Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-10-28

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON V, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. 20.
Near i. & O. Freight Depot.

IL, 13-Golden Text, Rom. XIV, Com
mentary by the Rev. d. NJ. stearns.
l. Now as touching things offered unto
idols we know that we all have knowledge
knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifi-
eth" The various sections of this epistle
begin with the phrase, Now concerning. -
Compare vii, /; xii, l; xvi, l. This section,
which begins with our lesson, covers the
whole question of living unto God and
Others instead of unto ourselves and is
well summarized in the golden text All
self pleasing is on the line of putting up,
but the love which seeks the good of others
tends to build up the individual and also
to complete the spiritual temple, the
church. We may not bow down to wood
and stone, but to bow down to self is as bad
or worse. We must bow only to God-all
else is the worship of devils Chapter X,
20, 2D
2. And if any man think that he know.
eth anything he knoweth nothing yet as he
ought to know" One has said that "to
know our ignorance is the first step to
knowledge" 1t is on the line of Gal vi, 3,
''If man think himself to be something
when he is nothing, lie deceiveth himself -
The Lord Jesus gave all credit to the Fa-
ther both us to His words and works (John
xii, 40; xiv, Icy, and if we have His Spirit
we will, like Paul, give all the glory to the
Spirit of God and to the grace of God q Cor
ii, 49, XIV, 10Y.
3. But if any man love God the same is
known of Him" He knoweth them that
trust in Him" THE Lord knoweth them
that are his (Nah. IL; II Tim. ii, 19), and bet
ter still, The Lord hath set apart him that
is godly for HIMSELF Ops. iv, 81. We are a
people for His own possession Titus ii, IA,
r. W. When we see clearly the love of
Christ and are sweetlyconstrained by it, as
we will surely be when we see it, we shall
70 longer live unto ourselves, but unto
Him who died for us and rose again Oh
Cor V, IA, 15).
4. las concerning therefore the eating of
those things that are offered in sacrifice
unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing
in the world and that there is none other
God but one" Such is the teaching of the
law and the prophets. THE Lord He is
God in heaven above and upon the earth
beneath. There is none else" II am God.
and thlre is none else. l am God, and there
is none like me-" As to idols, they are
worse than nothing worse than IL viper
Deut iv, 30; lisa. XVI, 9; XII, "a margin)
5. For though there be that are called
gods whether in heaven or in earth, Ms
there be gods many and lords many
Heathendom is full of gods and goddesses,
so called. Perhaps it is their fancifnl gods
who are spoken of in Ps. lxxxii, l, 6, He
judgeth among the gods; have said ye
are gods" or else those who worship them
Compare John X, 34-36
6. But to us there is but one God, the
Father, of whom are all things and we in
Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
are all things and we by Him" One God
and Father of all, who is above all and
through all and in all (Eph. iv, O.. One
Jesus Christ, Lord of ALL of whom it is
written, "All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made
that was made" GAN things were created
by Him and for Him. John i, 3: Col. i. 16l.
Z. "Howbeit there is not in every man
that Knowledge for some, with conscience
of the idol unto this hour, eat it as a thing
offered unto an idol, and their conscience
being weak is defiled. Some had turned to
God from idols q Thess i, 8, last clause), but
had not fully renowned all idolatry, like
those who today receive Christ as their
Saviour, or profess to, but see no harm in
lots of things which a better knowledge of
God and Il little more Of the Holy Spirit
would show them to be not of the Father.
but of the world Il John ii, l5-l1).
8. But meat commendeth US not to God,
for neither if we eat are we the better: nei-
tier il we eat not are we the worse" The
love of God to us is regardless of any doing
on our part-that is He loved us when we
were dead in sins (Eph. ii, I, s., having moth.
ing to commend us to Him, and having ac-
cepted Him we are accepted in Him,
washed, sanctified, justified (Eph. i, G; !
Cor vi, IL The kingdom of God is not
meat and drink. We are not to give thought
to these things, but rather to Righteousness.
JOY, peace and the fruit Of the Spirit from
xiv, II; Math vi 1913; XIV, III.
9. But take heed, lest by any means this
liberty of yours become stumbling block
to them that are weak" Our liberty in
Chris is not for self qualification Gal V.
l3), to do as we please about this or that,
but that we may enjoy Christ to the full
and be filled with and led by the Spirit for
the glory of God and the good of Others
(Eph. V, IS, 10; Gal. V, l6l. Not, May | do
this or that? bat, How can best advance
His kingdom and win men to Him.
10. For if any man see thee which hast
knowledge sit at meat in the idols temple,
shall not the conscience of him which is
weak be emboldened to eat those things
which are offered to idols?" Liberty is al
ways out of place when it hurts others If
this was only believed and acted upon, how
different things would be both in the world
and in the church!
II. And through thy knowledge shall
the weak brother perish, for whom Christ
diedf" knowledge may kill, but love viii
not. Whatever makes more of oae's self
will prove y stumbling block. whatever
exalts Christ tends to life. 1t is fearful 10
think that Christians may by their SELLS :
ness and Inconsistencies prove such stun
bling blocks as to send people to pertlition
II we would only consider we'll this fact az
we meet people-Here is one for whom
Christ died. How can make him know it9
how different our lives would be!
II. But when ye sin so against the
brethren and wound their weak conscience
ye sin against Christ" Whatever touches
a member of the body of Christ touches
Christ Himself (Math. XIV, 40, Is, Acts tx,
4, 81. He that toueheth you toucherh the
apple of His eye (Zech. ii, 81. All life is eli
Their for Christ or against Christ. We are
either living walking Bibles procIainling
Him by word and deed, or we are libels,
processing to be His, but by word and deed
dishonoring Him. He never pleased Him
self. but in things glorified God.
Is. "Whe4 tforc, If meat make my brother
to offend, will eat no flesh while the world
standeth, lest ! make my brother To of.
fend." Or, as in Rom. xiv, q, 1T is 20 a
neither to ect flesh nor to drink wine nor
anything whereby thy brother stumbled
or is offended or is made weak" Very easy
to talk, Brother Paul, but why should be
hindered from enjoying that which is law
full because some weak brother may Be of
fendeds That Is the II part of it, which
Is forever settled by tbs Not !, but Christ
motto of Cir, il. 90 What wonld Jesus
dos is the question which comes conlin-
nally to one ho is filled with the Spirit