1912 93 It may seem surprising that these saints at Corinth should so soon have been led away from the truth that had been taught them. The apostle Paul had laboured there for one and a half years, and it is a marvel that there should have been found among them those that said there is no resurrection of the dead. Perhaps you think it is not so very important after all. Their belief or unbelief would not affect the resurrection — this would come just the same, and then they would find out their mistake. But God never makes light of the slightest departure from His truth, no matter how small it may seem. You never know where it will lead you. Look at this portion before you. All is gone if you say there is no resurrection of the dead. If you leave God out of the question that is where you are landed. A dead man cannot raise himself, everybody knows that; and everybody knows that the greatest and cleverest living person cannot raise one dead man, nor can an angel from heaven. God alone can raise the dead.
The apostle had to write severely to some of these Corinthians — "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God "I speak this to your shame." Even the chief priests of our Lord's time were in great fear lest even the report might be spread that Jesus was "risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first" (Matt. 27:64).
Notice particularly the words, "If the dead be not raised, then is not Christ raised." Christ was as truly dead as any. He had given up His spirit into the hands of His Father in that supreme hour at Calvary, and His body was taken down and laid in Joseph's tomb. There was no question raised about His death. "If the dead be not raised, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." If the resurrection of the dead is questioned the foundation is swept away at once. People are trying to explain away the fact of Christ's resurrection. When staying at a friend's house I saw a book by a great Russian philanthropist written expressly to prove that Christ did not rise from the dead! And a certain notable clergyman said not long ago that if sufficient care were taken the dead body of Jesus might be found in Jerusalem
There is no limit to the lengths to which man's daring will carry him. But we must come in utter simplicity to God's word. It is wonderful how that will set you up if you will believe it. We cannot be led astray if we listen to it. For instance, man has often said, "The Lord's coming will take place on such a day in such and such a year." But the day comes and goes, and still the Lord has not come. People would not be carried away by this if they took notice of one little word of the Lord's — "Ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." And yet man has the audacity to say that he can tell you not only the year, but the week, the day, the hour. Without the word of God, the mind of man may lead into all sorts of fantastic speculations.
"Now is Christ risen from the dead" — that is a note of triumph. There is no uncertainty about it in the apostle's mind. We can think of this great truth in several ways. It was due to Christ, as the perfect Man in this world fulfilling all the will and glory of God, that God should raise Him from the dead. Had He not glorified the Father on the earth? Had He not finished the work given Him to do? It became an act of righteousness on God's part to raise Him. And He "gave Him glory."
The resurrection shows His complete victory over the powers of evil. He was never led aside by the allurements of the world; He overcame the world. You know how Satan assailed Him in the wilderness; you know He overcame him with the sharp two-edged sword of the Spirit — "It is written." You remember, too, how the enemy assailed Him through Peter, and how He recognised the evil — "Get thee behind me, 'Satan." Peter, the impetuous, and perhaps the one who most loved the Lord of all the disciples, was playing into the hands of Satan. Peter was showing himself so thoroughly human, and the Lord was showing Himself on His own level, minding the things of God. You remember what the Lord said about the strong man armed. There was Satan; but the Lord was stronger than he, and He first binds the strong man (in the temptation), and then He spoils his house (all along His pathway, healing, etc.). But it was when He ascended on high that He led captivity captive and received gifts for men. God said to Him, "Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool," and there He sits in glorious victory. Has not God shown His perfect satisfaction in all that that blessed One did by raising Him from the dead? At the opening of His ministry the voice came from the heavens, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," and again also on the mount of Transfiguration, when His ministry was closing. But in the resurrection from the dead God proclaimed to all the universe His acceptance of the Sacrifice. In that awful darkness the question of sin was settled between Christ and God, and perfectly settled. And where do we have the witness? In the resurrection. Now Christ is seated on the throne in the heavens in glory and majesty, by the hand of God.
But whilst there is this glorious victory and the glory of God vindicated, what has that to do with us, you may say. Everything. "He was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." Not only is every sin forgiven, but righteousness is reckoned to us. When we see Him yonder at the right hand of God we know, as believers, that our sins have been atoned for and put away, and we are now justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 4:24).
