The true northerner., 1897-08-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for August IL,
1S07-Abstaining for the Sake of
Others-I Corinthians S-1-13.


ARRANGED from Peloubet's Notes.l
GOLDEN TEXT.-For none OF Us l!vefh
TO himself.-Rom 41
founding or the Corinthian church (Acts
iSI-iO and the first ten chapters OF Cor
inthians.
April, A ID. 81. toward the close of Paul's
three years at Ephesus.
A TEMPERANCE LESSON.
1. Some Practical Questions That
Perplexed the Corinthian Church.
V. /. Things offered unto idols:" Were
those portions of the animals offered in
sacrifice which were not laid on the
altar, and which belonged partly TO the
priests, partly to those who had offered
them. These remnants were some
times eaten at feasts holden in the tenn
pies (see V. 10), or in private houses
(Chap. 1927 f), sometimes sold in the
markets, by the priests, or by the poor,
or by the niggardly.
The question, therefore, was:
Whether it was right for the disciples
of Christ to partake of food so connected
with idolatry.
III. Such Questions Cannot Be Set
tied by Mere knowledge and Rights
VS.. II. 1. "We all have knowledge:"
The difficulty does not lie in our igno-
rance of the facts about idols referred TO
below.
Now begins a kind of parenthesis,
which continues through verse 3.
knowledge puffeth up:" Greek, in
flates, fills with wind, as bubble. A
conceited person is one whose nature is
so inflated with self-opinion that he ap-
pears to himself vastly greater than he
really is.
"But charity edifeth:" "Love build
eth up builds up the soul into Gods
spiritual temple. 1t enlarges its nature,
its powers, its character
2. "And if any man think that he
knoweth anything" Thinks that with
out love he really knows anything in
its completeness, in its relations, with
out which there is no true knowledge.
"He knoweth nothing yet as he ought
to know" He has mistaken part for
the whole.
3. "But if any man love God:" The
first and deepest love, and therefore
the love which must extend to man. He
has the principle of love in his heart.
A.. Gas concerning therefore," Hav-
ing laid down the principle, he returns
to his subject to apply the principle.
"We know that an idol is nothing in
the world:" The image is nothing but
wood, or brass, or stone.
7. "Howbeit:" We are not alone and
we cannot act as if alone, for there is
not in every man that knowledge"
about meat offered to idols. Many were
very ignorant, having just escaped from
idolatry. And this fact must affect our
conduct.
III. The Question Settled by Love,
Aided by knowledge and Liberty-Vs.
7-13. For some with conscience of the
idol" Recognizing the idol as a reality
and feeling while eatingthat it is par
taking in its worship. "And their
conscience being weak" A weak con-
science is opposed to a strong, which
very strength consisted in the tender
ness or quickness of discerning a per-
ceptive power. A weak conscience is,
therefore Q), one which either regards
as wrong what is not in fact so; or (2)
one which is not clear and decided in
its judgments (Hodge); or (3) one
person from doing the wrong it con-
demns. us defled:" BY yielding to
what it regards as wrong. /,
Q. Take heed" For what is right to-
you may do wrong to another. BE
come a stumbling block" over which
the weak fall into sin.
10. For if any man." who may feel
thatthe act is wrong, "see thee y
sit It meat in the idols temple" at some
social feast or festival, although you do
not regard it as favoring idolatry or its
sinful accompaniments, and can do it
safely, or think you can. Seeing this,
the man who regards it as wrong may
doe tempted to go against his conscience.
"Weal< be emboldened:" Built up; the
same Greek word is usediin charity edi-
fietb," Verse 1, the weak are built up in
evil, as charity builds up in good.
II. "Shall the weak brother perish:"
The r. V. has the right pointing. This
is not question, but a statement of
fact. He who sins against his con-
science is in the swift road TO destruc-
ton. "For whom Christ died." There
is a great power and pathos in these
WOTUS. Dndll We, lOI TIC SdhC VI
one kind of meat rather than another,
endanger the salvation of those for
whom the eternal Son of God laid down
His life?
13. Wherefore, ir meat (old English
for food in generaD make my brother to
Offend" Cause him to stumble and fall
into sin. Christ declares that we had
better have a milestone tied to our neck
and we be sunk into the sea than 10 Of
fcnd the least of His disciples Matt
1880. 'I will eat no flesh:" In order
TO insure my avoiding flesh offered to
idols I would abstain from all kinds Of
flesh in order not to be a stumbling
block to my brother.
The principle laid down by Paul is one
Of the two great foundation stones OF
the temperance reform. We will not
drink wine or strong drink, even though
we believe them to be harmless to our
selves (Which they are not), because OF
our neighbor. AS Mr.. Cough says, the
Bible surely permits us to abstain from
wine, and we should do it, if by our in
- n.