The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-06-14

@@ ne Resurrection
OF Christ to Chris
tianity that II Christ be not risen frcn
the dead the gospel Of Christ Is want
dng In reality, and barren In results
1t Is false and groundless. barren and
fruitless; 1t is nothing. 1t does noA
ing.
l. Our Preaching 10 Valn.-pM
makes Christianity answer with h
life for the literal truth Of the resus
rection of Jesus Christ from the dead
That the body Of the founder OF Chris
tianity did not remain In the grave
after the third day is fundamental to
the gospel as Paul preached 1t. This
great fact was a fundamental plank
In the platform Of the apostles gcs
pei; 1t was the very keystone Of tho
arch of Christianity, the very corr
Of the gospel al he had received and
proclaimed 1t, and as the Corlnthln
Christians had received 1t. Take away
from Paul's gospel the fact that Christ
arose from the dead and you have
taken the very heart and core out d
his message-then 1t Ia nothing but .
painted story, a c~oncocted tale; for
the resurrection of Christ was not
a mere appendage to, but a constitu
tive part Of Paul's gospel message. L
1t be true that no living Christ issued
forth from the tomb of Joseph, then
that tomb became not only the grave
Of a man, but of a religion, too, with
all the spiritual hopes built upon 1t
and all the splendid enthusiasts 1t
has inspired; then the whole gospel
story is a sham, and unreality, an In
posture at its very heart; then the
platform Of the gospel falls to pieces,
and the arch of Christianity crumbles
into dust.
II you have no Christ risen from
the dead, says the apostle, then on
what does the religion of Christ rest
and what reason have we for preacs
ing It? Then our words are empF
sounds, the hopes we have aroused are
idle dreams, our pleas are vain boasts,
our proposals are vain things, our In
tentions are futile plans; indeed, our
whose message and preaching u
sham, a delusion, a tissue Of RAISE
hoods, an empty phantom, a worth
less fiction. Instead of our messass
being the proclamation of a truth, !
is the dissemination of a lie, for !
Christ be not risen then in reallu
we have no gospel that is worthy o.
the name-our message Is but a van,
worthless, empty sham. Is this credr
IDLE?
II. Your Faith 10 Valn.--If Christ %
not risen, If he remained in the grave
then you have put faith In the wrong
person and in the wrong thing, for u
Christ did not rise, as he said, tnen
he was nothing less than a false propn'
ct, a betrayer, a blasphemer, who MAD
suffered death justly. 1t Is utterly
worthless and useless to put your
trust In one whose word has so utter
ly failed. To build your hopes on one
whose most solemn assertions have
fallen to the ground would be moth
ing less than sheer madness; such an
act would not be faith but creduilyi
then such a person as the Lord Jesus
Christ disappears, and you have noun
ing left but a nan like ourselves u
whom to believe.
III. Yet In Your slns.-It is here
acknowledged that Christ alone can
save from sins, but If he could not
save himself from sins power how can
he save the sons OF men from its gum
and dominion? Christ himself az
tinctly taught that his death had 70
demption value, and that his resur,
rection from the dead would be proo'
positive Of this fact. The aposue
Paul, also, says that Christ died iol
our sins, and was raised again for oul
justification" (Rom. 4:25.) But Il
Christ himself is still under the power
of death, which is the wages OF SIN
how, then, can he release Others frou
the payment of that debt? Theu
his death has no r~edemptive yaiue
If Christ remained in the grave thel
humanity has no redeemer, man ha'
no Saviour; the guilt and power OF sll
has not been removed, men are mo-
pardoned, sinners are not justified, un'
SHINING and sinful race is still unde.
the guilt and condemnation of sin any
exposed to the Just wrath OF a rlgn'
eous God against sin and sinners. Inc,
freedom from condemnation is unreal
the sense of forgiveness is a sham IN
consciousness of pardon for sin IS tn y,
greatest delusion. Then Christ's deapi
has wrought only imaginary changes
and deluded its most faithful auhei
ents. Then we have put faith IN u
wrong person-he was not what u
claimed to be, he did not, could not q
what he claimed to do; there y
therefore, no forgiveness through ~
blood, no life and blessedness throusi
his name, and no justification an
pardon on the ground of his Wofs
The denial OF the resurrection =
Christ carries with 1t the removal 7
all hope and ground Of forgiveness
and pardon. II Christ be not risen, "
are hopelessly lost in our guilt an
Sin.