The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1916-11-09
INTERNATIONAL,
Nll!XlySC[I()OL
LESSON
(By E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director of
Sunday School Course, Moody Bible In
stitute, Chicago0
copyright. 1916. Western Newspaper Union
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER II
WORLDS TEMPERANCE SUNDAY

GOLDEN TEXT-lt is not good to eat
flesh, nor to drink wine nor to do any
thing whereby thy brother stumbleth.-
Rom. 14:21.
The early Christian church had two
outstanding problems, the question or
the Sabbath days (two of them) and
the question of eating meat offered to
IDOLS This lesson suggests the solu-
tlon or the latter. Our modern prob
lem OF Intoxicating liquors is very
much the same as this ancient one OF
the early Gentle Christians.
!. LET us not therefore Judge one
another" (vv. 13-1J). There are GER
tain acts which are universally conccd-
cd to be right and within the Christian
law of liberty. There are also other
acts which are as plainly prohibited.
| There are Il large number Of acts which
lie in the region between these two.
| and men ought to be careful how they
condemn one another for these latter
things. Where good and true men diff
Ter, their acts, on the matter of the
: Sabbath (See Col. 2:16), or on temper
ance, must be determined as being
unto the Lord, sincerely, conscientious
~. IL is not for us to judge ". 13),
literally, to pronounce Judgment. They
nave right to their opinion and to
their liberty of thought and action, but
wv. Ia, 22, 23) as for Paul or tho
christian, he must have clear con-
science. He must have faith, and be
assured that he is right; otherwise he
Is condemned by God ard by his own
n mi 10 ct,
tian disciple. The word therefore" I'm
verse IL points back to verse 12, which
ought to be carefully pondcrcd AS we
nave each to render our accounts to
GOD, we should stop judging one an
other. Food is very proper thing,
and laws are also proper, yet love is
the ruling principle Of the Christian
life.
we ought to have our liberty cur
tailed rather than have our souls lost.
II we magnify our liberty to the sacri-
nee or our brothers soul we walk no
longer in love-" The demands OF
christian love are more to the true
Followers Of Christ than the permis-
sions Of Christian liberty. The priyi-
lege of eating and drinking while It
Injuries others, however harmless to
yourself, is not to be tolerated.
The word "stumbleth" here used
". I'D implies movable trap or snare.
literally any impediment placed in the
way SO as to cause another to fall. We
must never forget that even weak
brother is "a brother for whom Christ
| died."
~. LET not your good be evil spoken
of" Wv. 1929. The kingdom of God
Is not meat and drink, but it Is q life
OF righteousness, peace and JOY in the
holy Ghost. Our liberty is to be so
used that it shall not be evil spoken
or The real proof that we are i'm the
Kingdom of God and that the kingdom
Of God is in us is not found in orr
scrupulousncss or lack Of 1t, in our cnt
ing ana drinking, but in the manifcsta-
tionS OF righteousness in our lives, and
or having peace in our hearts G5:13).
inns peace must be manifested toward
our fellow men ". 10; Oh. 1919 and
being filed with "joy in the Holy
Ghost" The object Of our pursuit is
to be the things which make for peacc
the things whereby we may fill one
another up. not the exploitation OF
some pet hobby, for the kingdom Of
900 does not consist Of riding hobbies
In this matter Of temperance reform
we all recognize that alcohol has MANY
uses besides that for drinking bur
poses' ana that there are various opin.
IONS about drinking certain forms Of
IT, ana various ways Of advancing the
temperance cause, all Of which are
honestly held by many good men, but
christian patriotism demands that ey-
cry true-hearted man or woman, every-
one who is loyal to his country, to hu-
manity and to his God, should take
Pauis position, (1) That he will not
De q stumbling block in the way Of the
weak and of the young. (2) That he
VIII not do anything to destroy his
brother for whom Christ died. (3) Tint
ne VIII deny himself anything for their
sake. (4 That his attitude will bs
that Of love and not Of selfishncss.
rms places temperance on n high moral
plane, but the world is also beginning
TO recognize that the temperance ques-
ton Is also an economic one. !,
1t Is we'll to have faith, but it is
also well to have the love that does
not injure others by the exercise OF
that faith. The question Is, Are you
perfectly sure this thing Is right 2"
When In doubt as to whether any ac-
tion will please God doubt your doubts,
and avoid that act.
III. 1--WE then that are strong" (15:
l-3). This section is in reality con.
tinuation of Chapter ii. Paul is con
tinuing his thought that we are not
to please ourselves, but rather to live
such lives rs will edify or build up our
neighbor. Our strength is not given
10 fhnf frln 4.