p. 340 | Christ's Resurrection by C. H. Spurgeon

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Aug 3, 1882

Christ's Resurrection.

By C. H. Spurgeon

"But now is Christ risen from the dead."—1 Cor. 15:20.

THE fact of Christ's resurrection is exceedingly well attested. It was needful that it should be beyond dispute, since it lies at the very basis of our holy faith. It is consoling to think that it is so; for thus our foundation standeth most secure. Our Lord was careful to show himself after his resurrection to those who, having known him before his decease, would be able unflinchingly to answer for the identity of his person.

Our Lord, to put the matter beyond controversy, took care to appear many times, and to numerous companies. One apostle gives a summary of those appearances which had most fully come under his own notice: "He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; after that, he was seen of about five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time."

From the evangelists' reports we are led to believe that Christ appeared no less than twelve times to his disciples; for some of these instances which the apostle Paul mentions under one head, may include two or three appearances; as, for instance, "then of the twelve" may denote his first visits to the apostles; for you remember he first appeared to them when Thomas was absent, and afterward when Thomas was present. Isaac Ambrose gives a summary of these appearances to this effect. He showed himself to Mary Magdalene apart, then to all the Marys, next to Simon Peter alone, afterward to the two disciples journeying to Emmaus; to the ten apostles when the doors were shut; to all the disciples when Thomas was with them; to Peter, John, and others while fishing in the lake of Tiberias; to five hundred brethren at once; to James, the Lord's brother; to the eleven disciples in Galilee; to all the apostles and disciples at Olivet before his ascension; and, lastly, to the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. There may even have been more than these, for we have no proof that all his appearances are on record. Enough, however, we have, and more would answer no useful end.

So clear is the evidence of Christ's resurrection, that when Gilbert West—a celebrated infidel—selected this subject as the point of attack, sitting down to weigh the evidence and to digest the whole matter, although filled with prejudice, he was so startled with the abundant witness to the truth of this fact, that he expressed himself a convert, and has left as a heritage to the church a most valuable treatise, entitled "Observations on the Resurrection of Christ." He went to the subject as though he had been a lawyer examining the pros and cons of any matter in dispute; and this, which is the fundamental doctrine of our faith, seemed to him so exceedingly clear that he renounced his unbelief, and became a professor of Christianity.

Does it not strike you that very many events of the greatest importance recorded in history, and commonly believed, could not in the nature of things have been witnessed by one-tenth as many as the resurrection of Christ? The signing of famous treaties affecting nations—the birth of princes—the remarks of cabinet ministers—the projects of conspirators—and the deeds of assassins—any and these have been made turning points in history, and are never questioned as facts, and yet few could have been present to witness them. The most recent political event I venture to assert had not nearly so many witnesses as the resurrection of Christ; and that if it came to a matter of dispute, it would be far easier to prove that Christ is risen, than to prove that the Earl of Beaconsfield is dead; if it came to the counting of witnesses who saw the Earl die, and could attest the identity of the body now resting in the vault with that which they saw fever-stricken in the bed-chamber, it strikes me they would turn out to be far fewer than those who saw the Lord after he had risen, and were persuaded that it was Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified, and had burst the bonds of death.

If this fact is to be denied, there is an end to all witness, and we may say deliberately what David once said in haste: "All men are liars;" and from this day forth every man must become so skeptical of his neighbor, that he will never believe anything which he has not himself seen; the next step will be to doubt the evidence of his own senses; to what further follies men may then rush, I will not venture to predict. We believe that the very best attested fact in history is the resurrection of Christ. Historical doubts concerning the existence of Napoleon Bonaparte, or the stabbing of Julius Cæsar, or the Norman Conquest, would be quite as reasonable as doubts concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. None of these matters have such witnesses as those who testify of him—witnesses who are manifestly truthful since they suffered for their testimony, and most of them died ignominious and painful deaths as the result of their belief.

We have far more and better evidence for this fact than for anything else which is written in history, either sacred or profane. Oh! how should we rejoice, we who hang our salvation wholly upon Christ, that beyond a doubt it is established that, "Now is Christ risen from the dead."—C. H. Spurgeon.