Here lies the grand point of the apostle's blessed and powerful argument. We must, if we would have settled peace, believe in God as the One who raised up Jesus from the dead, and who in so doing proved Himself friendly to us, and proved too His infinite satisfaction in the work of the Cross. Jesus, having been "delivered for our offenses," could not be where He now is if a single one of these offenses remained unatoned for. But, blessed forever be the God of all grace, He raised from among the dead the One who had been delivered for our offenses; and to all who believe in Him righteousness shall be reckoned. "It behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day." See how this glorious theme, the _basis_ of the great commission, expands under our gaze as we pursue our study of it! One more brief quotation shall close this paper. In Heb. xiii. we read, "_Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead_ our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant." This is uncommonly fine. The God of judgment met the Sin-bearer at the cross, and there, with Him, entered thoroughly into and definitively settled the question of sin. And then, in glorious proof that all was done--sin atoned for--guilt put away--Satan silenced--God glorified--all divinely accomplished--"the God of peace" entered the scene, and raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, that "great Shepherd of the sheep." Beloved reader, how glorious is all this! How enfranchising to all who simply believe! Jesus is risen. His sufferings are over forever. God has exalted Him. Eternal Justice has wreathed His blessed brow with a diadem of glory; and, wondrous fact, that very diadem is the eternal demonstration that all who believe are justified from all things, and accepted in a risen and glorified Christ. Eternal and universal hallelujahs to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost! PART VII. We are now called to consider the deeply important subject of the _authority_ on which the great commission proceeds. This we have presented to us in that one commanding and most comprehensive sentence "_It is written_"--a sentence which ought to be engraved in characters deep and broad on the tablet of every Christian's heart.