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V. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST .
A. The Importance of the Resurrection. In the Bible there are several accounts of people having been brought back to life. These people, however, were not resurrected, but restored, for they died again. But our Lord was resurrected, having died once and for all and having been raised from the dead. He now liveth and abideth forever. His death was necessary, because He was made sin for us.
V. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST .
A. The Importance of the Resurrection. In the Bible there are several accounts of people having been brought back to life. These people, however, were not resurrected, but restored, for they died again. But our Lord was resurrected, having died once and for all and having been raised from the dead. He now liveth and abideth forever. His death was necessary, because He was made sin for us.
1. Its Place in Scripture. There are thirteen or fourteen references in the New Testament concerning the ordinance of baptism, and even fewer Scriptures referring to the Lord’s Supper. However, the fact of His resurrection is mentioned over one hundred times.
2. Its Part in Apostolic Testimony. "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all" Acts 4:33. See also Acts 2:32;17:18;23:6.
3. Its Prominence in the Gospel. If Christ be not risen there is no Gospel. "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I have preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" I Cor. 15:1-4.
4. Its Preeminence in Salvation I Cor. 15:12-20.
B. The Meaning of the Resurrection. By the resurrection we mean the bodily resurrection, not the spiritual resurrection.2. Its Part in Apostolic Testimony. "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all" Acts 4:33. See also Acts 2:32;17:18;23:6.
3. Its Prominence in the Gospel. If Christ be not risen there is no Gospel. "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I have preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" I Cor. 15:1-4.
4. Its Preeminence in Salvation I Cor. 15:12-20.
a. First Proposition. "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?"
b. Second Proposition. "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen".If we are not to be raised from the dead, then Christ is not risen.
c. Third Proposition. "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" .If Christ is not risen, Christianity is a sham.
d. Fourth Proposition. "Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not" (verse 15). If Christ be not raised, every evangelical preacher is a fraud.
e. Fifth Proposition. "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (verses 16 and 17). If He be not risen, He is still dead, and therefore cannot redeem us. The penalty paid for any crime is not fully paid until the one for whom it was paid is free. As long as Christ was in the tomb, the penalty for our sins was not paid; but His resurrection shows that the penalty has been paid. And, remember, this Scripture was written to those who were not in their sins.
f. Sixth Proposition. "Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished" (verse 18). In other words, they have all gone like the beasts of the field, if Christ did not rise from the dead.
g. Seventh Proposition. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (verse 19). If all of our hope is staked upon the resurrection of Christ, and if He has not risen, then we are of all men most to be pitied. We have done nothing else to secure salvation, and if our Saviour be not risen, we have no Saviour. We had better look into some other religion.
h. Eighth Proposition. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (verse 20). Praise the Lord, He is risen! He is alive! We are saved by a living Redeemer. We, of all men, are the only sinners who are saved.
b. Second Proposition. "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen".If we are not to be raised from the dead, then Christ is not risen.
c. Third Proposition. "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" .If Christ is not risen, Christianity is a sham.
d. Fourth Proposition. "Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not" (verse 15). If Christ be not raised, every evangelical preacher is a fraud.
e. Fifth Proposition. "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (verses 16 and 17). If He be not risen, He is still dead, and therefore cannot redeem us. The penalty paid for any crime is not fully paid until the one for whom it was paid is free. As long as Christ was in the tomb, the penalty for our sins was not paid; but His resurrection shows that the penalty has been paid. And, remember, this Scripture was written to those who were not in their sins.
f. Sixth Proposition. "Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished" (verse 18). In other words, they have all gone like the beasts of the field, if Christ did not rise from the dead.
g. Seventh Proposition. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (verse 19). If all of our hope is staked upon the resurrection of Christ, and if He has not risen, then we are of all men most to be pitied. We have done nothing else to secure salvation, and if our Saviour be not risen, we have no Saviour. We had better look into some other religion.
h. Eighth Proposition. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (verse 20). Praise the Lord, He is risen! He is alive! We are saved by a living Redeemer. We, of all men, are the only sinners who are saved.
1. Provision of the Tomb. Guards were placed there to guarantee against the removal of His body, not His Spirit. "So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch" Matt. 27:66.
2. Recognition of the Disciples. "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God" John 20:27,28.
3. Testimony of the Apostles. "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses" Acts 2:32.
4. A Testimony of the Lord Himself. "He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again" Mark 8:31.
5. The Announcement of Our Transformation. "Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" Phil. 3:20,21.
C. The Unscriptural Theories Concerning the Resurrection. 2. Recognition of the Disciples. "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God" John 20:27,28.
3. Testimony of the Apostles. "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses" Acts 2:32.
4. A Testimony of the Lord Himself. "He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again" Mark 8:31.
5. The Announcement of Our Transformation. "Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" Phil. 3:20,21.
1. The Unburied Body Theory. By this statement unbelievers maintain that the tomb was never filled, that the two thieves, and Christ, were thrust out upon the trash heap. However, this is refuted by the Jew’s own law: "If a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is accursed of God; that thou defile not thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance" Deut. 21:22,23.
2. The Unemptied Grave Theory. Those that hold to this say that He is still there. Surely common sense would refute this argument, for if Christ had not arisen, the Devil would have caused His body to have been found sometime during the last two thousand years.
