The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-03-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR MARCH ".
Subject; Tho Slavery OF Sin, John WILL,
3t-4o-GoIden Text, John Will, "a
Memory Verses, 81, 32-Commentary
on the Day's Lesson.

oh tho Dhy y hesnohs
| I. The test and blessings of discipleship
! Tvs. 81, 32); 81. "Then said Jesus Bet
| ter, as II. ", Jesus therefore said" be.
cause many had believed on Him after His
| declaration that He was the Light of the
world, and after His answers to the Phari
sees, and now Jesus directed His remarks
to these new disciples. (Which believed"
The term believed" applies here to the
edge Jesus as the Messiah 'If ye abide
! (R. W Not n fitful, intermittent rela-
ton, but thorough, intense and continuous
I'm My word" II ye obey My command.
ments and follow Ny teachings carefully
Our spirits must drink in Christ's words
as our bodies inhale the atmosphere. No
man is worth listening to on questions of
faith and doctrine who is not himself n
reverent listener to Christ. Abiding in
Gods word must become the permanent
condition of our life. Disciples" A dis.
ciple is learner; one who accepts and fol.
lows another as teacher and master. True
disciples are real representatives of Christ,
who hive holy life before the world.
81. Shall know the truth" Shall know
it doctrinally, spiritually, experimentally,
not as a mere theory but as a living pow.
CT; shall know the reality of things, and
shall know Christ Himself, the embodi.
ment of truth John l4:D. The rulers had
spoken of knowing the law, Jesus speaks
of knowing the truth. This is a species
of learning infinitely transcending all the
guesses of doubling scientists and sneering
philosophers. Make you free" Intelli.
gence Is not sufficient. A learned man is
still a wicked man under the bondage of
SIN unless he has been made free. Knowl-
edge appears as the fruit of faith, and free
dom as the fruit of knowledge. Christ as.
sociates liberty always with the truth,
which He, is Himself, and so presents the
truth as the cause of liberty as the effect.
IL. Freedom offered from the slavery of
sin Tvs. 33-36). 33. "They answered"
Many commentators refer this "they," not
to the many who believed ". 3O), but to
the. other jews who had not believed. The
little episode of verses 30-32 is thus held as
a pleasant parenthesis, and the believers
are all allowed to be genuine and perhaps
permanent. The words cannot be spoken
OF the simple people who had already be-
heved, but to the carping, caviling Phari-
sees. "Abraham's seed" They had Abra-
hams blood in their veins, but not his
faith in their hearts. "Never in bondage"
This answer was not more true than the
language of pride ordinarily. Politically,
the seed of Abraham had been in bondage
to Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome.
Spiritually, they had been in bondage to
idoiatr1es In past times, were now to the
rabbis, who were literalists in interpreta-
ton, and without spirituality or sympathy
Matt. 23;4. How sayest Thou" Upon
what possible principle dost Thou promise
to US that which we already are proud of
possessing, viz, glorious liberty? We al
ready possess as our birthright what Thou
art Offering to us as the full result of dis
"a. Verify, verify" A solemn declara-
ton enforced by these words. "Whoso-
ever committeth sim In these words
Jesus utterly expels the political question
from His scope. He states first the princi.
pie and then the application. He spoke of
a more degrading bondage and a higher
freedom than they imagined. He whose
tendency and habit is to commit sin. He
who makes choice of sin; prefers the way
of wickedness before the way of holiness;
who makes a covenant with sin, enters into
league; who makes a custom of sin; who
walks after the flesh and makes a trade of
sin. "Is the servant of sin" Is the slave.
the bond-servant OF sin. He does the work
of sin, supports its interests and accepts
its wages. He cannot dismiss sin at pleas
ure; the moment he attempts it he finds
the chains drawn tighter Dream not of
freedom while under the mastery of your
desires.
Temperance instruction may be brought
in at this point. No bondage is greater
than the bondage to strong drink. Servi-
tude is repulsive to all men. In our land
of freedom men demand their rights in
business, yet there are hundreds Of men
and boys and sometimes women who put
themselves under the bondage of the drink
habit.
80. 'The servant abideth not" The
reference may be to Hagar and Ishmael
and lsaac-the bond and the free. They
had spoken of themselves as the seed of
Abraham. Jesus shows them that these
may be of that seed two kinds: the son,
properly so call, and the slave. These
Jews might be the seed of Abraham, and
yet, not being his spiritual children, might
not abide in his household of faith. Not
off ,ta1
tion were destroyed, and the Gentiles took
their place in the kingdom of God. Think
not to be made free from sin by the rites
and ceremonies of the law of Moses, for
Moses was but a servant and had not that
parental authority in the church which the
Son had ''The Son abideth" (R. w The
comparison here is between any son and a
bond servant, and son should not begin
with capital. Sinners are slaves, Chris
tians are sons and heirs. 80. 'If the Son."
Christ now refers to Himself. The Son of
God alone has power to liberate those who
are are slaves lave to sin. Jesus Christ, il, the head
and has full authority and ability. The
Father hath given all things into His hand
lJohn l7:2). free indeed The Jews
boasted of an imaginary freedom, but the
liberty which Christ offered was real and
lasting in its effects. 1t would have saved
the patton from the bondage of captivity
to Babylon centuries before; it would
save them from bondage to the Romans.
What freedom they had under the Romans
was due to what they had learned and
practiced Of the word, Jesus knew that
deliverance from the Roman yoke was the
great work expected from the Messiah.
He therefore spiritualized this hope.
III. Jesus shows the character of the
wicked Jews Tvs. 37-40). 81. "Abraham's
seed" Christ admits their claim that they
are the natural descendants of Abraham,
but denies that they are his children ".
39) in the highest and best sense. Seek
to kill" That they desired the death of
Abraham's truest Son is proof that they
are not true sons of Abraham. Thsir MUIR
derous intent proves that they are children
Of the devil ". Az instead of Abraham.
mo place in YOU" You do not allow Ny
word to enter your hearts and lives. 3S.
II speak," etc. The Son existed with the
Father during past eternity and He reports
the things He had seen, "Ye do" etc.
Their father was Satan w. 44), and they
were instructed and led by him. 80, 40.
The argument here is that they were not
true children of Abraham because they
were not like Abraham in character and
their.