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SPRING 2007 THE TIE VOLUME 75, NUMBER 1 SOUTHERN SEMINARY The resurrection Why it matters PRESIDENT’S JOURNAL Death swallowed up in victory The French positivist philosopher Auguste Comte from the dead and the appearance of the risen Christ to the disciples and to others. once told Thomas Carlyle that he planned to start a Paul left no door open to misunderstanding when he stated: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and new religion to replace Christianity. “Very good,” re- you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17) If Christ was not raised, “we are of all men to be pitied.” But, Paul pro- plied Carlyle. “All you have to do is be crucifi ed, rise claimed, Christ has been raised, the fi rst fruits of the resur- rection of the believers. the third day, and get the world to believe you are The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the vindication of the Gospel and the eternal sign of the atonement accomplished on still alive. Then your new religion will have a chance.” the cross. The resurrection was recognized by the disciples as The cross and the resurrection stand as the pivotal events God’s sign that Jesus was indeed the incarnate Son, that His at the heart of the Christian faith. Christianity stands or falls messianic claims were true, that His preaching of the Kingdom with the substitutionary atonement wrought by the death of of God would be realized, and that His sacrifi cial death was the incarnate Son of God on the cross and the resurrection of suffi cient for the salvation of sinful humanity. The resurrection the Son of God on the third day. If Christ did not die in our is also the sign of his return. place, then we are still under the divine verdict. If Jesus was Furthermore, the Scriptures make clear the fact that Jesus’ not raised, He was merely a victim, and not the Victor. resurrection is the promise of our own resurrection and the The church comes each year to this celebration of resur- concrete hope of life beyond the grave. The reality of the res- rection because we must constantly remind ourselves and urrection prompted Paul’s trium- the world of the resurrection hope, and of the reality of phant cry: “Death is swallowed up in the risen Christ. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ must victory.” always remain a company of resurrection witnesses, speak- The church must never apologize ing the Gospel of the cross and the risen Christ to a world for its celebration of the resurrection. desperate for genuine hope. Indeed, though Easter is celebrated as Yet, the world is not always ready to hear the challenging Resurrection Day, each Lord’s Day is a clarity of the Easter message. Words such as sin, guilt, redemp- resurrection day, and each congrega- tion, atonement and salvation are often seen as intrusive, tion is a body of believers united in the impolite and unsophisticated. Individuals who fl ee from the hope and witness of the resurrection. admission of their own sinfulness know that the word of the The two great annual festival cel- cross and the witness of the resurrected Lord come as judg- ebrations of the church provide for ment, as well as grace. worship and witness. Churches must Some within the church have decided to help the Easter be faithful witnesses to the reality of message conform to cultural expectations. David Jenkins, the the bodily resurrection of Jesus and former bishop of Durham (England) prompted an outcry in bold to speak the truth of His resur- the Church of England over his suggestion that the resurrec- rection as both judgment and suffi - tion was “real,” but not an historical fact. Christ’s resurrection cient hope. was real, in the sense that the disciples experienced the “liv- Carlyle was right. The unprec- ingness” of Jesus. Nevertheless, says the bishop, the resurrec- edented and objective historical tion of Jesus was not a bodily resurrection. events of the cross and resurrection Bishop Jenkins’ rejection of the biblical doctrine of the res- stand in judgment against all human urrection is, as is most often the case, nothing new. The res- pretensions and against religion urrection has been a focal point of theological compromise as mere religion. He is Risen! He is throughout the history of the church, though some in the con- Risen indeed. temporary era seem determined to reach new depths of resur- rection “redefi nition.” The modern fl ight from the reality of the empty tomb and the resurrected Christ is but another example of the revolt against classical Christian orthodoxy seen in some segments of the church. But the biblical message will not allow such com- R. Albert Mohler Jr. promise. The Gospels record the bodily resurrection of Jesus President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary