The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1912-06-14

- 4
A - the resurrection
OF Christ 10 Chris
uanlty that II Christ be not risen from
the dead the gospel OF Christ is want
ing in reality. and barren In results;
Il is false and groundless, barren and
,rultless: Il is nothing, 1t does moth
Ing.
l. Our Preaching ls Valn.-Paul
makes Christianity answer with It's
life for the literal truth OF the resur
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 Ia fundamental TO
the gospel as Paul preached IL. This
great fact was fundamental plank
in the platform OF the apostles gos
pei: 1t was the very keystone OF the
arch OF Christianity, the very core
OF the gospel as he had received and
proclaimed IT, and as the Corinthian
Christians had received it. Take away
from Paul's gospel the fact that Christ
arose from the dead and you have
taken lut Nti1 u'hiA hhh NViN N'' VI
his message-then IL Is nothing but q
painted story. "A concocted tale; for
the resurrection of Christ was not
n mere appendage 10. but n constitu'
tive part OF Paul's gospel message. II
it be true that no living Christ issued
forth from the tomb of Joseph. then
that tomb became not only the grave
OF man. but OF n religion too, with
all tho spiritual hopes built upon It,
and all the splendid enthuslasms IL
has inspired. then the whole gospel
story is sham. and unreality. an I'm
posture at it's very heart; then the
platform OF the gospel falls to pieces,
and the arch OF Christianity crumbles
into dust.
If 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 preach.
ing it? Then our words are empty
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 is a
sham, a dclusion. tissue Of false
hoods. an empty phantom. worth
less fiction. Instead of our message
being the proclamation of truth, II
rs the dissemination OF lie, for II
Christ be- not risen then in reality
we have no gospel that is worthy Of
the name-our message is but "A vain,
worthless, empty sham. Is this cred
ible?
II. Your Faith is Valn.-If Christ be
not risen, If he remained In the grave,
then you have put faith In the wrong
person and In the wrong thing, for II
Christ did not rise, as he said. then
he was nothing less than false proph.
ct, betrayer, a blasphemer. who had
suffered death Justly. II Is utterly
worthless and useless TO put your
trust In one whose word has so utter
~ failed TO build your hopes on one
whose most solemn assertions have
fallen to the ground would be moth
ng less than sheer madness such an
act would not be faith but credulity;
then such a person as the Lord Jesus
Christ disappears, and you have moth
ing left but man like ourselves In
whom 70 believe.
H. Yet In Your sins.-It is here
acknowledged that Christ alone can
save from sins, but n he could not
save himself from sins power how can
he save the sons Of men from ~ guilt
and dominion? Christ himself dis
tinctly taught that his death had re-
demptlon. value. and that his resur-
rection from the dead would be proof
positive Of this fact The apostle
Paul, also, says that "Chrisf died for
our sins, and was raised again for our
justification" Rom. 4:25.J But IL
Christ himself Is still under the power
Of death. which Is the wages OF sin,
how. then. can he release others from
tho payment OF that debt? Then
his death has no redemptiye value.
n Christ remained In the grave then
humanity has no redeemer. man has
no Saviour. the guilt and power Of sin
has not been removed, men are not
pardoned. sinners are not Justified. tho
SHINING and sinful race Is still under
the guilt and condemnation Of sin and
exposed 70 the just wrath Jf a right
sous God against sin and sinners Then
freedom rom condemnation is unreal
me sense OI forgiveness Is sham. the
consciousness OF pardon for sin is The
greatest l-'u3Iou