Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-02

speaker pointed
out that his text meant nothing less
than 1t said; namely, that the resurrec-
tion Of Jesus was the very first resur-
rection-that 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 sin-"Dying, thou shalt de-"
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
thou 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 dying
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
inlqulty, and in sin did my mother CON
celve me-" psalm 515) 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
[perfectl, no, not one"-all "come short
Of the glory of God" "-Romans 5:12;
3:12, %.
Next, the Pastor pointed out the
meaning of the word resurrection,
which In the Greek is dndStdsiS. 1t
means, he said, not merely an awaken
ing from the sleep Of death, but a
raising up again. The word again sig
nihes a raising to a 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 1t. While Jesus
was of Adamic 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, undefled, separate
from sinners"
mot Possible For Him to Be Holden"
st. Peter declares that 1t 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 obedlent. Hence 1t was not
possible for Jesus to remain under the
power of death. as II 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. HI
never forfeited His right to life. HI
merely laid It down In loyalty to th'
Fathers will. Since He was unfallen
His resurrection would mean His re
suscitation in perfection But It wa
not Gods will that He should COM
back to perfection in human nature
He had already used that nature 10
the purpose intended. He was brough
fully back from the power Of death t
the very highest plane of spirit being
namely. the Divine nature.
Contrast this resurrection, or bring
ing back to perfection from deatt
With the experiences that occurred |
any awakenings Of the sIeepers preceC
ing. Jalrus' daughter was memDe
Of the fallen race, imperfect; and tn
awakening Of her and bringing he
back to what she was before did NJ
resurrect. or bring her again to the col
ditlon OF perfection in which Eve We
before sin had deterlorated the rae
Consider from the same standpoin
the widow OF Mains son and bis ava
ening, the awakening Of Lazarus, Il
brother OF Martha and Mary, and Il
awakening Of the dead mentioned
the Old Testament.
To have resurrected any Of the
sleeping ones would have meant nut
more than was accomplished in tbel
Il would have meant TO bring them
to full perfection in the image Of G.
as II was possessed by Father Adal
As It was, the awakened ones mere
II - . D.. ..o.a uaa 20 In tha nroao