3. The Removal Theory. This is that theory which proposes that Joseph moved the body out of the tomb. Of this argument we ask, "If he removed the body, why didn’t he also remove the clothing?" All will have to admit that if Joseph did remove the body, it would have had to be done in secret. If done in secret, why wasn’t the stone rolled back against the door?
4. The Mistaken Woman Theory. This theory contends that the woman misunderstood what the man in the sepulchre had said. We refute this contention by saying that the Word does not so declare it, and the Word is the only authority and witness we have.
5. The Deliberate Deception Theory. This supposition clings to the idea that Christ did not die at all, but rather that He fainted on the cross and was revived by the cool air of the tomb. If this be the case, where did He go? Surely, as He was an object of interest to the entire populace, He would have been recognized and openly accepted or rejected.
6. The Fraud Theory. This states that the apostles plainly lied and deceived those that heard them. However, all of the apostles, except John, met a martyr’s death. Why? Because of their devotion to Christ and His resurrection. Would they have sacrificed their lives for a lie? Of course not!
7. The Self-Deception Theory. In other words, this speculation declares that the apostles had an illusion; that is, they thought that He arose from the dead, and kept on thinking it, until after a while they believed it. We know, from human experience, that delusions soon fade away, and we awaken to reality. The apostles could not have deceived themselves very long.
8. The Hallucination Theory. This idea supposes that they thought they had actually seen the resurrected Saviour, when it was merely a hallucination caused by nerves and excitement. Can you imagine Peter becoming delirious, and Thomas hysterical?
9. The Recollection Theory. This view sees the hysterical apostles fleeing to Samaria, and while alone in this place, they began to think that Jesus is still with them. That is where we get the idea that He arose from the dead. The Scriptures, nevertheless, declare that they remained in Jerusalem behind closed doors until He revealed Himself to them.
10. The Misunderstood Theory. This reasoning admits that the Saviour died, but states that the apostles preached the resurrection of His Spirit, and not His body. However, people took it wrong. The word "resurrection" is never connected with the spirit, but rather with the body, for the spirit never dies.
11. The Spiritual Vision Theory. This supposition maintains that the apostles actually saw something. What they saw was a lying vision, not the Lord. The Devil had fooled them. But, if there was anything the Devil did not want them to believe, it was the resurrection of Christ, whether, a lying vision or the actual thing. Christ Himself dispels this argument by declaring, after His resurrection, that "a spirit does not have flesh and bones."
12. The Twins Theory. Those who offer this suggestion say that Christ had a twin, and that three days after He had been crucified and buried, His twin showed himself, declaring that he was Christ risen from the dead. We ask, "Where was this twin hidden for thirty-three years?"
2. The Unemptied Grave Theory. Those that hold to this say that He is still there. Surely common sense would refute this argument, for if Christ had not arisen, the Devil would have caused His body to have been found sometime during the last two thousand years.
3. The Removal Theory. This is that theory which proposes that Joseph moved the body out of the tomb. Of this argument we ask, "If he removed the body, why didn’t he also remove the clothing?" All will have to admit that if Joseph did remove the body, it would have had to be done in secret. If done in secret, why wasn’t the stone rolled back against the door?
4. The Mistaken Woman Theory. This theory contends that the woman misunderstood what the man in the sepulchre had said. We refute this contention by saying that the Word does not so declare it, and the Word is the only authority and witness we have.
5. The Deliberate Deception Theory. This supposition clings to the idea that Christ did not die at all, but rather that He fainted on the cross and was revived by the cool air of the tomb. If this be the case, where did He go? Surely, as He was an object of interest to the entire populace, He would have been recognized and openly accepted or rejected.
6. The Fraud Theory. This states that the apostles plainly lied and deceived those that heard them. However, all of the apostles, except John, met a martyr’s death. Why? Because of their devotion to Christ and His resurrection. Would they have sacrificed their lives for a lie? Of course not!
7. The Self-Deception Theory. In other words, this speculation declares that the apostles had an illusion; that is, they thought that He arose from the dead, and kept on thinking it, until after a while they believed it. We know, from human experience, that delusions soon fade away, and we awaken to reality. The apostles could not have deceived themselves very long.
8. The Hallucination Theory. This idea supposes that they thought they had actually seen the resurrected Saviour, when it was merely a hallucination caused by nerves and excitement. Can you imagine Peter becoming delirious, and Thomas hysterical?
9. The Recollection Theory. This view sees the hysterical apostles fleeing to Samaria, and while alone in this place, they began to think that Jesus is still with them. That is where we get the idea that He arose from the dead. The Scriptures, nevertheless, declare that they remained in Jerusalem behind closed doors until He revealed Himself to them.
10. The Misunderstood Theory. This reasoning admits that the Saviour died, but states that the apostles preached the resurrection of His Spirit, and not His body. However, people took it wrong. The word "resurrection" is never connected with the spirit, but rather with the body, for the spirit never dies.
11. The Spiritual Vision Theory. This supposition maintains that the apostles actually saw something. What they saw was a lying vision, not the Lord. The Devil had fooled them. But, if there was anything the Devil did not want them to believe, it was the resurrection of Christ, whether, a lying vision or the actual thing. Christ Himself dispels this argument by declaring, after His resurrection, that "a spirit does not have flesh and bones."
12. The Twins Theory. Those who offer this suggestion say that Christ had a twin, and that three days after He had been crucified and buried, His twin showed himself, declaring that he was Christ risen from the dead. We ask, "Where was this twin hidden for thirty-three years?"
