III. For what purpose did Christ rise?

Christ rose:
1. For his own glory and for that of his Father. “Declared to be the Son of God, by the resurrection from the dead.” “Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.” (Rom. 1:4. John I7:1.) The glory of the Son is the glory of the Father.

2. On account of the prophecies which had been uttered in relation to the death, and resurrection of Christ. “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor suffer thy holy One to see corruption.” “When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed; he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” “No sign shall be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas; for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” “For as yet they knew not the Scripture that he must rise again from the dead.” (Ps. 16:10. Acts 2:27. Isa. 53:10, 11. Matt. 12:39. John 20:9.) In view now of these and other prophecies, it was necessary that Christ should die and rise again that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: “How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be;” (Matt. 26:54,) viz, on account of the unchangeable decree of God which he has revealed in the Scriptures, of which it is said in the Acts of the Apostles, Acts 4:27, 28, “Of a truth, against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were gathered together; for to do whatsoever thy hand, and thy counsel determined before to be done.” The predictions which Christ uttered in relation to his death and resurrection, may also be here appropriately cited. “And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again.” “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (Matt. 17:23. John 2:19.)

3. On account of the dignity, and power of the person that rose. It was in view of this, that the Apostle Peter declares that it was not possible that Christ should be held under the power of death:

1. Because he was the beloved, and only begotton Son of God. “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands.” “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:35, 16.)

2. Because Christ is true God, the author and fountain of life. “I am the Resurrection, and the Life.” “The Father hath given to the Son to have life in him self.” “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.” “I give unto them eternal life.” (John 11:25; 5:21, 26; 10:28.) If Christ now was to give life to men it is absurd to suppose that he should remain under the power of death arid not rise.

3. Christ was in himself a righteous man, and has by his death satisfied for our sins which were imputed unto him. But where there is no sin, there death does not any longer reign. “For by one offering, he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” “For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” (Heb. 10:14. Rom. 6:10.)

4. Christ arose that he might carry on the office of mediator, which he could not have done had he remained under death.
1. It became the mediator, who was true God and man, to reign eternally. “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.” “I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his Father, and he shall be my Son.” “Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever, as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.” “They shall be my people, and I will be their God ; and David, my servant, shall be king over them forever.” “And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” “And of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Ps. 45:6. 2 Sam. 7:13, 14. Ps. 89:36, 37, 38. Ez. 37:23. Dan. 7:27. Isa. 9:7. Luke 1:33.) It was necessary, therefore, that the human nature which was made of the seed of David should rise from the dead and reign.

2. It was necessary that the mediator, who is our brother and very man, should continually make intercessions for us, and appear before God in our behalf as an everlasting priest. “Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchisedek.” “It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Ps. 110:4. Rom. 8:34)

3. It behooved the mediator, who is true man, to be mediator both by merit and efficacy. It was not sufficient for him merely to die. It became him also, by his power, to confer upon the church, and upon all of us, the benefits which he had purchased for us by his death. These benefits are righteousness, the Holy Spirit and eternal life and glory. For it belonged to the office of the mediator both to merit and to confer these blessings. But if he had remained under the power of death, and had not risen from the dead, he could not have conferred these gifts upon us, because then he would have had no existence, and hence could have effected nothing in our behalf. It is for this reason also, that these blessings are deposited in Christ by the God head, that he should make us partakers of them: “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John 1:16.) Nor can it seem strange that Christ should bestow upon us the same blessings which he has, by his death, obtained from the Godhead for us: for a man may obtain a certain thing from someone, and may also confer it upon another. A certain one, for instance, may intercede in behalf of another, with a Prince, for a gift of a thousand crowns. The Prince may grant the request for the sake of him who intercedes, and may also confer the gift upon him that he may bestow it upon him for whom intercession has been made. In this case he obtains the gift from the Prince and confers it at the same time. So it is in relation to Christ although he could have conferred his benefits upon us by the power of his Godhead, through which he regenerates and justifies us; yet as God has decreed to raise the dead by man, (for by man came also the resurrection of the dead) and to judge the world by man, so he also determined to bestow these same gifts by the man Jesus, that he might be and continue mediator, very God and very man. It was on this account also necessary that Christ should forever remain our brother, and our Head; and that we, on the other hand, being engrafted into him by a true faith, might always continue his members. “Abide in me and I in you.” (John 5:4) Our salvation has its foundation in the seed of David, as it is said, “My servant David shall feed them for ever.” (Ez. 34:23.) But if his human nature had remained under the power of death, he would neither have been our brother, nor would we have been his members.

Obj. But Christ, under the Old Testament, before his in carnation, conferred without his human nature upon the lathers the very same blessings which he now under the New Testament bestows upon us; and was mediator no less before he assumed our nature, than he is now since he has taken it upon himself. Therefore it was not necessary that Christ should, for this cause, become man and die.
Ans. But it would not have been possible for Christ to have done the things which he did under the Old Testament unless he had subsequently become man, and unless he would also remain such for ever. Nor could he now do these things if he had not risen from the dead, or if he would not for ever retain our nature which he has assumed. “The Father hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” (John 5:27.


5. Christ rose for our salvation, and that in three respects:

1. For our justification. “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Rom. 4:25.) The resurrection of the mediator was necessary for our justification, first, because his satisfaction would not have been perfect without it, nor would the punishment which he endured in that case have been finite. And without such a satisfaction and punishment it was not possible that we could have been freed from everlasting death, from which it became the mediator to deliver us in such a manner as to overcome it entirely in us. But in order that he might vanquish death in us it was necessary that he should first overcome it in himself, and so fulfill that which had been predicted: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “death where is thy sting? grave where is thy victory.” (Hos. 16:14. 1 Cor. 15:55.) By so doing he confounded his enemies who had reviled him when hanging upon the cross, saying, “He saved others, himself he cannot save.” (Matt. 27:42.) And still further: if he had not conquered death, he could not have bestowed upon us the benefits which he had merited for us by his death. It belonged to the office of mediator as we have already shown, both to merit and bestow benefits. Yea, had he not risen from the dead, we could not have known that he had satisfied for us; for this would have been a certain argument that he had not made this satisfaction, but was overcome by death and the burden of sin; because where death is there is sin; or, if he had made satisfaction for us, and yet remained under the power of death, it would have been inconsistent with the justice of God. Hence it was necessary that Christ should rise again, as well that he might make satisfaction for us, as that we might also know that he has fully accomplished this, and merited benefits for us; and finally, that he himself might be able to apply these benefits unto us, or what is the same thing, that we might be perfectly justified and saved by his merits and efficacy.

2. Christ rose for our regeneration. Justification or the remission of sin is not sufficient without regeneration, and a new life.

3. Christ rose for the preservation of the benefits which he had purchased for us by his death, and that he might secure our resurrection and glorification. It is in this way that God has purposed eternally to quicken and glorify us, that being inserted into the body or humanity of his Son we may be perpetually borne by it, and draw our life from it. “By man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” (1 Cor. 15:21.) It was for these reasons necessary that Christ should rise again, that is, that his soul, which was separated from his body by death, should again be united therewith; for the resurrection is nothing else than a re-union of the same body with the same soul.