The Resurrection
April 2003
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There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:1-3)
Crises reveal much about individuals, groups, and peoples. Certainly the true nature of faith comes to the fore. We venerate ancestors, great men of faith, and national heroes who faced great challenges with strong faith and character. Long after they are gone we draw from their strength.
We Christians should use every available means to rebuild a Christian culture. Historic Christian literature offers a splendid opportunity for learning to apply Biblical principle to every endeavor.
As every Christian knows, or should know, the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension to heaven is a crucial and indispensable part of Christian theology. It is the miracle that proves Christ's being as the Son of God, the mediator between mankind and God the Father.
As we reflect on the resurrection of Christ in this season we must recognize its enormous significance in the Christian worldview. In this article I will deal with just one of the redemptive-historical effects of Christ's resurrection: the eschatological resurrection of believers. Christ's resurrection not only secures our present redemption for glory (Rom. 4:25; 10:9-10) but also our future resurrection to glory (Rom. 8:23).
Christians should and must be involved in politics, but we must remember that no good will come of our political activism if we do not understand and operate in the "power of His resurrection."
Many religions compete for the allegiance of people, some more successfully than others. Only one religion, however, is rooted in historical facts: Christianity.
The Christian hope is the resurrection, and what a blessed hope it is! Yet the resurrection cannot be considered the Christian's only hope.
In 1954, Time Magazine's religion section included coverage of a Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. Some 600 dignitaries, businessmen, and politicians met in the Mayflower Hotel for a "sturdy breakfast (grapefruit, scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, hominy grits and gravy)."
When we come to the "question" of life after death, it is necessary for us to begin by dropping all the pagan ideas which prevail on this subject, most of them being summed up in the doctrines of ancient Greece.
The study of Biblical prophecy has often been ruled more by myth than by Biblical hermeneutics or by a careful attention to text and context. When we are enamoured of a myth — or even a very strong tradition — we are easily led astray by such dubious principles of interpretation as "Sounds the same, is the same" and "What else could it be but…?"