The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-03-28

J
speaker pointed
out that his text meant nothing less
than il said; namely, that the resurrec-
ton OF Jesus was the very first resnr-
rection-tllat no one had previously
! been raised from the dead. He led his
hearers back to Eden and let them hear
the Divine words respecting the pen
atty for sln-"Dying. thou shalt die"
He gave them the further formula of
Jehovah's curse. or sentence. in the
words addressed to Adam after he had
been cast out Of Eden: In the sweat
of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till
thon return unto the ground: for out of
1t thou vast taken; for dust thou art;
and unto dust shalt thou return
Genesis 3.17-19.
| The Pastor showed that this diving
process operated in, Father Adam for
nine hundred and thirty years before
Its action was completed: that Adams
children. the human family. never
were in the same perfection as Adam
In the image of. God-that they were
born on lower plane, and were fallen
at the time Of birth. He quoted from
the Psalms: Behold. was shapen in
intquity, and in sin did my mother cOn-
ceire me-" psalm 51:5.) This, he
said. agreed exactly with the New
Testament statement, Death passed
upon all men because all are sinners:
and again. There is none righteous
[perfect]. no. not one"-all come short
OF the glory Of d."-Romans 5:12;
3:12, %.
. Next. the Pastor pointed out the
meaning of the word resurrection,
which in the Greek is Qaastdsis. 1t
means. he said. not merely an awaken
raising up again. The word again sig
mites raising to former Standard
the one from which they fell-the i'm
age and likeness OF God, which none
of Adams children have fully possess
ed, because he lost it. While Jesus
was of Adandc stock. through His
mother, His life and perfection came
to Him from His prehuman state; and
hence He was perfect. a Son of God.
holy harmless. undefiled. separate
from sinners"
"Not Possible For Him to Be Holden"
st. Peter declares that it was not
possible for Jesus to be holden of death.
Acts 2:24) No cause of death was
found IN Him. He delighted to do
the Heavenly Fathers will. 1t was
the Fathers will that Jesus should
demonstrate His loyalty and obedience
unto death, ''even the death Of the
cross" But this did not interfere with
the original promise of life everlasting
to the obedient. Hencel 1t was not
possible for Jesus to remain under the
power of death. as 1t is not possible
for God to change His great purpose
or to violate His agreement. Hence
the Apostle says that God raised Jesus
from the dead on the third day.
Jesus was perfect on the spirit plane,
before He humbled Himself to ex-
change the spirit nature for the hu.
man, to become mans Redeemer. He
never forfeited His right to life. He
merely laid it down i'm loyalty to the
Fathers will. Since He was unfallen,
His resurrection would mean His re-
suscitation in perfection. But 1t was
not Gods will that He should come
back to perfection in human nature.
He had already used that nature for
the purpose intended. He was brought
fully back from the power of death to
the very highest plane of spirit being;
namely. the Divine nature.
Contrast this resurrection. or bring
ing back to perfection from death,
with the experiences that occurred in
any awakenings Of the sleepers preced-
ing. Jairus' daughter WAS a member
OF the fallen race. imperfect: and the
awakening OF her and bringing her
back to what she was before did not
rssurTect. or bring her again to the con-
dftfon OF perfection in which Eve was
before sin had deteriorated the race.
Consider from the same standpoint.
the widow or Mains son and his awak-
ening. the awakening Of Lazarus the
brother Of Martha and Mary. and the
awakening of the dead mentioned in
the Old Testament
TO have resn,Tected any OF these
sleeping ones would have meant much
more than was accomplished in them.
It.would have meant TO bring them mp
te, full perfection I'm the image Of God
rs 1t was possessed by Father Adam.
AS It was. the awakened ones merely
had few more years in the present