Evening star., 1921-09-17
ABSTINENCE FOR THE SAKE
OF OTHERS.
I Cor, 10.23-33: 3.16-17.
Golden Text.-Whether there
fore We eat. or drink, or what
soever ye do. do all to the glory
of Cod Cor, 1871.
BY REV. HUGH t. STEVENSON.

]
fort for the Christian faith had failed to
secure the approval of the court. Paul
made Corinth the center of his work for
about two years. We will consider his
work there In the opening study OF the
next quarters lessons, although a word
about the success of Paul's efforts in
that commercial city is needed If We
are to Understand the temperance lesson.
assigned for our consideration today. 1t
was a great commercial city with a Co.'S
mopolitan population. It's connection
| with Rome and the cities of the empire
made it a strategic center for the
preaching of the gospel. for il he could
! plant the seeds of the Christian faith In
! that city, thee apostle knew that the
| religion Of Jesus would spread through
out the whole Roman empire.
/; Here he was called upon to fight the
! conditions which naturally resulted from
Corinth having received not only "the
gold and the ideas, but the vices Of the
Kent has pointed out. with the most
| seductive and brazen forms of i'm
morality. which, under the gulse of the
old pagan religions. had permeated the
whole life of Corinth. To this deep
seated immortality was added the gross
l-materialism of strong commercial city
and the fickleness which has always
been characteristic of the Greek race"
The transformation of the lives of those
won for Christ among the numerous
| Jews who dwelt in the city and the
native Greeks, who had been corrupted
by the atmosphere of the voluptuous
city has been called the greatest miracle
in Paurs ministry as well as in the early
! history Of Christianity.
| In spite of the success of his work in
! Corinth, probably no other church estab-
lished by the apostle gave him as many
problems to solve. 1t is not surprising
| that a church made up of the hetero-
geneous elements of the city, that Far
soldiers. philosophers. merchants. SAIL
; ors, freedmen, slaves, tradespeople,
hucksters and agents Of every form Of
vice-a colony without aristocracy, with
| out tradition. without we'll established
citizens" should be divided by factional
strife. One Of the causes for differences
grew out of the use of meats which had
been offered to idols. In an effort to
| iron out this problem, We have this les
son, which outlines the Christian prin-
| the followers Of Christ Jesus.
| Paul met the issue of personal lib
crty of the members of the Corinthian
| Church. who insisted that they were
develop their own life in accordance
with their own wishes. by calling
them to regulate their life and acts in
accordance with the teachings and
truths of the gospel as expounded by
the Lord both in spirit and service.
! In putting the emphasis upon this
! Fundamental law. obedience to God
is life. disohedience is DEATH" he was
| backed by the Old Testament teach
| ings that had been embodied in the
Architect of the Universe
In calling upon them to be obedient
| to the requirements of their Lord and
/ Master, Paul pointed out something
when it was applied to duty and hu-
man conduct They were not to ask
/ whether it was lawful. but was it ex-
/ pedicnt for the advancement of the
cause of Christ among men. Although
they could legitimately do thing.
| it would in any way hinder the king
f; dom of God in the life of another for
their sakes We should abstain. We
ought to do nothing that did not
first the natural selfishness of men.
which develops into sin unless curbed.
was corrected. Self-denial on the
part of Christians is a religious duty.
the trivial matter of eating food that
had been offered to idols. Paul. hav-
| ing shown that eating of such food
/ under circumstances that gave a re-
| ligious character to the act was
| idolatry.' proceeds to point out how
under certain circumstances it could
be eaten. This position is remarkable
! coming from Paul, who had been
! trained as a Pharisee to govern the
slightest details of conduct by the in
! flexible ritualistic regulations. This
may have made him willing to APP
prove of the action at the Jerusalem
conference that called for them ito
abstain from meat offered to idols
which evidently he now rejects. as he
saw in it a bondage to legalism.
In sympathizing with those men,
/ bers Of the Corinthian Church who
! did not see anything illegal in buying
| the choicest cuts of beef that the