Passaic City record., 1897-06-19
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JUNE 20.

10. s'But why dost thou Judge thy broth
er, or why dost thou set at naught thy
brother? For we shall all stand before the
Judgment seat of Christ" Having made
plain in the first part of this epistle the sim
fulness of all men, and that while by good
works no one can be saved God saves freely
for Christs sake all who received Him, He
in these closing chapters sets forth the life
that should be lived by those who are
saved. The tendency to look around US
and criticise and Judge others IS very great,
1t is the same spirit that led Simon Petel
to ask, ''And what shall this man dop'
(John xxi, 21). To which our Lord re-
piled: ''What is that to thee? Follow thou
Me- In l Cor. w., 5, we are plainly in
structed to Judge nothing before the time
until the Lord come"
IL. ''For it is written, AS I live, saith the
Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every
tongue shall confess to Cod This is from
Isa. XIV, %, and is also quoted in Phil. H.,
10. Inasmuch as there Is but one to be our
Judge, for the Father hath committed all
judgment unto the Son (John ", 22) and
hath appointed a day in which He will judge
the world in righteousness by the Man
whom He hath ordained, whom He hath
raised from the dead (Acts xvii, 81, 1t
surely becomes us to bow to Him in every
thought, word and act and let His requests
and decisions settle everything.
12. $50 then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God.'' Every mans
work shall be made manifest, and every
man shall receive his own reward accord
ing to his own labor 0 Cor. ill.,, 8, Ii. The
epistle is written to all the beloved of God
in Rome, called saints, and the apostle is
calling their attention in this part Of the.
epistle to the handing in Of their accounts
as the Lords stewards at the judgment seat
of Christ, where, If 1 understand it, none
but the saints shall appear. Compare I
Thess. w., 16, II, and Cor. xv., 49, with
Rev. Xxx, 5, 6.
ID. s.Let us not, therefore, judge one an
other any more, but judge this rather, that
no man put stumbling block or an occa-
sion to fall In his brothers way" Only the
Lord, who can read the thoughts of our
hearts, is capable of judging our conduct
correctly: s'He shall not judge after the
sight of His eyes, neither reproye after the
hearing of His ears, but with righteousness
shall He judge (Isa. XII, 3, ~. But while
we are in some things to reserve judgment
we are to try the spirits as to what we hear
taught, for if we bid godspeed to false
teacher we are partaker with Him G John
iy., 1; II John K, ID.
IA. ''I know and am persuaded by the
Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of
itself, but to him that esteemeth anything
to be unclean to him it is unclean." The
topic especially before the apostles mind
was that of eating or not eating certain
kinds of food oversees 2, 81. In another
epistle it was that of keeping certain days
as well as that of eating and drinking (Col.
H., 16, 17).
Is. 'But, if thy brother be grieyed with
thy meat, now walkest thou not charita-
bly,, according to love. Destroy not him
with thy meat for whom Christ died." Love
does not say: II can do as please. If
others do not like it, that is not my affair.
I will not deny myself an innocent enjoy
ment because they do not like it, That is
the self in US which talks that way. Love
seeketh not her own and endureth all
things. s'Even Christ pleased not HIMSELF
(Rom. XIV, -, but even sought the glory
Of God and could say, II do always those
things that please Him."
49, "Let not then your good be evil
spoken Of" One might say that this or
that is good for my health, and need it,
and the doctor prescribes it, and there is
nothing against it. Well, be it SO. Happy
is he that condemneth not himself in that
thing which he alloweth, but have it to
thyself before God (verse 22), and do not
cause others to stumble.
IT, Tor the kingdom of God is not meat
and drink, but righteousness and peace
and Joy in the Holy Ghost" AS one has
said, the chief business Of the company for
whom Christ died is not eating and drink
ing, but right relation to God, our neigh
bors and ourselves. Peace and joy come
by believing (chapter XIV, 13)-that is, by
receiving Him (John t., 12), who is our
righteousness and peace q Cor. l., 80; Erh.
H., 14). All food and raiment necessary for
US are made sure to us in Him (Math. XIV,
31-33).
IS. ssFor he that in these things serveth
Christ is acceptable to God and approved
of men," Acceptable or well pleasing to
God is the main thing, whether men ap-
prove or not. When we please God, the peo-
pie of God, who are themselves right with
God, will surely approve. Others may con,
demn. But consider Him who endured con-
tradiction of sinners against Himself lest ye
be weary and faint (Heb. xiii, 81. No one
can be as well pleasing to God as His Be-
loved Son, and His treatment from men
must be good enough for us (John XIV, 49,
20). Let US continually "serve the living
and true God and wait for His Son from
heaven" and all will be well q Thess. l.,
9, 10).
10. 'tLet us therefore follow after the
things which make for peace and things
wherewith one may edify another" not
peace at any price, regardless of the right
or wrong OF it, but the peace which is of
God and in fellowship with the Prince OF
Peace. Even He said, 81 come not to send
peace, but sword (Math. x, 34). And He
spoke of trouble even in households for
His sake. We are to preach peace, to live
peace and to seek the peace even of our
enemies, but it must be in fellowship With
Christ and never apart from Him.
~. r OF mcdI OoSLEOy uOt tA0-WoIh VI
God All things indeed are pure. But it
is evil for him who eateth with offense."
In verse 15 we had, sd estroy not him." and
here it is, destroy not the work of God"
In Eph. H., 10, we read that eve are His
workmanship In what sense can this be
destroyed? 1t cannot refer to the loss of
the soul, for no truly saved soul can ever
perish (John x, 27, 2S; ill.,, 16). But as
The judgment seat of Christ is the place of
judging here referred to, where only the