April 7

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.—1 Corinthians 15:14.

THE nature of Christ's office made it necessary that he should rise from the dead. As the economy of our redemption required that he should descend from heaven, the seat of his glory, that by dying he might expiate our sins; so after his lying in the grave, so long as to attest the reality of his death, it was necessary he should rise again, in order to his dispensing the glorious benefits he had purchased. The apostle tells the Corinthians, If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. For the faith of Christians hath a threefold reference. 1. To the person of Christ, that he is the Son of God. 2. To his death, that it is an all-sufficient sacrifice for sin. 3. To his promise, that he will raise believers at the last day. Now the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of faith in respect of all these.

1. He was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. He was the Son of God from eternity as the Word, and from the first moment of his incarnation as God-man; but the honor of this relation was much eclipsed in his poor life, and ignominious death. And although his darkened night was enlightened with some discoveries of his Deity, yet they were transient, and soon vanished. But in his resurrection God did publicly own him in the face of the world; therefore he is represented, testifying from heaven, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. According to the phrase of Scripture, then things are said to be, when they conspicuously appear. All the miraculous proofs by which God acknowledged him for his Son, during his life, had been ineffectual without this. If he had remained in the grave, it had been reasonable to believe him an ordinary person, and that his death had been the punishment of his presumption; but his resurrection was the most illustrious and convincing evidence, that he was what he declared himself to be. For it is not conceivable that God should put forth an almighty power to raise him, and thereby authorize his usurpation, if by robbery he had assumed that glorious title. He is therefore said to be justified by the Spirit, which raised him, from all the accusations of his enemies, who charged him with blasphemy for making himself equal with God: upon the evidence of it, Thomas adored him as his Lord and God.

2. His resurrection is the most pregnant proof of the all-sufficiency of his satisfaction. This was special in the death of Christ, that the curse of the law accompanied it, and seemed like an infinite weight to lie on his grave; but in rising again, the value and virtue of his sufferings were fully declared. Therefore the apostle tells us, that he was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Although his death was sufficient to merit our pardon, yet since believers alone actually partake of the benefit, and none could believe if he had not rose from the grave; it is clear his death had been ineffectual without it.

3. Our faith in his promises to give life and glory to his servants, is built on his resurrection. For how could we believe him to be the Author of life, who remained under the power of death? How could he quicken and glorify us, who finally perished? If he had been confined to the grave, all our hopes had been buried with him. But his resurrection is the cause, pattern, and argument of ours. He did not only raise the body from the grave, but his church with him. Now the effecting this is attributed to the divine power, with a note of eminency: Christ was raised by the glory of his Father, that is, by his power, which in that act was manifested in its full splendor; for what is stronger than death, and more inexorable than the grave? Omnipotency alone can break its gates, and loose its bands.

"Lift your glad voices in triumph on high, For Jesus hath risen, and man shall not die; Vain were the terrors that gather'd around him, And short the dominion of death and the grave; He burst from the fetters of darkness that bound him, Resplendent in glory, to live and to save: Loud was the chorus of angels on high,— The Saviour hath risen, and man shall not die."