# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S700
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

2 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

“unless ye have believed in vain.” He had proclaimed that which’
he had received and had emphasized especially the death of Christ
for our sins, also His burial and, above all, His resurrection. :
A feature which we must not overlook is that the Apostle stated °
twice that all this was “according to the Scriptures.”

Whenever St.Paul proclaimed the Gospel of Christ, he met
with very hostile opposition. That was nothing strange. Jesus
Himself had encountered bitter enmity. The Jews refused to accept
Christ as the Messiah and challenged His doctrine and His authority
to teach. They knew that He had claimed repeatedly that He would
rise again on the third day, and they actually sought to prevent
this by making the tomb in Joseph’s Garden secure. When despite
all their efforts Christ arose and the disciples proclaimed the resur-
rection, these enemies raved and ranted and persecuted the church.
When St. Paul preached the Gospel of the crucified and risen Christ
to the Gentiles, some mocked and ridiculed him; some called hirn
a babbler; others merely brushed him aside and dismissed every :
serious thought. All this influenced some members of the congre-
gation in Corinth. Hence the Apostle felt constrained to rise to

the defense of the doctrine of the resurrection. In fact, he was 4

ready to permit everything to hinge on the resurrection of Christ.
He knew that Christ’s resurrection was the keystone in the arch
of Christian doctrine. Everything depends on it. If it is not true,
the whole structure falls and crumbles, ;
The Apostle pointed out a number of sad results if the resur- —
rection of Christ were not a fact. He said: “If Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” He added:
“Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God.” Again: “If Christ

be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” To this 4
he added: “Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are - °

perished”; furthermore: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men most miserable.” In other words, if the resur-
rection of Christ is not a fact, then there is no redemption for us;

then we are trusting a deceiver rather than a Savior; then we still .-'4

labor under the horrible burden and guilt of sin, for then there is
no forgiveness; then there is no comfort and consolation for us
at the graves of our loved ones, for they are hopelessly lost; then
there is no hope for us in the hour of death, for there is no Savior
to bring us into eternal life; then Christ would have been the
greatest impostor on earth; then He would not be trustworthy,
and we could not be certain about any of His teachings. Yes, if the
resurrection of Christ is not a fact, the entire fabric of our Chris-
tian faith is torn to shreds and is altogether worthless.

However, St.Paul exclaimed: “But now is Christ risen from