# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1883_S13 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Che Lutheran Pioneer. A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. PUBLISHED BY THE EvaNncELicaL Lutaeran SynopicaL Conrerence or Norra AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. Vol. Y. St. Louis, Mo., April, 1883. _ No. 4 (For the ‘‘Lutheran Pioneer.’’) Easter. Lord Jesus Christ, strong Hero Thou, Grim Death Thou hast o’erpowered now; Thou dost destroy Hell’s gate and chain And on the third day rise again. To all Thy Friends, devoid of pain, Thou dost present Thyself again, And showest them the gifts so brave, Which Thou hast brought out of the grave. Grant that we and all Christians may Partake of this great joy to-day, Which by Thy resurrection Thou Vouchsafest unto all men now. Grant us that we may rise from sin And holy lives to lead begin, Till we, from sin and pain set free, In endless Easter live with Thee. (Barthold Helder, 1620. Tr. by A. Crull, 1883.) ————+ o The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection. The importance of Christ’s resurrection may be seen from what the Bible says about it. First, Christ’s resurrection is a proof of His Divinity. St. Paul says of Jesus that He was ‘‘declared to -be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the re- surrection from the dead,” Rom. 1, 4. Christ Himself had told the Jews that He was the Son of God, (John 5, 18—22). He also told them that He would rise again from the dead on the thirdJ day. Speaking of the temple of His body, He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,’ John 2,19. Again He said, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself: I. have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again,” John 10, 17. 18. Now, had the grave kept Christ, His enemies could say that He had no divine power, that He was not the Son of God. But the grave could not keep ghe Lord of life. The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! All the wisdom of the wise and all the power of the mighty of earth can- not conquer death, but Christ, the eternal God, conquered death and came forth triumphantly from the grave. From His resurrection we see that Christ, the Saviour in whom we believe, is the eternal, almighty Son of God. Woe to them who reject this Saviour! They reject God Himself. Second, Christ’s resurrection is the basis and ground of our faith in the finished work of our redemption from all sins. St. Paul says, “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain: ye are yet in your sins,’ 1 Cor. 15,17. Christ was our Substitute in His life under the law, in His sufferings and death. The sins of the world were laid upon Him, and the sin-hating God poured out upon His sin-bearing Son all the livered for our offenses”’ into sufferings, death, and the grave. Now; had the grave kept Him, we would yet be in our sins. If Christ had not risen we would know that He, in His great love, undertook to redeem us with His own precious blood, but we would not know whether the purchase money laid down was sufficient, and was accepted. But the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! The purchase money has been accepted. The justice of God is satisfied. The work of our redemption is finished. ‘‘ Christ was raised again for our justification,” Rom. 4,25. He is our Substitute, and therefore His victory is our victory, His triumph is our triumph. All sinners that accept this finished work of redemption by true faith can now cry out triumphantly: ‘‘Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that jus- tifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,’’ Rom. 8, 33. 34. Third, Christ’s resurrection is the ground of our own hope of resurrection. Read 1 Cor. 15, and you will see how the apostle there proves the certainty of our resurrection from the fact of Christ’s resurrection. ‘‘ If Christ be preached,”’ he says, ‘‘that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?”? Again he says, “If Christ be not raised . .. then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But. now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept.’? Since Christ in His resurrection wrath which sinners deserved. He ‘‘ was de- became the first fruits of them that slept, we know that the whole harvest will be gathered in. He who by His divine power took His own body from the tomb will by that same power raise our bodies from the grave. ‘‘The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!’’ These Easter greetings are the sweet greetings from our eternal home. For the Saviour has said, ‘‘ Be- cause I live, ye shall live also,” John 14, 19. No wonder that the news of Christ’s resur- rection sent a thrill of joy to the hearts of the disciples, and that that joy has filled the hearts of millions who have heard and helieved it in all the ages since. May the important tidings of Easter also fill our hearts with Easter joy. ———»s - oP o-oo The Good Shepherd. By Dr. Martin LUTHER. What a beautiful, comforting Gospel that is in which the Lord Christ depicts Himself as the good shepherd; showing what a heart He has toward us poor sinners, and how we can do nothing to save ourselves. The sheep cannot defend nor provide for itself, nor keep itself from going astray, if the © shepherd did not continually guide it; and when it has gone astray and is lost, it cannot find its way back again, nor come to its shep- herd; but the shepherd himself must go after it, and seek it until he finds it, otherwise it would wander away and be lost forever. And when he has found it he must lay it on his shoulder and carry it, lest it should again be frightened away from himself, and stray, or be devoured by the wolf. So also is it with us. We can neither help nor counsel ourselves, nor come to rest and peace of conscience, nor escape the devil, death and hell, if Christ Himself, by His word, did not fetch us, and call us to Himself. And even when we have come to Him, and are in the faith, we cannot keep ourselves in it, unless He lifts and carries us by His word and power, since the devil is everywhere, and at all times on the watch to dous harm. But Christ is a thousand times more willing and earnest to do all for His sheep than the best shepherd.