John D. Rice - Böcker

"The Bible gives instances of two men being translated to heaven without dying at all; of some dead people, who were raised to life, only to die again; but we never read of a resurrected man ascending to heaven, save in the one exception of our Lord. He died, and was raised the third day, and having abundantly proved His resurrection to His doubting disciples, He ascended to glory, and set Himself down at the right hand of God. Such a claim is stupendous. Prove it, and you prove Christianity. Disprove it, and you disprove Christianity...The truth of Christianity hinges on the fact of the resurrection of our Lord. Apart from the resurrection of Christ, there can be no salvation, no forgiveness of sins, no justification, and no gift of eternal life - in short, no Christianity. Remove the central stone of an arch, and the whole structure falls to the ground. So it is with the Deity and Manhood of our Lord Jesus Christ, His spotless life, His atoning death, His resurrection, and His ascension. These are all linked up together, making one complete whole. If one part fails, the whole of Christianity fails."So wrote Algernon Pollock, that indefatigable apologist from the pulpit and in print wherever he saw the Christian faith under attack. Beginning with an overview of the Bible's detailing of the facts and consequences of Christ's resurrection, the author briefly considers Old Testament prophecies of the resurrection, before reviewing Christ's own prophecies of His death. He continues with an examination of the person, life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and their connection with His resurrection. He then considers the circumstances of the Lord's resurrection, before an extensive discussion of all the recorded appearances of the risen Christ. An examination of objections to the inspiration of the Gospel accounts is followed by a look at some theories presented in denial of the resurrection. Significant reference is made to an interesting mid-18th century study entitled "Observations on the Conversion and Apostleship of St. Paul; In a Letter to Gilbert West, Esq." by Sir George Lyttleton, later Lord Lyttleton, Baron of Frankley. Lyttleton and West set out to disprove Christianity by proving two key points of Christianity false: Lyttelton that St.Paul did not convert to Christianity, and West that Jesus never rose from the dead.However, as their researches progressed, they both became convinced of the truth of the events they sought to disprove. The author, himself convinced of the fact of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, plainly sets out his reasons in this book.

In this compendium of six Bible talks, first broadcast on Premier Christian Radio in June and July 2000, various members of the "Truth for Today" team consider in a practical way the message of Paul's letter to the Christians in the church at Colossae. Each speaker expounded their allotted passage as the Holy Spirit directed. Some took a verse-by-verse approach, while others a more thematic one. In bringing this collection together, the individual approaches have been retained; but, to enable the book to be used for both devotional and reference purposes, the verses under consideration are clearly indicated. George Stevens provides an overall introduction to the letter, followed by a look at the beginning of the first chapter, culminating with the great statement that Christ is pre-eminent in everything. Douglas Pettman explores the subject of reconciliation, and the secret of the Church and its future with its Head. Ernie Brown opens up the simplicity of the Christian message: nothing but Christ is necessary, for Christ is everything. This has practical implications, and George Bell looks at the reality of what it means when Paul writes that Christ is our life.Gordon Kell explores the way in which service for Christ is worked out in our families and occupations.Finally, David Anderson closes the studies, underlining the way in which prayer is necessary to under-pin actions and speech which testify that Christ is, indeed, everything.