五月十日
但基督已经从死里复活……（林前15：20）
基督教整个的体系在于“基督已经从死里复活”这一事实，因为，“若基督没有复活，我们所传的便是枉然，你们所信的也是枉然。”由基督的神性就可证明他的复活，因为他“按圣善的灵说，因从死里复活，以大能显明是神的儿子”。若他不复活那末就没有理由不叫人疑惑到他的神性。基督的权能更在于他的复活，“因此基督死了，又活了，为要作死人并活人的主。”我们的称义——这是主约中最好的福份——也与基督胜过死和坟墓有关，因为，“耶稣被交给人，是为我们的过犯；复活，是为叫我们称义。”不但如此，我们的重生更与基督的复活有关，因为，“藉耶稣基督从死里复活，重生了我们，叫我们有活泼的盼望。”而我们末了的复活也在于此，因为，“叫耶稣从死里复活者的灵，若住在你们心里，那叫基督耶稣从死里复活的，也必借着住在你们心里的圣灵，使你们必死的身体又活过来。”若基督不复活，我们就不能复活；但若他复活了，那在基督里睡了的人也不会灭亡的，只要他们在身体活着的时候能仰望他们的神就必复活。因此，复活像一条银线一样把信徒所得的一切福份贯串起来，从他的重生一直到进入永远的荣耀，都被这线连结起来了。他被高举的这一荣耀事实是多么重要呀！信徒因“基督已经从死里复活”的千真万确的事实所得的快乐也是不可言喻的。“应许已应验，救工已成全，神使子复活，恩义两顾全。”
May 10
“But now is Christ
risen from the dead.” — 1 Corinthians 15:20
The whole system
of Christianity rests upon the fact that “Christ is risen from the
dead;” for, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and
your faith is also vain: ye are yet in your sins.” The divinity of Christ
finds its surest proof in His resurrection, since He was “Declared to be
the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead.” It would not be unreasonable to doubt His
Deity if He had not risen. Moreover, Christ’s sovereignty depends upon His
resurrection, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived,
that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Again, our
justification, that choice blessing of the covenant, is linked with Christ’s
triumphant victory over death and the grave; for “He was delivered for our
offences, and was raised again for our justification.” Nay, more, our very
regeneration is connected with His resurrection, for we are “Begotten
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
And most certainly our ultimate resurrection rests here, for, “If the
Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit
that dwelleth in you.” If Christ be not risen, then shall we not rise; but
if He be risen then they who are asleep in Christ have not perished, but in
their flesh shall surely behold their God. Thus, the silver thread of
resurrection runs through all the believer’s blessings, from his regeneration
onwards to his eternal glory, and binds them together. How important then will
this glorious fact be in his estimation, and how will he rejoice that beyond a
doubt it is established, that “now is Christ risen from the dead.”
“The promise
is fulfill’d,
Redemption’s work
is done,
Justice with
mercy’s reconciled,
For God has raised
His Son.”
