# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1896_S13 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) The Autheran Pioneer, A MISSTONARY MONTHLY. Pusuisnep BY THE EvanGcenicaL Luraeran SynopicaL Conrerence or Norta AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. Vol. XVIII. Christ Risen from the Dead. Rey. 1, 18. Proclaim the lofty praise Of Him who once was slain, But now is risen, through endless days, To live and reign; He:lives and reigns on high, Who bought us with His blood, Enthroned above the farthest sky, Our Saviour God. All honor, power and praise, To Jesus’ name belong; With hosts seraphic, glad, we raise The sacred song: “Worthy the Lamb,” they cry, “That on the cross was slain, But-now ascended up on high, He lives to reign.”’ Selected. _——"- <=> oe Christ is Risen. Christ is risen. He has been declared to be the Son of God. Our Saviour is not a mere man. No. We have a divine Saviour. Our Saviour is the Son of God. This comfort- ing truth we learn.at the empty grave on Easter morning. St. Paul says of Christ that ‘He was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead.’’ Christ Himself had said that He is the Son of God and that He would rise again from the dead on the third day. Pointing to 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 T lay it down of myself: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again,’ John 10, 17. 18. On Easter morning we see His words fulfilled. The grave could not keep the Lord of life. He is risen! He is risen indeed! All the wise men and all the mighty men of the earth can not conquer death; but Christ conquered this powerful enemy and thus proved Himself to be the eternal Son of God. Blessed are those that accept this Saviour. They haye a divine Saviour. . Woe to those that reject this Saviour. ‘hey re- Ject God Himself. Christ is risen, He has finished the work of our redemption. He did not only under- St. Louis, Mo., April, 1896. take that work. No. He finished it. We are redeemed. This comforting truth we learn at the empty grave on Easter morning. St. Paul says, ‘‘If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain: ye are yet in your sins,’’ 1 Cor. 15, 17. Christ took our place under-the law, in order to redeem us from the curse of the law. Our sins were laid on Him, He bore the punish- ment of our sins, in order to redeem us from everlasting woe. He ‘‘was delivered for our offenses’’ into sufferings, death, and the grave. Now suppose death had kept Him! Suppose that after all the bitter sufferings He had not come forth from the grave! How could we then know that His sacrifice is accepted, that the work of our redemption is finished? Would not the last hope of a ruined world be buried in the tomb of Joseph? But let sinners re- joice! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! The sacrifice for sin has been accepted. The justice of God is satisfied. The work of our redemption is finished. ‘‘Christ was raised again for our justification,’”’ says the Bible. He was our Substitute in His sufferings and death, He is our Substitute in His resurrection. In Him we suffered and died, in Him we are justified. In Him we were imprisoned in the grave, in Him we are set free. Our sins He bore to the grave, our sins He left in the tomb. Woe to those that reject this redemption. They reject their only salvation. Blessed are those that by true faith accept this finished redemp- tion. They can cry out triumphantly: ‘‘Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,’’ Rom. 8, 33. 34. Christ is risen. He will raise us also from the grave. This comforting truth we learn at the empty grave on Easter morning. St. Paul says, ‘If Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection from the dead?’ Again he says, ‘‘Now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that sleep.” When the first fruits have been gathered in, the whole harvest will surely follow. He who by His divine power raised His own body from the tomb will by that same power raise our bodies from the grave. . No. 4. For He has said: ‘‘Because I live, ye shall live also,’’ John 14, 19. Blessed are those that believe in the risen Saviour. To them their own resurrection will be a resurrection to everlasting joy and bliss. No wonder that the news of Christ’s re- surrection gladdened the hearts of the dis- ciples and that this news has gladdened the hearts of millions that have heard and be- lieved it in all the years since the first Easter morning. May the glad Easter tidings fill our hearts also with true Easter joy. ~~ oa 0 eo He Lives. He lives! He lives! With these words Dr. Luther, in his sore trials and conflicts, often cheered himself... He would write them in large letters with chalk upon his table; yea, upon all the doors and sides of his room he would write: He lives! He lives! He lives! When asked what he meant thereby, he re- plied: ‘‘Jesus lives! and if He did not live, I would not wish to live a single hour.’” The fact that Jesus lives assured him of the suc- cess of his work in spite of all difficulties, and comforted him in all his sore trials. Jesus lives! This is every missionary’s consolation in the midst of trials and dis- couragements. Jesus lives! We preach, not a dead Saviour, but a living Saviour to sinners who by nature are walking in darkness and death. He, the hving Saviour, is Himself present in the Gospel that we preach. He will see to it that our labor is not in vain. “My Word shall not return unto me yoid, but shall accomplish that whereunto I have sent it.”? This is the promise of a living Saviour, and we may well leave the results of ~ our labor to Him who lives and reigns forever. 0 No Fear or Deatn. —‘‘Knowest thou not,’” said Luther to the King of Terrors, ‘‘that thou didst devour the Lord Christ, but wast obliged to give Him back, and wast then thyself de- youred of Him? So thou must leave me un- devoured, because I abide in Him, and live and suffer for His name’s sake. Men may send me out of the world— for that I care not —pbut I shall not on that account abide in death; I shall live with my Lord Christ, for I know and believe that He liveth.”