The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-09-05
INTERNATIONAL
NNMSGIOOL
LESSON
By r. o. SELLERS, Director Of Evening
Department. The Moody Bible Institute,
Chicago)
LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER
THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS

GOLDEN TEXT-"Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul. and with all thy strength.
and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor
as myself" Luke 1921.
This lesson considers a third ques-
tion asked of our Lord; two others
In this connection we studied last
week. It was not SO much a ques-
ton Of placing one commandment in
competition with another, but rather
which commandment most clearly
epttomizes or reveals the final prin-
ctple In law. 1t was the business OF
this scribe to know the law and to
interpret the commandments. Jesus
in his reply quotes from Deut. 5:4'
and from Lev. 1918, which are both
in a an exposition of the Deca-
logue.
Love the Basis.
]. The answer Of Jesus, w. 2s-3A,
The scribe's question seemed to be
quite specific and so the Lord strikes
at once at the heart and by his quota
ton reveals to us the fact that the
principle which is the inspiration OF
the law is that of love. In passing
we have here another illustration OF
the masters ready use and knowledge
Of the Scripture. Jesus makes a
God with (a) the heart, e. g., in sin
cerity and u~prightness; (b) with the
soul, with the warmth Of the emo
tons, and the feelings; (c) with all
thy mind" the intellect, not as a blind
devotee; (d) with strength" viz,
with intensity of service, with energy.
ITO love God with all the heart and
soul and mind and strength is to have
supreme desire for and delight in
Gods glory, making everything else
second to that" This statement Is
but half, for the complement Of our
love Of God is to love man. Mar
created in Gods image was so loved"
by God that he gave his son John
3:16) man a do not less and must
express that love in service to others.
To fail in the first is to break the
greatest of the commandments and
therefore to be guilty of all, Rom.
1928. Notice the order is not man
then God, but God first. First in bust
ness, in social life, in pleasure, in
everything, and not to do so Is sin.
The similarity of these two is in that
the same principle Of love governs in
both cases. From l John APO, 81, II
would seem that the second is really
involved in the first. If we love God
whom we have not seer We must love
men whom we have soon and who are
made IN the image and likeness Of
God. This scribe readily saw that
spiritual worship is the very essence
of the answer of Christ. This is also
the teaching of the Old Testament.
see l Samuel 1929. Church going,
psalm singing, saying prayers, or even
reading the Bible are not a substitute
for love, either to God or man. We
are justified in Gods sight by our
faith but in the sight of man by u
works. Many who profess to be
Christians do not seem to manifest as
clear a moral and spiritual discern
ment as this scribe for they place a
greater emphasis upon doing rather
than being, upon works rather than
upon service. Worship and service
must go hand in hand. AS this scribe
recognized this truth he confessed his
recognition with candor and earnest
ness.
Human and Deity.
u. The question Of Jesus, w. 35-
81. Our Lords question In return
was a Messianic one and he grounds
his argument on the 10th Psalm, a
Messianic one. Jesus is inferior to
David as his son according to the
flesh but superior to him as lord of
the kingdom of which David himself
Is a subject and not the sovereign.
Christ is both human and deity; his
kingdom is spiritual and earthly SOW
ereigns are honored II they are his
subjects.
III. The teaching Of Jesus, w.. 80
40. The word doctrine" in verse IS
is translated teaching" in the re
vision. These words Of warning are
full Of solemn Significance. The
scribes, and they have their imitators
today, sought the places of prefer
ment, the seats of honor In the syna
gogue and the chief places at the
feasts. The motive that governed
them was a selfish one. They de
youred widows houses, and sought tc
cover their c~ovetousness and dishon'
esty by long prayers and a pretense
OF piety. This brought upon them the
greater condemnation" Matt. 24:51
Law and love is here again In con
trast. Law must become life.
w. The view Of Jesua, w. 4144
Jesus had one look OF love and com
passion for his friends and the need!
and another hat was exceedingly ter
rible for his enemies. Thus It was Al
a master teacher that he saw RICH
at hand an illustration for his les
SOL, an application of the truth in thu
case of the widow who gave out of he
penury and because of her love fol
God, supporting these carping. selfish
scribes. She had two mites (abou'
f%ourth-hfths of a cent? and might hav'
withheld n except that the rabbi
forbade the offering OF a single one
Her love, however, went beyond tn
tenth" and she gave "all," therefor
in proportion to their means she "cas
more than they ALL" see II Cor. s:1i
Offerings are needed still for tn
Lords work. Jesus is "over agains
A. troaauro1 ond oaaaaD whn ~ 4