The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 13

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LuTueRAN SynopicaL CoNnFERENCE OF NortH AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Of_ice at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. IV. St.

Louis, Mo., April, 1882. No. 4.

The Lord is Risen.

‘

Tue Lorn Is RISEN. He is risen indeed. St.
Paul says, ‘‘He was seen of Cephas, then of
the twelve: after that, he was seen of above
five hundred brethren at once; of whom the
greater part remain unto this present, but some
are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of
James; then of all the apostles. And last of
all he was seen of me also.’ (1 Cor. 15, 5—8.)
All these persons of whom Christ was seen after
His resurrection bore witness to the fact that
the Lord is risen indeed. Were they wilful
liars? If a man tells a lie he does it in order
to gain something by it. Now, what did those
witnesses gain by preaching. the-resurrection
of Christ in the very face of His enemies?
They suffered hardships, and persecution, and
many of them a martyr’s death. It is simply
ridiculous to believe that these men were liars
and impostors. And what was the effect of
their preaching the Gospel of a risen Saviour?
That Gospel changed the hearts of men and
won them for Christ. And for eighteen hun-
dred years the glad Easter tidings of a risen
Saviour have won members for the Kingdom
of Christ among all the nations of the earth.
This spread of Christianity undeniably proves
that Christ, the Head of the Church, lives and
reigns in all eternity. Yes, the Lord is risen!
He is risen indeed! And no Samson of infidel-
ity will ever be able to tear down this pillar
upon which our Christian faith does rest.

Tue Lorp Is RISEN. Rejoice, ye sinners!
The resurrection of Christ is not a mere histor-
ical fact like the battle of Bull Run. No! It
is a fact which concerns every sinner personally,
and which should fill his heart with joy and
gladness. St. Paul says, ‘‘ He was raised again
for our justification,’ Rom. 4, 25. He, as the
Mediator between God and man, took the sins
of the whole world upon Himself and thus be-
came the substitute of all sinners. The sin-
hating God met His sin-bearing Son and poured

7. °ut upon Him the wrath which we deserved.

Ow, if Christ, our Substitute, had not come
forth from the grave, our hope of redemption
Would be vain. We could then only fear that

© great burden of sin which He bore in our

stead had crushed Him and delivered Him into| had the villany to invent the foolish lie, and
the pains of eternal death. ‘‘If Christ be not| there were many who had the folly to believe
raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your] it. How often men ‘‘turn their ears from the
sins,’ says the Apostle. (1 Cor. 15,17.) But,| truth and are turned unto fables.’’ They re-
Oh, let sinners rejoice! The glad Easter tidings} ject God’s truth and are given up to ‘‘strong
tell us, ‘‘The Lord is risen.’” Now we know] delusion to believe a lie.”’
that the work of our redemption is finished and
that God is satisfied with the work of His Son.
In Christ, our Substitute, we suffered and died,
in Him we conquered and were absolved from| Faith and good works can not be separated
all our’sins. His victory is our victory. ‘‘He|the one from the other. In the world, how-
was raised [again for our justification.” May} ever, men do separate them. Men say: ‘“ Let
we all be satisfied with this work of God’s Son| each one believe as he will, only so he live as
by resting entirely in His finished work of re-| he ought. It matters not whether a man is a
demption. We can then cry out triumphantly, | Christian or a Jew, just so he lives right.’’ But
“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s| here is a point of great weight. There can be
elect? Jt is God that justifieth. Who is he that| no right living among men unless they stand
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, | properly related to God by faith. Of course,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand|a man may say he has faith, .and still live in
of God, who also maketh intercession for us,’|shame and vice. But that can never be the
Rom. 8, 33. 34. right faith which is not followed by good works.
op It is a dream, an imagination, a creature of the
Foolish Arguments. mind, something which men by their own powers
have fashioned in their minds, and not a thing
The enemies of Christ have at all times made | begotten by the grace of God. Many are taught
use of the most foolish arguments to overthrow | the Christian doctrine, and they say it is a good
the doctrines of the Bible. Men often rather} doctrine, and then suppose they have faith.
accept the most absurd ideas of the human| But faith is a very different thing. It is not a
mind than believe the truth of God’s word. | thing of the memory, not a thing of scientific
They will rather believe that man descended | knowledge. Faith is a thing of the heart; it is
from an ape than accept as true God’s record| joy in the heart on. account of the finished
of man’s creation. ~ With the most palpable lie} work of Christ. Faith is a firm confidence
did the enemies of Christ try to overthrow the] built upon the Word of God and the promises
fact of His resurrection. When the soldiers,| of grace, as upon a rock. Here he who has
who had kept watch at the grave, told them of | the true faith surely rests in the grace of God
His resurrection, they held a council and put/ undisturbed, that grace which was won for us
this lie into the mouth of the soldiers: ‘‘Say| by Christ, the Saviour. Such a faith can not
ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him | be void of work. Of such faith Luther says:
away, while we slept”? How foolish! If the|‘‘Faith is a powerful, active, restless, busy
soldiers were asleep, how could they know that | thing, which entirely renews a man, changes
‘this disciples came by night and stole him him, and leads him into an entirely new way
away??? And if they were not asleep, how of living, so that it is impossible for him not to
could the disciples steal him away? But they} continually do good. Yea, good works as nat-
were not asleep. It was death to a Roman sol- urally accompany faith as good trees bear good
dier to sleep on his watch. And who could | fruit, as naturally as the earthly man sleeps,
ever believe that those timid disciples who hid/ eats, drinks, hears, speaks, moves and atands.’?
themselves behind closed doors would dare to] —From the German. >
undertake the dangerous business of stealing a Pears
body from a grave which was watched by ‘THoucH a man without money is poor, & man
Roman soldiers? But the enemies of Christ with nothing bit money is still poorer.

+ 0-<mo + ~<@ _

True Faith followed by Good Works.