'This is
an important point, for the breadth of the work of redemption is involved in
it. The redemption must be as extensive
as the loss; otherwise it would not be complete.
If the
loss involved the death of the physical nature of man, then redemption must
take hold of his physical nature. And this we shall see that it does. We
consider then, 1. Christ, our substitutionary sacrifice, died a physical death.
This is certainly a good reason for believing that the gospel takes hold of
physical relations. We cannot see how otherwise the method or nature of the
sacrifice can be accounted for. 2. After death and burial, and remaining in the
grave the time allotted by prophecy, he had a physical resurrection. Some have
even gone so far as to deny this. Concerning the resurrection the following
words are copied from a sermon preached in an
orthodox church:— “The resurrection is typical of the life of the soul;
the figure of a spiritual body teaches, not the resurrection of the material
body, but the immortality of the soul.” This is the view held by many teachers
who are considered orthodox. In harmony with this, a writer, who was a
Spiritualist, and professed to be a believer of the Bible, expressed his faith
as follows:—
- 191 - J.
H. Waggoner
“At death
the real man, that is to say his soul and spirit, rise from or out of his dead
body; that in the New Testament this is denominated anastasis, or the
resurrection.” These quotations are made that the reader may see the necessity
of the argument we frame on the literal or physical resurrection of Christ. All
who hold to such views place the “resurrection” or rising of the immortal
spirit at the time of the death of the body. But the resurrection of Christ did not at all correspond to such a view.
a. The resurrection of Christ was not the
rising of his spirit out of his body; for he did not rise until the third day
after his death. And they will hardly contend that his spirit did not leave his
body until he had been dead three days! yet they must to be consistent with
that theory.
b. That which arose was placed under the
guardianship of Roman soldiers. But no one can believe that after Jesus had
been some hours dead, the soldiers were put on guard to prevent the escape of
his spirit, and thence the report of his resurrection.
c. His enemies denied his resurrection, and
reported that his disciples had stolen him. Did they mean to deny that his
spirit left his body, and to affirm that his disciples came and stole away his
spirit while they slept?
d. The
angel said to those who came to the sepulcher: “He is not here; for he is
risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matt. 28:6. e. When
his followers went to the sepulcher, after his resurrection, they “found not
the body of the Lord Jesus.” Luke 24:3.
f. When he
met with his disciples after his resurrection, he told them to handle him, to
examine the wounds in his hands, and feet, and side, and see that it was he
himself; and he took food and did eat before them. Luke 24:36-43.
g. In his
sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter proved the resurrection of Christ by the
promise of God to David, that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh,
he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.” Acts 2:30, 31. This is positive
proof of a bodily resurrection.
The
Atonement - 192
We might go farther and prove by the
Scriptures that neither believers nor unbelievers, Jews nor Greeks, had any
idea of such a mythical resurrection as is now taught by men of various faiths
in these days. But it is not at all necessary, for if a bodily or
physical resurrection is not proved by the points here noticed, then language
cannot be framed to teach it.
(To be
continued)
(Excerpt
from-) THE ATONEMENT PART SECOND:
THE
ATONEMENT AS REVEALED IN THE BIBLE
(1884)
BY ELDER J. H. WAGGONER
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