Resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ may be claimed as the chief corner-stone of Christianity. On it the New Testament writers predicate his claims to the Messiahship. Acts iii, 15-17; xiii, 32-34; Rom. i, 4. With it the Christian religion stands; without it, it falls. Upon this point A. Campbell says:
"But as I am brought forward to this most wonderful of events, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is, too, the capital item in the apostolic testimony, and the fact on which the whole religion and hopes of Christianity depend and terminate, I feel strongly disposed to show that this is the best attested fact in the annals of the world. For I wish to have it placed upon record, and to be known as far as this work ever shall extend, either in time or place, that in our view the shortest and best, because the most irrefragable way, to prove the whole truth and absolute certainty of the Christian religion, is to prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This proved, and deism, atheism, and skepticism of every name, fall prostrate to the ground. The atheist will himself say, Let this be proved, that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, walked upon this earth, ate, drank, and talked with men for forty days afterward, and, in the presence of many witnesses, ascended up into heaven, and after his ascent thither, sent down infallible proofs that he was well received in the heavenly world, and I will believe."
That the proof of the resurrection of Christ is the proof of the divinity of the Christian religion, will be made apparent by the following facts:
1. When the resurrection of Christ is proved, we have certainly proved the credibility of those portions of the New Testament which record that fact. But if these portions are true, others may be; hence we have established the probability of the truth of the whole New Testament.
2. We shall have proved a miracle. And from this, one of the following conclusions must ensue: either 1. That an impostor had power to work miracles, and that to an unlimited extent, inasmuch that he had power to bring himself up from the dead; or 2. That God wrought a miracle in raising an impostor from the dead, on purpose to carry on an imposition; or 3. That Christ was the true Messiah.
3. We shall have established the authenticity of the Old Testament by proving the fulfillment of prophecy in that event. See Ps. xvi, 8-11; Hosea vi, 12.
And 4. We shall have proved that Christ himself was a prophet; for on numerous occasions he distinctly foretold that he should rise from the dead. Matt. xvi, 21; xx, 17-19.
Of all the religions the world has ever known, the Christian religion is the only one predicated upon the death and restoration again to life of its author. But that the death of Christ is an essential fact in the Christian religion, and was to be such, we prove by the following scriptures: Matt. xx, 28; Luke xxiv, 44-46; John vi, 51; xii, 24; 1 Cor. xv, 1-3; 1 Pet. iii, 18.
Is it not strange that an impostor, who was after nothing but worldly aggrandisement, as must have been the case with Jesus of Nazareth if he was not the Messiah, should found the truth of all he says upon his death—upon his dying in a certain way and manner, remaining dead a certain length of time, and then arising a majestic and triumphant conqueror?
All other religions have made provision for the wealth, ease, honor, and popularity of their founders; but the Christian religion made no such provision. Its Author was advertised as being "despised and rejected of men," "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," "esteemed not," "bearing the sins of the world," "being numbered with transgressors," and finally as "pouring out his soul unto death." Isa. liii.
He himself knew that he must die the most shameful of all deaths. Matt. xx, 19. So there was no possibility of his having "the joy that was set before him," and in anticipation of which he endured all he did, until he was raised from the dead. Heb. xii, 1-3.
The resurrection of Christ is so essential to Christianity, that one of its ablest advocates once said, "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." 1 Cor. xv, 16.
Having in the last chapter established the credibility of the New Testament, we shall, in this chapter, with confidence appeal to it for testimony. And first, we shall call the reader's attention to Paul's argument with the Corinthian epicurean, recorded in 1 Cor. xv.
Paul commences his argument by stating that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried and rose again the third day." He asks the Corinthians to believe these facts, and promises them salvation upon the ground that they keep them in memory. But he does not require them to believe without evidence; hence he proceeds to state his evidence:
1. "He was seen of Cephas." What better testimony could be required? Here is the testimony of a living witness; not to an opinion, but to what he had seen. He had seen Christ after he had risen, and therefore knew what it was to which he was bearing testimony.
2. "He was seen of the twelve." Here, then, are thirteen witnesses, all bearing testimony that they had seen Christ alive after he was deposited in the tomb. Certainly this is sufficient. "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established." It seems that the Lord is determined to leave the infidel without excuse, by encompassing this subject with such a cloud of witnesses that no sophistry can evade it. Hence,
3. "He was seen of above five hundred at once." Paul does not tell us how many more than five hundred brethren there were, but informs us that there were "above" that number. But the infidel shall have the advantage of all the odd numbers. We will therefore suppose there were just five hundred, to which add the twelve and Cephas, and we have five hundred and thirteen. This is enough to prove any point that can be proved by human testimony. But this is not all.
4. "He was seen of James, then of all the apostles."
5. "And last of all, he was seen of me also."
