The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-11
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR AUGUST Is.
Lesson Text: "Abstaining For the Sake of
Others" I Cor. viii, lib "a Temper
ance Lesson>-Golden Text: Romans,

Lesson Text "Abstaining For the Sake of
Others" I Cor. Will, lib "a Temper
ance Lesson>-Golden Text: Romans,
Wv, documentary by Rev. stearns.
1: Now as touching things offered unto
idols, we know that we all have knowl-
edge. knowledge puffeth up, but charity
ediheth." The r. v. has for the last clause,
Love edifeth, or buildeth up The words
"Now as touching" introduce us to n new
section OF the epfstle. Compare chapters
VIII, 1; xii, 1; xvi, l. This section seems
to reach to the end OF chapter XII, and
might be summed up in the words Of chap
ter K, 81, whether therefore ye eat or
drink, or whatsoever We do, do all to the
glory Of God" The great incentive to this
is Remembrance Of Him till He come"
(chapter XII, 24-26).
.. and II any nun think that he know
eth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as
he ought to know" 1t is said that "to
know our Ignorance is the first step to
knowledge" The great men Of the Bible
story knew nothing except as they were
told by God. Noah knew nothing concern
ing the ark, nor even when to enter 1t or
leave it, except as God told him. Moses
knew nothing concerning the tabernacle,
nor the journeyings Of Israel, except as
Goo told him. The prophets, and even our
Lord Jesus Christ, were told by God what
to say eek. w., IL; Deut. xviii, Is; Jer. l., y.
8. But If any man love God, the same is
known Of him." The Lord knoweth them
that are His, and those who know His name
will put their trust in Him. We love Him
because He first loved us. He so loved as
to give His only begotton Son, and the Son
OF God loved me and gave Himself for me.
Unless His great love so takes hold of me
md onnofrotn1 WA &h.t .-o -~.,.Ie
wholly to Him to serve and please Him
only 1 do not know His love as I should.
Love seeks not its own and is not provoked;
but suffereth long, and is kind and beareth
all things (chapter xiii, 40. God Is love,
and will manifest it in Us.
4. eve know that an idol is nothing in
the world, and that there is hone other God
but one" This is fully set forth in lisa. xii,
"a; Xiv, $40: "Ye are worse than nothing,
and your work worse than Of q viper. An
abomination chooseth you." "They that
make a craven image are all of them vani.
ty, and their delectable things shall not
profit, and they are their own witnesses.
They see not nor know; that they may be
ashamed" But the people Of God are wit.
nesses that He is the living and true God,
and that there Is none beside Him elsa. XIV,
g..
s, 6. For though there be that are called
gods, to us there Is but one God, the Faith:
or, Of whom ore ell things and we in Him,
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are
all things, and we by Him." All things
Is before all things, and by Him all things
consist (Col. t., Is, 17). From Rev. w., II,
and I Pet. w., II, we may learn to say.
Thou art worthy, o Lord, and I am for
Thy pleasure, that God in all things may
be glorifed through Jesus Christ"
z. "Howbeit, there Is not in every man
that knowledge" There are those to-day,
as there. were those at Corinth, who bear
the name Of Christ and yet offer their time
and strength and money to the idols OF
fashion and pleasure and the vain things
OF this world, and think it all right so to do.
If you ask, Are they truly Christ's. people?
are not truly serving him. AS to this being
His, chapter ILL.,, IA, Is, and ", 5, seem to
suggest that possibly they may be, and
they may be saved as by fire, just barely
saved.
8. But meat commendeth US not to God"
What we eat or do not eat Is a small ques-
ton, except as regards the body's health.
The kingdom Of God Is not meat and drink,
but righteousness and peace and Joy in the
Holy Ghost (Rom. xiv, ~. Our Lord Him
self said, whatsoever thing from without
entereth into the man, 1t cannot defle him;
that which cometh out Of the man, that de-
fleth the man. MARK vii, 1s, 20). Tho
salvation Of the soul depends wholly upon
we are accepted by God as His children en-
tirely upon the merits Of Christ. We de-
serve nothing but punishment for our sins.
Yet, coming as sinners, we are justified
freely by His grace (Rom. ILL.,, 24). The
same grace, and that alone, makes accept
able what we do unto Him.
9. "But take heed lest by any means this
liberty Of yours becomes q stumbling block
to them that are weak" Liberty Is always
out Of place when 1t hurts others. Love
seeketh not her own. Many things may be
lawful for US that are not %expedient. The
question is not, How will this or that affect
me, but how will 1t affect Him and His
cause for whom I am living herep We are
on the witness stand all the day long, and
we are either true or false witnesses unto
Him by the books we read, the company we
keep and the places we frequent. We are
either pointing people to Christ and draw
ing'them to. Him, or we are like Naomi,
sending some Orpah back to Moab and
idolatry.
10, II. Through thy knowledge shall
the weak brother perish, for whom Christ
died." As Christ died for all, then all who
will may come to Him and be saved. But
IL I, a Christian, I'M seen in the idols tem-
pie, the theatre, the ballroom, the card
party, and there Is present some poor soul
enjoying these things because he knows Of
nothing better, yet hungering for m
thing he has not and cannot find, although
possibly having heard that Christ can sat-
isfy, and he sees me in sue a place, then he
may we'll say or hin that there Is nothing
in II, for, see, these Christians are just as
hungry as I am for the pleasures Of this
world.
u. "But when ye sin so against the
brethren and wound their weak conscience
ye sin against Christ" All that is done for
or against a child Of God Is done for or
against God and His Christ. The "Inas-
much" OF Math. XIV, 40, As. Is always ap-
plicable. A Christian may be a stumbling
block over whom some unsaved soul may
stumble into eternal torment, or may bytn
consistent conduct not only lose his "
works, but lead others so that their works
will perish too. This will be avoided il we
remember that we are ambassadors fer
Christ and that we are here In His stead to
say and do what He would II He were here
Oh Cor. v, 20).
"13. wherefore, II meat make my broth
er to offend, I will eat no flesh while the
world standeth, lest I make my brother to
offend" One says that whatever hurts
tho weak ought to be avoided by the
strong. Sometimes it is as important not
to do as to do. Daniel was a great re-
Trainer. He refused the dainties and seem
ingly essential things Of the kings table
for conscience's sake toward God.-Lesson
Helper,