Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-03-19


Stearns.
10 For, though be free from all men,
yet nave l made myself servant unto all,
that might gain the more. " For the
sake of q temperance lesson we turn from
the narrative in the Acts to a section of
this epistle but it Is a temperance lesson
in the sense of every form of restraint and
control of the self life that the Christ life
may be made more manifest, and thus the
gospel be lived as we'll as preached in or
der to gain more people for Christ The
section in which we find our lesson begins
with chapter viii, /, and runs to the end Of
chapter xi, the beginning of each section
being easily recognized by the words
"now as touching" or "now concerning"
Chapters vii, 1; viii, /; xii, 1; xvi, y. The
central thought in this section seems to be
chapter x, 81, whether, therefore, ye eat or
drink or whatsoever We do, do all to the
glory of Cod, the object of such life be-
ing primarily that God in all things
may be glorified through Jesus Christ Il
Pet. iv, 11), and then that some may be
saved (chapters tx, %; K, 33). Paul was in
debted to no one for favors; he was under
compliment to no one. He said to these
very Corinthians that if he had wronged
them it was in that he had not been a bur
den to them, and for this he asked their
forgiveness. He sought them and not
their possessions Oh Cor. xii, 49, 1D. Be
ing thus free from obligation to all, except
the obligation laid upon him by God to
preach the gospel to all, he gladly became
servant to all for Christ's sake that he
might gain more for Christ.
20. unto the Jews became as a Jew
that 1 might gain the Jews" We must
think of Paul as a servant of Christ, n
member of the body of Christ in perfect
joint and health, under full and complete
control of Christ the head, and ever seek
ing in all things to please Him Chapters iii,
8; xii ~; Gal i, 10; Thess, H. A.. He
had great desire that Christ should be
magnifcd in his body whether by life or
by death phil. /, 20). We must keep this
in mind in considering this and the next
two verses lest we might be tempted to
think Paul guilty of some Inconsistency
or of conniving at a wrong thing in order
to win men to Christ. He was a jew and
knew what it was to live under the law.
In dealing with such he would, as far as
he conscientiously could, put himself in
their place and from their standpoint lead
them to Christ.
81. ITO them that are without law, as
without law, that might gain them that
are without law" He often speaks of
gentiles as them that are without. He
would have believers exercise special care
in walking honestly toward them 50 as to
win them. AS far as Paul could in the
sight of God, he put himself in their place,
saw things with their eyes and from their
standpoint sought to lead them to Christ
that they might be saved.
%. "To the weak became l as weak
that l might gain the weak. L am made
all things to all men that 1 might by all
means save some" In Rom. XIV. 1-3, he
takes, rs he always does, Christ for his eX
ample and teaches us not to please our
selves, but others, and to bear the inhrmi-
ties of the weak, and this even in the COM
mon acts of eating and drinking, as the
context shows. There is a self centered
life and Christ centered life, and, though
strange it is yet true sadly true, that the
former is often manifest in believers to
the great grief of the Spirit and dishonor
of God. Paul, like his Master thought
not of himself, but of how he could glorify
Christ and win people to Him.
90 And this l do for the gospels
sake, that l might be partaker thereof with
you" What is this which, as servant
of Christ, he is aiming to be a partaker OF?
1t cannot be eternal life, the gift of God
nor the forgiveness of sins, nor peace with
God, nor justification, nor sanctification,
for all these come to us in Christ freely
by virtue of His finished work See Rom.
iii, "a; V, l viii, /; l Cor. iii, 2l-23; vi,
II. We do not work for redemption and
its benefits; but, receiving Christ as God S
unspeakable gift to us, we believe that
His divine power hath given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness
Gil Pet j. -. Being saved man through
the blood of Christ, Paul knows that de-
NAL of self in preaching the gospel will
bring him a reward Oversees II, 49,, and he
wishes the believers at Corinth to share
this with him.
"a. "KnOw ye not that they which run
in race run all, but one rcceiveth the
prize. go run that We may obtain" Now,
Salvation is not obtained by running, for
we cannot run till we have obtained sal
walton. Until we are saved we are dead in
trespasses and sins (Eph. ii, 81, and dead
people cannot run for God. To run in an
| ordinary race, those who desire to run must
first entcr so in the race before us, the
| Christian life OF race, we must first enter,
and the entrance is at the cross. The fee
Is paid for all who are willing to enter, for
| the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin.
25. And every man that striveth for
the mastery is temperate in all things
! Now, they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown, but we an incorruptible. The
! wreath, the reward, the honor associated
with the victor in the Grecian games soon
faded or passed away, but the Christian
seeks a crown incorruptible to cast at the
feet of Christ (Rev. iv, 100. That there
are rewards for the faithful in addition
to salvation, which is the free gift of God,
and that it is possible to he rewarded or
be saved and have no reward. See l Cor
iii, IA, 10; II John viii Rev. xxi, IL;
Luke xiv, II, etc.
26. Il therefore so run, not as uncer-
tainly; so fight |, not as one that beateth
the air" In an ordinary race there is un-
certainty as to who shall win, and only
one can possibly win the prize. In the
Christian race there need be no uncertain
ty, for Christ Himself will be the judge,
and He will reward every one according
to his works All who will may have re-
wards for service-the crown of life for
patient endurance, the crown of our lesson
ffnNs Al mil lfaf Golf OF. 4 Ina q.