River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-08-08

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covered in the preparation OF
fraud. 1t Is a word used for judg
meats regarding moral character and
conduct, and conveys the idea OF diE
covering and detecting forgery and
Ealsity.
In using this word. the apostle
would say that In proclaiming to the
Corinthians the doctrine Of the resur
rection Of Christ, he and the other
apostles had been guilty Of perpetrnt
ing fraud upon them
II Christ be not risen, then the
apostles are false Witnesses: not Wit
nesses deluded, mistaken, deceived
the victims of an halluctnatfon, which
was the result of an overNwrought
brain and imagination. but false wit
nesses. Deluded! say the apostle, ws
cannot be; victims of an over-wrought
imagination, innocent but deceived en-
thusiasts-all this Inn impossible, we
are downright deceivers; we have
willingly, knowingly perpetrated a
that Christ rose from the dead; We
are downright deceivers. The strange
thing about the apostles statement Il
that the idea of delusson or hallucfna
ton is wholly absent from his argu
ment II does not seem to have oc
Cured to him to mention It. Even the
possibility OF 1t is too remote to hE
spoken Of.
To the apostle, the resurrection oi
Christ is q truth or a falsehood, d
reality Of fraud. thing OF sincerity
or of deceit, fact or mistake. There
is no loophole Of escape-the resur
rection is either fact or falsehood
a reality or a sham. and such persons
as the apostles were guilty of peYps
tratfng IT.
hood has been put upon him. He feell
that no has been stung by an insult
Somebody has not believed hfm-hat
made him out to DO liar. His testi
mony In effect Is this: have seeI
the risen Christ have talked with
him; have received my commission
from him. To challenge my statemen
Is to challenge my character. mi
veracfty. my understanding. my rea
son.
Paul and the other apostles test.
fed to the fact that Christianity. a.
they had received 1t and preached It
was built not only upon professes
revelation from God. but also upon al
historical hasis-on the fact tina
Christ realty arose from the dead. ant
that the risen Lord has been seen b!
them and had spoken to them. FL
deny this testimony was virtually II
call Paul and the other apostles ffarI
and false witnesses. lis 1t credible
says the apostle. that knowing me ant
the other apostles as you do that yoa
can believe such charge?
v. II Christ be not Fssen from tn
dead then We have no God who
worthy Of Guar trust.
TO attribute to person a good O
glorious act. which it is we'll known
that he never performed. Is to Gauss
that person to be suspected Of hav
ing prompted the false assertion. s.
the testimony Of the apostle wouk
lead men to think that God had m
sptred men to tell hes about him.
Many think that they can still hav.
faith m God, that they still have lef
God whom they can trust and h
whom they can repose their filth
even though they do Rot accept thu
resurrection Of Jesus Christ. Th,
apostle says plainly. This Is not SO:
we have no risen Christ. neither havt
We God IN whom We can trust. Mote
the serious point here Paul preach
ed God, he commended God. and thu
Justice OF God as shown IN raising hin
holy son from the dead But II JesuH
Christ is not risen from the dead
then We have no such God. If one Hike
Jesus Christ IS still left dead. if one
be so good as Jesus was and still be
deprived of life. what kind of God
have We? We have no God IN whom
We can trust; 1T is no use trying Il
be good. The end is a skull and few
ashes. We have testified of God,
says Paul. we have justified God. hui
we are found false witnesses of him
If Jesus Christ did not rise from the
dead. Have you considered what that
point means? The modern man often
assumes that he is already IN posses
sion of a God with reliable charac
ter. whatever you make of Jesus
Christ. But there is something in the
career and m the issue Of the career
of Jesus Christ that makes a good
God in this tragic world incredible un
less Christ be risen from the dead
Jesus went through the worst suffer
ings that any man ever suffered. He
sounded the depths OF the worlds
tragedy. Now If he has been raised
from the dead we may believe in
God; but if there be no resurrection
of the spotless Christ. then God Is
either dead or mad. We have no rea.
scnable God left.s