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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
DAYS OF RESURRECTION [ Continued from Page 125]
shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4). Note once more the “ also” ; our sharing in it makes His glory, complete, even as we read, “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe” (2 Thess.' 1:10). And again: “Now are we the sons of God . . . when hé shall 'appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). How eagerly should we be “ looking for the blessed hope arid appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesús Christ” (Tit. 2:13, R. V.)! The Christian is not; asked to look for death, but for Him; for the day of His appearing, wherein we shall share His glory in completeness, even to a body that is deathless, glorified, like unto His own. III. DAY O F PRESENT EXPERIENCE A Satisfying Reality We xwho believe on Christ have “ passed out of death into life” (John 5:24, R V.). Crucified with Christ, we are dead, buried, risen with Him, that “so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). This fact ushers us into a day of fellowship with Him. He, the Lord of life, cannot fellowship with the dead; only with those who are risen with Him (cf. Col. 3:1). To all such the Jiv ing Christ freely comes, imparts to them His life in ever fresh measure, indwells them by His presence, claims them as His very own in vital union and satisfying intimacy, works in them holy aspirations and desires, uses them as His own Body in serving Himself; enables them to say, with Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20, R. V.). Resurrection truth requires just this sort of present-day demonstration. Our future hope of resurrection must rest in a present realization of it;' the power of resurrection displayed in a “ putting off” of the old man, and a “putting on” of the new man—which could well be capitalized to designate the New Man, even Christ Jesus, and our life in Him; the translation of His once-for-all victory into the practical day-by-day victories of undefeated, winsome life in Him. -This experience spells Reality. To those who seek to -live “in him,” as the sphere of life's l i v i n g , even thoughts and afféctions as well as actions in conscious accord with the living Christ, the things of the dead past sluffed off and discarded—to all such He becomes as real as breath and being. Fondly the heart whispers, “My beloved is mine, and I am his.”
The missionary replied: “I should be pleased to hear what it is.” This is what the Mohammedan said: “You know when we go .to Mecca, we find, at least a coffin. But when you Christians go to Jerusalem, which is your Mecca, you find nothing f, but an empty grave.” But the missionary smiled and said: “That is just the difference: Moham med is dead; Mohammed is in his coffin. And all false systems'of reli gion and philosophy are in their cof fins. But Jesus Christ, whose kingdom is to include all nations and kindreds and tribes, is not here; He is risen. And all power in heaven and on earth is given unto Him. That is our hope.” II. DAY OF FUTURE PROSPECT A Glorious Destiny “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19). When these forthright words of our Lord are taken at their1 face value they leave no room for the merest; Shadow of a doubt in the heart of any follower of His. Life and death for us have but one assured outcome— resurrection. The certainty of it is two fold: because of His resurrection, mak ing possible that of others; because of our relationship to Him, making us sharers in His triumph. Thus the apostle, expouhding the certainties of resurrection for believers, links our resurrection with His in that climactic sunburst of gratitude: “Thanks be to God, which ’ giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57). Beautiful significance attaches to •the word “ also.” Our Lord’s résurrec tion, standing alone, would be wholly and utterly incomplete. It was never so intended. His had ours always in view. The victory of His lies in the fact that it included ours. Our resur rection w ill be the rounding out of His. But more;. our resurrection is of such glorious import that it touches the two greatest events in history. While, in Its backward reach, if rests upon the triumphant resurrection of Christ, in its forward reach it is to be realized only at His second coming. The revealed order of resurrection is this: “Christ the firstfruits; afterward [next in order] they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Cor. 15:23). Nor does His coming mean merely résur rection, but transformation as well: “ For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait [look expectant ly] for a Saviour, the Lord JesuS Christ: who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of His glory” (Phil. 3:20, 21, R. V.). So this prospect embodies our Des tiny. a destiny of ineffable glory. Of this the Scriptures speak with utmost clarity and confidence. “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then
resurrection and derive their validity as well as vitality from that fact. These are not only evidences that Christ rose from the dead,- but also that He lives on today in the power of an endless life. This fact spells Victory, a triumph ant victory. He died with a great pur pose. He said He would rise. The Scrip tures said He would. He did. The pur pose for which He died must have been achieved. He “once suffered for sins, the just for'the unjust, that he might bring us to God’M l Pet. 3:18). Surely He has. A missionary in India, having re lated the gospel story, 'was approached by a Mohaihmedan who said: “You must admit we have one thing you have not, and* it is better than any thing you have.” The speaker believed the statement to be irrefutable.
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