THE RESURRECTION
[p. 393] THE RESURRECTION
There is one thing which must strike everyone in reading this passage, and that is that christianity depends wholly on Christ risen from the dead.
The first part of the chapter is a declaration of the gospel which he preached among them, and it is a declaration made to saints.
It is quite a mistake to think that when we have believed we have done with the gospel, it is when we have believed that we are led on in the gospel. God begins with the gospel, but His object is to bring us into the holiest, and that we should know the holiest as a present thing. This is the definite line upon which He is leading us. Christians are not really safe for walking down here till they are prepared to enter the holiest, and they are not often prepared to enter the holiest because there are things that must be dropped if you enter there, and they are not prepared to drop them. There is a preparation needed by us in order to enter the holiest, and that preparation is effected in us by the Spirit. There is a great gain for us in entering the holiest, and God’s thought is to lead us into the holiest down here.
The first thing of all is the gospel, you want to start fair, and here the apostle declares to them the gospel that he preached. Christ died and He was buried and He rose again. And as in Adam all die so in Christ all are quickened.
It says here that He “died for our sins, according to the scriptures”. This is a very wide aspect, similar to Luke 24, repentance and remission preached among all nations. It is not the sins of christians merely — it resembles the passage in 1 John 2. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours [p. 394] only, but for the whole world. It is on the line of the scriptures, as also in Luke 24.
Then we get that He was buried, everything after the flesh came thus to an end and was put out of sight. Now in Him raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, a new chapter is opened up: He is separated from every link after the flesh. He comes out in resurrection that He may have a new relationship with man. He occupies a new place or position as last Adam in regard to man; as Man risen He stands in a new relationship to man, namely, Head. The covenant with Israel is broken, as we get in Zechariah 11, in the two staves. Beauty and bands being broken, He is now the Head of every man. The last Adam is a life-giving Spirit, holding living water at the disposal of every man. It is only in owning Christ as Head that man gets forgiveness of sins, and then living water. If His name is not believed in there is no forgiveness of sins. He is Head in name, He has to be effectually Head to every man.
In John 3 you get the Son of man lifted up, and in John 4 you get living water, but there is a distinction; in John 3 He becomes the object of faith to every man, whereas in John 4 He gives the living water to those who ask — it is more limited. Every man is responsible to believe on Him; but it is imperative that a man should believe on Him if he is to get the living water. He is the Head, but He is to be the Head effectually to us, that is, that we may live by the Head now, and on the other hand that we may be dead to that to which He died. There are things that He will never have anything to say to again, such as law, sin and the world — these are the things that we are to be dead to now. There is a remarkable verse in John 15: “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin”. The coming of Christ was a test, and man [p. 395] declared himself in regard to God; the coming of Christ brought this out.
1 Corinthians 15: 19 (was here specially read and referred to) has reference to a life outside this life — an order of things outside the life here. Among the men of the world you find many a one that is upright, but he is not characterised by righteousness and holiness of truth: that one is a christian, and as to obligations down here even a christian is best, that is, he is the best husband, best wife, best servant, etc. The end of Ephesians or Colossians shews this, yet after all the christian lives with God outside of all obligation down here. My privilege is to live with God outside the course of things down here. Thus the christian is looked at as dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Life in Christ Jesus is outside the course of things here. If you are alive to God in Christ Jesus, you are dead to sin, dead to law and dead to the world.
Do you see Christ? I ask. “The world seeth me no more; but ye see me”. Christ is in the vision of the christian — an object in our hearts, which the world does not see. He is a real object: He said, “because I live, ye shall live also”. We want to know something of the conditions in which He now lives. The two disciples in John 1 asked, “Where dwellest thou?” They saw where He dwelt, and we want to know the conditions in which He now lives. He is the Firstfruits of all that in which life consists. Where He lives there God is all. If you do not live in Christ you do not really live at all — all is death around us.
The great point to be exercised about is to see Christ. “Ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also”. In the Lord’s presence the disciples felt joy and safety, though they were not intelligent they must have had much happiness, but it was a happiness which was outside the world altogether. He had [p. 396] no place in the world, nor had they. It is our privilege now to live in Christ, and we shall get happiness and safety, but it is outside the world.
You recognise now the true position of things — all is changed here with regard to God: the judgment of the world is shewn, and Christ, as Head for man, raised up. Our privilege is to have Christ effectually as Head, and live by Him. You see Christ and you live by Him. It is in the presence and coming of the Comforter that you see Christ, but it may rebuke you in many things down here. We wait Christ’s advent, and then we shall be like Him in everything.