The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-02-12
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
TN tf2NATiONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR FEBRUARY IS.


"linto ;EdrlGIleXXing questions ,>,. $50. !.
mas offered in '"' ,I';n ~ ''',
jv ,n ihn", u"e altar, and which hunn.rL part.
,en,".,ut :; ." ,n"Sc who had offered ,hrm, These
held in the temmI.mne TIImei,mcS eaten. at feast,
houses trlhr. 10: ~: sn, ,w, ?r J." plEi';"
.me !T, markets by the priests ~. h' S"'" 80
n" question WAS whether !; r,n, .n' ,.", ,r;'.i
with i'nlai'T i'H 20 mn1r'alic Of food comncr1rL
M,'n '""'''iH. such meats wrrr ,,,h;t f ~
DN the council at .Dcrusalcm 'o,h,o"rn
hci"rr because the act was "T. rT."h years
Jewish brethren 'Acts Is: % smo"'1S,'' niH to
e' tion necdr% ' "Iio" fo ic Grnile city The n"s @
rs not h'hg. Nuthing but \ carved hT,s,I. hTn'.I:.
OIL wood or stone. having no power o,,n,. ''t ,t N
meat or the eater. None in the Cornt h;,', h;r
GIn,.rG"; I"rrG ;,, whether Jews or Gcn,iles. he
naM ,i",, Hnowlc,lgc alike tha( far The Gucs. .
,,, .'o, WAS put upon nnot her point. and Tor
"tti.icneh, they appealed To Paul. "Nnur
o.;ier ''Hd put one The Creator and sis
tat;'' atIrr o, al thmeS; There is no rcprc.cn-
gods. " guy ~ 'hr '""i-
.. "tallcd god, in heaven" \. ,,,,
t"n' E,' moon planet. stars. In earth" Del
mSd k'n2SS' beasts, rivers, srrpcmts. etc.
;ri, ~" he"'h'n had many imaginary rods.
0On 900. >''''''" ''''-
6. "'ro us Chris, ian~ .onc God"
Nn lhai is needed, TOR in llin ,wclls all
now!er ,;4! ana love. ,"Fnthcr." The Chris.
originating cause Of all thing>. I'VE in
lin. LIN. IN Ills Thought, His care. We we're
created Tor Him. and our hivhr>, hlupiucss
IS % II! nElnE IN lis glory. "Unc I.o,I Jesus
EHniIl,S'. The Fathcrs Son. one with the
Father. our Lord and Saviour, ",hrnu'l,
whose med cdiation are i'll! things, nrluJ;nEy l,"JG;ny
,h' n''ura and spiritual crcation." (Iohm
!: l'3; Eph. 3: -. We nv Him 10.
deemed, deemed hy Him. and again hy lin to be
:, s.. "''"S' ''"'' not S''''''""' Tvs.
,, t.. "tlowhcit," etc. The Corinthians ar
R"cd that they all knew that an idol was
mothlng, but Paul replied that This was not
a atNcrsaif inc ease. that some were not
Hrt entirely free from their hcathen ideas
Many were very ignorant, hnvinr lust "s.
ciaprd ir0m heather idolatry. with but it,
,lr knowledge OF the truths OF ,hr uosncl
ptd customs chung to their memory and
aI'"".'" ,inna ",iI ,hGm N many ways. knowledge
own own liberty of action is not The Standard
(onscirnrc Of the idol" Sec Il. i Ims.
TOM hnd wrought in them II rcvcvcnE for
thr lIoI which Christianity had noN vet
cn,'r"iy cleared away. A reformed drunk.
ard walks past a saloon with diffcrcn, feel
llES from one who has never known ,hc
taste tor strong drink. "Cunsccncc bcin.
weak. from want oi knowledge MOI
slrong enough TO grasp 6rmlv Che great
'r"il that an idol is nothing: only able TO
see that the Worship oi idols is sin. 4
"eaE conscience is ono which either re.
Rards rs wrong what IN fact is no; So. or
ono which is not clear and decided in TI>
judgments, or one which has not power
rhhouEn to restrain person from doing the
thlng 1t condemns. lis dcfilcd." Whether
n thing be right or wrong hr who in doing
1T goes against his conscience wrongs him,
self !, his harolcns the conscience. di<,orts
1t, wcakens it, blinds it.
y. but, etc This verse is {" be re-
Sardcd as the view taken by The Corfu
th'ans IN their letter TO The apostle Paul
grants their position. but shows chat there
are other points to be considered. Com
mcndcth us not. God docs not thuk any
from eating. II is our characters. our
moral condition, our love, moi some formal
nG nGt or eating or fasting, for which He cares.
ne 1000 itself was Just tho same whether
~ mad ever been offered to idols or not.
It's having been i'll an idol temple did not
IN he least affect it in any way. II j.
we'll to remember that education alone
never makes person better. 4 knowledge
OF right and wrong. and the study OF ethics
ILL., MLi n0t eradlcat" vicious propcnsitcs.
o"2h regeneration OF heart. whereby we
arc enabled TO love God and our ncighbor
~ The duty of guarding thc weak
g.. 'Bu, take heed" This verse i p,u,.s
reply to The argument Of the Corinthians
III verse g.. Though You NAV be no better
or worse tor eating or not eating. VET If
your conduct Injuries others and leads
ihcm INTO sin you should abstain entirely.
II Is lar more important that your brother
should not he led into sin than that Won,
Sshouid ,partakc OF meat which YOU ar.
knnwlcdgc is in itself o' no imooriancr,
rms IL general principle which should
,!"GIi rr%"ia'G atrSt'nn conduct at al times;
from sunrrrstitions notions. it iS contrary
TO tho spirit OF love TO hinder another who
= not yet so far enlightened. ~ stun
hl!nS hlorE. q means of confusion. which
might lrad TO the "v.rrthrnw Of L,ith.
10. "lf any man" If the Christian who
* ignorant, or he heath seeking light.
See thcc,-n the idols icmplc.'' Some
went so far as not onlv to cat but 10 eat
IN 'hc precincts Of the heather temple.
The apostle. being concerned now only
this practice here, but he does 50 fully in
chap. 10: l4-22. "Bc embroidered. = B..
built up, be confirmed in the belief tha,
an idol is something. and so be led 80 vio-
late ills conscience and become established
~: For. whom Christ died. A pa
thctic and forciblc argument drawn from
the depths OF Christian truth and feeling
win YOU not suffer privation in behalf
OF the soul for whom Christ died?
II: "Yc sin against Christ" .'By injur.
ing His children. whose wrong lie feels n.
Ills own; by inimring His cn,Is" and de-.
stroy ing the work He has come to do, and
by ,misrnc,!prescnting His ,Spirit.",
IL. "Whercforc." This is the conclusion
Of the whole matter. "'To Offend Gauss
him to stumble and fall into sin. ''Will
cat no flesh" In order to insure my avoid
ing flesh offered to idols I would abstain
from all kinds of flesh in order not to Inc
II stumbling block. 'Tcst." etc. This is
thc manifestation of true love. See Y. I.
is danger even here. We may by obeying
another mans false conscience confirm his
sci;-conccit. or establish a false morality.
Against; hhis danger Paul specially pro
vidc3. While he complies with the weak
brothers error he openly proclaims that it.
is an error. and that he COMPLIES not for
truth. but from tenderness. He yields to
thc unnnmnd conscience. but nothing you'd
in duce him to admit that the conscience
was sound. .