CONTENTS FEATURE 2 Why the resurrection of Jesus matters 2 Thomas R. Schreiner 6 Faculty Forum: The importance of Christ’s bodily resurrection 10 A sermon outline: What if there had been no resurrection? Robert Vogel 12 Grave signs Russell D. Moore 22 16 Mary, did you know? Tom J. Nettles DEPARTMENTS 18 Student focus: Adam Dorsey That’s what I love about ministry ON THE COVER: The Women At The Sepulchre - 20 Faculty focus: Randy Stinson The Angel At The Tomb of Christ, Stinson helping churches do more for families 1768 (oil on panel) by Benjamin West (1738-1820) 22 Alumni focus: Paul Chitwood © Private Collection/ Photo Spared for Gospel service © Christie’s Images / The Bridgeman Art Library 23 Alumni focus: Steve Drake The Southern Seminary Magazine (The TIE) (ISSN Drake follows God’s call to Southern 00407232) is published four times a year by The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2825 Lex- ington Road, Louisville, KY 40280, 1-800-626-5525. 25 SOUTHERN SEMINARY NEWS Executive Editor: Lawrence A. Smith Editor: Peter Beck Associate Editor: Jeff Robinson 32 ALUMNI NEWS Design Editor: Jared Hallal News from the lives of Southern Seminary alumni Associate Design Editor: John Rogers Contributing Writers: Russell D. Moore, Tom J. Nettles, Thomas R. Schreiner, Robert Vogel Photography: John Gill 34 ROLL CALL 2006 Proofreaders: Allison Parker, Callie Pritchett Subscription information: To receive a free subscription to The Southern Semi- nary Magazine, to change your address or to cancel your subscription, you may Spring 2007. Vol. 75, No. 1. Copyright © 2007 The contact us in one of the following ways: Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Periodical postage paid at Louisville, KY. Postmaster: Send Online: www.sbts.edu/resources/publications/magazine.aspx address changes to: Public Relations, 2825 Lex- Email: [email protected] ington Road, Louisville, KY 40280, or e-mail us at Call: 1-800-626-5525, ext. 4141 [email protected]. Write: Public Relations, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 2825 Lexington Road, Louisville, KY 40280 Under the lordship of Jesus Christ, the mission of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is to be totally committed to the Bible as the Word of God, to the Great Commission as our mandate, and to be a servant of he churches of the Southern Baptist Convention by training, educating, and preparing ministers of the gospel for more faithful service. In the 1600s many Jews came to believe that ) (1483-1520) ©Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK/ The Bridgeman Art Library Sabbatai Sevi was the Messiah. Excitement ran high in Jewish communities throughout Europe, but all their hopes were dashed as Sabbatai con- verted to Islam when his life was endangered by Muslim rulers. Several cargo cults have arisen in Papua New Guinea in which messianic fi gures arose promising to drive out the colonists and to give their riches to their own people. These movements spawned terrorism and great hostility against the colonists, but every one of these movements came to an end when the charismatic leader was imprisoned or put to death. In the American West the United States routinely mistreated Native Americans, making them promises and then violating them when they wanted more land. Native Americans set their hopes on several charismatic leaders, even thinking that they could not be wounded in battle if they wore ghost skirts. But they were profoundly mistaken. The ghost skirts did not pro- tect them from the bullets of their enemies. Their hopes were crushed and their land was taken away. The stories I have relayed here share a common theme. Peo- ple pin their hopes for a happy life on a view that is not true, and they end up being sorely disappointed. But our faith is not an illusion nor is it based on wish fulfi ll- ment, for the Lord Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, and we are promised the magnifi cent future of being raised with Him. The great passage supporting Christ’s resurrection is 1 Corinthians 15. Credit: St. Paul Preaching at Athens (cartoon for the Sistine Chapel) (PRE RESTORATION) by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino page 2 Spring 2007 | Southern Seminary Magazine We see in this text that forgiveness of sins is based upon Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul says, “For I deliv- vain.” And he puts it even stronger in verse 16, “Moreover we ered to you as of fi rst importance what I also received, that are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testi- Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and fi ed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day if in fact the dead are not raised.” If Christ has not been raised according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4).