will reign there in undivided
DOTH" etc. Our ordinary flesh and blood
is by its very nature destined to corrup.
ton. II 10 not with such flesh and blood
that We can become partakers Of the in
corruptible life.
81, Sc. "A mystery" A truth not known
before, and even now that it is revealed it
10 too deep for human reason to fathom.
We" That Is, the whole body Of Chris
tians who are candidates for the glorious
resurrection. The use Of the word we" in
this connection does not prove, as some
seem to think. that the apostle expected
to be alive at the coming Of Christ; Not
changed" Those who are alive at the day
Of judgment shall be changed so that their
bodies will become spiritual bodies like the
bodies OF those who shall be raised from
the dead. "Twinklins of an eye" In an
instant Of time; as soon as q person can
wink. The resurrection Of ali the dead
from the foundation Of the world to that
time, and the change of all the living then
upon earth, shall be the work of a single
moment. Last trump" The trumpet
will be sounded on the last great day to
call the dead from their graves. It was
probably never heard but once by human
ears, and that was at Sinai lex. 10: 1919.
So. a.. This incorruptiblc." The NOR.
but it is clothed upon" with immortality.
It receives m addition of qualities which
it did not possess before. rs written"
In Isaiah Is: g.. Swallowed up" Death
il here personiied and represented az a
devouring being, swallowing up all the
generations Of men, and by the resurrcc.
ton Of the body and the destruction Of
the empire of death, God Is represented as
swallowing him up. I'm victory" The
victory over death and the grave will be
complete. The changed body will be ~
i~neorruptible.. l2). glorious, !3) powerful.
(!) q spiritual body, (5l one like the body
tory that will be for the righteous!
$50. "Thy sting" Quoted from Hosea
Is: IA. Death is here represented an nav.
ing q sting. 20 grave-death." The r. v.
also transposes the two members of this
verse. "S~ting-sin." Death could not have
entered into the world If sin had not en-
tered first, and it is sin that has armed
death with its destroying force; by sin both
body and soul are slain. The law" That
which gives sin it's power is the fact that it
Is the transgression Of the righteous law
Of an all-wise and all.holy being. There 10
not Q ray Of light in the law for the sin
ner; the law pronounces the death sentence
and shows no mercy. But" The sinner
an atonement for sin and thus made It pos
sible to deliver the transgressor from the
curse and power Of the law. This Is done
through the mercy Of God. and we should
give eternal thanks to His name for His
unspeskable gift. He giveth the victory
over Satan, death. hell and the grave.
III. The church astonished ". a). So.
"Therefore." We come now to the conclu'
sion of this wonderful chapter. Stead!
fast" Be settled and firm in your faith
in the resurrection. which some ". l2( are
LET nothing move you away from this
hope of the gospel which is given unto
you" Always Astounding" Steadfast
means positive, intrinsic frmness; m
able implies resistance to the mightiest
outward pressures and fcrcest onsets:
Astounding means energetic action. Work
OF the Lord That which the Lord re-
quired; all the duties Of Christians. The
conversion of sinners and the upbuildins
of the church. "Ye know" Christians
are a positive people, They do not live in
Your labor will be rewarded. There will
be 4 resurrection and then you will DO
fully r~ecompensed. The sentiment Of the
whole verse is that the hope Of the resur.
rection and Of future glory should stimu.
late US to great and self.denying efforts IL
honor Of Him who has revealed that doc.
trine. and who purposes to reward US
there. Other men are excited to great eff.
forts BY the hope of honor. pleasure or
wealth: Christians should be excited to toll
and self-denial BY the prospect OF immor.
tai glory. by tie assura ace that their hopes
are not 10 vain and will not deceive them.
~~ Ro,, En- Thla Isoat-