Look a little further. You see He has become the first-fruits of them that slept. What are we to understand by this? Surely something vast must come of it. This word "firstfruits" has a great deal of meaning in it. It carries us back to the book of Leviticus. There, when the harvest was ripe, before it was gathered in, a sheaf was to be cut and taken to the temple, where the priest would wave it before the Lord. And notice when it was to be waved — on the morning after the Sabbath, the first day of the week. Surely that points forward to the resurrection. The sheaf of firstfruits has its fulfilment in Christ being raised from the dead. The sheaf was only part of the one great harvest; there was a great likeness between the sheaf of firstfruits and all the other sheaves. And so it is here. "Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." The sheaf of firstfruits was to be waved before Jehovah. Christ was raised from the dead, and is in the heavens, and all the others will be raised in due course, all that are His will be like Him and with Him for ever. You see how much God has to teach us in these types.
Let us look a little now at verses 21 and 22. We know that man, the first man, the disobedient man, brought in death. God has brought in the Second man; He came a life-giving Spirit. He delivers from death and sin. "Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead." "The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment." "They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life" — these will respond to His call and come out of their graves with glorified bodies. "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." What a comprehensive declaration! All are under the sentence of death — this applies to the whole race. But do not think for a moment that the latter part speaks of the whole world. The wicked dead will be raised, but that is the second resurrection. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power." The resurrection of Jesus was from among the dead. So likewise is the resurrection of believers.
"Even so in Christ shall all be made alive." All under Adam's headship are under death. All under Christ's headship are made alive — only those in Him. That "in Him" is a lovely word; we meet it frequently in the New Testament. Where is He? At the right hand of God. He is not going to leave one of His own under the power of death — not one of them. These are wondrous and glorious things. And to think of ourselves as being linked up with the victorious One, who passed through this world without being in the least degree tainted by it, that we are now in living union with Him, now risen and ascended on high. Christ is the Firstborn among many brethren, Head of His body, the church, and of that body we are members. As surely as the Head is in the heavens, so surely shall every member be there too. We are going to be glorified together with Him — we have it as the word of Him that cannot lie.
There have been promoters of many different religions. Many of them are dead and others will die. How different it is with us. It is true that the Lord Jesus laid down His life. He did give up His spirit on the cross; He did lie among the dead, but it was impossible for Him to be holden of death. I think Satan found out his mistake after he had led men to put Christ to death, and that was why he sought to keep Him in the grave. But He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. He is sitting in heaven while you are sitting on those seats.
We are saved by His life, now that He has died and is risen. We are reconciled to God by the death of His Son, and He lives to lead us safely through to glory. We are not trusting in a dead Christ, but in One that is now alive for evermore. He gives not only peace to the conscience, but satisfaction to the heart. The more we grow in the knowledge of Him the more we shall love Him, and trust Him, and adore Him. We can never be disappointed in Christ, He is always more than our thoughts. The queen of Sheba found it hard to believe what was told her in her own land of the fame of Solomon, but when she came to see for herself she found that the half had not been told her. You are always safe in trusting Him. You may love Him as much as you will, and trust Him as much as you will; He will never disappoint you.
See how competent He is to make us conquerors even as He conquered. "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us." It is remarkable that when saints have been exposed to sufferings for Christ, instead of trying to escape they have gloried in them. We may not have attained to that. But if we should be called to suffer for Him we might have grace given us to act in a similar way. It has often been found that timid souls, who have dreaded death, and whose testimony perhaps has not been altogether what it should have been, at the end of their lives have met death with faces that shone with joy. The world has lost its hold on them, and Christ alone is filling the scene for them. He has delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
I remember once being called to see a young girl of eighteen, a bright girl, for whom the world had had its attractions. But she was dying.
Immediately I walked in, "O Mr.— "she said, "I am going to be with Jesus! I believe I shall go tonight." She didn't go that night, nor for some days. But so it was; she was full of holy rapture, and this continued right on to the end. I knew one who had been visiting deathbeds for forty years, and he said he had never visited one who had seen death. They were experiencing His love. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" And not only shall nothing separate us from the love of Christ, but nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God. Is not that too much? Surely not; it is His love. He will love us to the end. As it all depends on Him, it is sure. God will never cease to love His children. No principality, or power, or might, or anything that can be imagined, can sever us from His love. These are truths of God; we cannot exaggerate them. They are stupendous realities. With what a gladsome mind we should love and serve Him. His love will never have satisfaction until He has us with Himself. What can we do to bring glory to Him? This question should occupy our minds and thoughts continually. R.K.