Here, then, are at least five hundred and fifteen witnesses enumerated by Paul, who testify that Christ had been raised. All of them saw him, some of them talked with him. John xxi, 5, 22; Acts i, 5-8; Luke xxiv, 39; John xx, 20, 27; 1 John i, 1-3. And some ate and drank with him after his resurrection. Luke xxiv, 40-43; John xxi, 13; Acts x, 41. Certainly no one can question the competency of the witnesses. Unbelieving Thomas could not be deceived; he knew whether he had put his fingers into the holes made by the nails in the hands of the Messiah. Yes, he knew whether he thrust his arm into the wound made by the Roman spear in the side of the Saviour, or not. See John xx, 27-29. But more of this hereafter.
After Paul states the number of witnesses, he appeals to the majority of them as being alive at that time; and refers the epicureans to them. This he would not have ventured to do, had he not been conscious of its truth; for he must have known that those sagacious Grecian philosophers would have exposed him. They had the disposition, and if the witnesses he mentions could not have been found, they had the ability, to do it. The fact that they did not expose this great apostle, is a mighty evidence in favor of the resurrection of Christ. Paul, now having stated who his witnesses are, opens the case and begins to argue as follows:
1. He tells them that upon this testimony they had once believed. "So we preach, and so ye believed."
2. His next argument is a reductio ad absurdum of their position. The fact of the resurrection of Christ being so abundantly proved, they could not deny it; yet they denied the resurrection of the dead; hence he says, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" As much as to say, "You Corinthians acknowledge God's power to raise the dead, by conceding the undeniable fact that146Christ was raised. God has in the resurrection of Christ given a pledge of the future resurrection of the dead; hence you are inconsistent in denying the resurrection."
3. "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not raised." You, in denying the resurrection of the dead virtually deny the resurrection of Christ, which has been proved by more than five hundred witnesses who, after Christ had been crucified and buried, saw him, the very identical person, alive again. Yes; they depose that they not only saw him, but handled him, ate, drank, and conversed with him, and saw him ascend into heaven.
4. "But if Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain."
What motive could stimulate us to preach the resurrection of Christ, if it be not true?
Let the infidel think of this. Paul says, "He was seen of me also." What, except the truth, could prompt Paul to make such a statement? It was not his education, nor the circumstances which hitherto had surrounded him. He was born a Jew, and all his anticipations and prospects were Jewish. His ancestors were Jews. His preceptor was a Jew. His associates were Jews. He was raised in the metropolis of Judea, at the feet of Gamaliel, and was intimately acquainted with the whole Jewish sanhedrim. Not only so, but he was brought up in the greatest antipathy against Jesus and his followers.
As soon as his education was finished he went to persecuting the Christians, and even went to strange cities in pursuit of Christians, and dragged them, male and female, and cast them into prison, compelled them to blaspheme, and actually gave his voice against them when they were put to death.
But now he is preaching the resurrection of Christ, and confounding both Jew and Greek. We ask again, What has caused this great change? Paul has answered, "He was seen of me also." And now without any earthly motive or worldly prospect, except the one which Jesus sets before him; namely, "I will show him how great things he must suffer for me," he begins to preach a risen Jesus. Certainly if it had not been a fact that Christ was raised, his preaching was vain; for there was no compensation for it in this world, and there could be none in the world to come.
5. "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."
The epicurean philosopher could only deny the resurrection of the dead by denying that Christ was raised, and that would impeach over five hundred witnesses; hence they must adopt the conclusion that God had bribed nearly six hundred men, and employed them to testify to, and circulate, a falsehood for him. A belief of this would require more credibility than to believe that Christ was raised.
6. "Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished."
Take the resurrection away, and you have destroyed Christianity. If Christ be not raised there will be no resurrection of the dead; and if there is no resurrection there is no future existence, as that depends upon a resurrection; hence they which have fallen asleep in Christ have perished, i. e., "have lost their life and being together." Bloomfield.
7. "And if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
How true! They gained nothing in this life but stripes, reproaches, and dangers, for publishing his resurrection, and could gain nothing in the next, because he was not risen; therefore death would be an eternal sleep.
8. "What advantageeth it me that I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."
This statement is made as a proof of Paul's sincerity in proclaiming the resurrection by virtue of the resurrection of Christ; a point upon which he could not possibly be mistaken.
Paul did not "fight with beasts" simply to amuse the crowd who were looking on; but his belief in the resurrection of Christ, and consequently the resurrection of all the dead, was so firm that, rather than renounce it, he would consent to enter the arena and fight for his life with the ferocious beasts of the forest. "I die daily," said he. What could induce him thus to do—to die every day, i. e., to rise every morning determined, if called upon, to die, rather than renounce his belief that Christ had been raised?
What could induce him not only to endanger his life, but to be accounted the offscouring of the earth, and the filth of all things, to suffer hunger, nakedness, stripes, imprisonment, and every conceivable punishment, for promulgating a falsehood?
Can the infidel show where the like has ever occurred? If Paul was a deceiver, he was knowingly and designedly such; hence he must have willingly preferred foes to friends, pain to pleasure, misery to happiness, bonds to freedom, and death to life. Can the infidel believe all this?