NECESSITY OF THE RESURRECTION.
By G.
The penalty of death that came upon Adam because of disobedience is defined in plain terms,—“Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” There is no reserve here, the personal pronoun, “thou,” stands for the whole personality. That the entire race is affected is shown in the expressions, “In Adam all die,” and “Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” The only remedy for this condition lies in the direct interposition of the Creator. So the Gospel message is, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is again stated in these words: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Eternal life being an absolute gift, it is not based on anything inherent in the one to whom it is given. The virtue is all in the Giver, and in the means employed. So, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,” or new creation. That is true spiritually, even in this life,—“old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” But how do we finally come into the enjoyment of eternal life through Christ? To answer this question we must remember that all the blessings we have and are to have in Christ are dependent, not alone upon His humble life and sacrificial death, but upon His resurrection. Could the adversary have held Him in the grave, the plan of salvation must have failed. But for the resurrection, Christ never could have given to the church that blessed assurance, “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Rev. 1:18. He could not hold the keys of hades (the grave) had He not come forth from its silent confines Himself. By this was demonstrated for all time His ability to fulfil His words to Peter when that disciple acknowledged Him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” of which great truth He said, “Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell [hades, the grave] shall not prevail against it.” That the plan of salvation would have fallen short without the resurrection of Christ is plainly set forth in the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. This exposition was called forth because some brethren had imbibed the false notion that “there is no resurrection” (verse 12), and Paul reasons on this wise: “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. . . . 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. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” Verses 13–18. Therefore, altho God had given His Son to die that believers in Him “should not perish,” Christ in the tomb was powerless to save, and those believers who slept in the grave were perished, without His resurrection. There could be no virtue in being baptized in His name if He were dead. “What shall they do which are baptized for the dead [Christ], if the dead rise not at all?” Verse 29. So the resurrection of Christ, and consequently the resurrection of believers in Him, was and is essential to salvation. God could not save believers in Christ without the resurrection of Jesus, because salvation must be through faith in His name, and if He be not raised from the dead, “your faith is vain.” So God raised Him from the tomb and gave Him the keys. For what purpose?—That He might open the gates for others. “For as the Father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son also quickeneth whom He will. For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son.” John 5:21, R. V. In further emphasis of the doctrine of no resurrection, no salvation, Paul says: “If after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageeth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die.” The apostle also shows that immortality is a condition to be “put on,” and not as already inherent. “Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” It has not natural immortality; that can only be attained by having it “put on” at the resurrection, or recreation. If “this mortal” had immortality, it would not be “mortal.” “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” Death and the grave are victorious until overcome by means of the resurrection and the putting on of immortality.