Evening star., 1925-08-15

Paul did not know anything about
| the modern views of temperance or
laws regulating the liquor traffic
| Drunkenness was prevalent In his
| day, especially among the gentiles
| Men were free to drink wine, the chief
| intoXicant. without any legal restric
| tions as to manufacture, use or sale
of strong drink. The passage select
ed for our temperance lesson is taken
from the epistle that takes us back
| in some respects nearer than any
| other document we possess. TO the
) beginnings of Christian theology and
| the Christian church" 1t shows that
Paul was engaged in a fight about
the relation of Jewish laws and rules
| to the kingdom of Christianity. not
with Hebrews, holding the faith OF
Judaism, but with certain Judaizing
| Christians, who, following Paul s
| work. sought to undermine his influ.
| ence by their criticism of the Apos'
| ties authority and ministry and In
sistence that gentle Christians were
| required TO keep the law of Moses
and should be circumciZed.
Lessons Background.
II is difficult to follow the teachings
of this epistle that Luther put ito
his lips as trumpet to blow the re
Yeille of the reformation" He was
Contending for greater principle
than that of temperance when he sent
his letter TO the churches in Galatia.
The apostle threw his whole soul
into the contest, because he saw that
the Jerusalem agreement was at
stake and that the real issue was
whether Christianity was TO exist as
a universal faith or a Jewish sect.
The Judaistic forces had caused a
wavering in the faith among the re
Gently won gentle converts by ar
guing that they were required to pass
through Judaism if they were TO be
true Christians.
Paul met their arguments concern
ing his apostleship in the opening
chapters by arguments that estab-
lished his authority without contro-
versy. He then took up his great
doctrinal teaching of justification by
faith. His discourse on promise
and law. in chapter 3, Is a master
piece of exposition, unsurpassed in
its keenness of insight, breadth OF
view and skill of application HaV'
ing proved that the Christian is
saved by faith, not by law; that the
true Christians received the gift OF
the Spirit through their trust, and
that the men of faith are the real
sons of Abraham. Paul pointed out
that there was only one thing for
them to do--to trust in the love OF
God as he comes in Jesus Christ.
The Christian is not a servant of the
law, but a son living with his Father
through faith. He emphasizes the
fact that the true Christian life is
faith working through love-"
In the closing part of his epistle the
apostle. in accordance with his Gus
If
the precepts and principles that he
has taught. In this practical advice
are found in the teachings that give II
peculiar value as a temperance lesson
The application of the eternal prin-
cipleS to the changed conditions calls
for no change in the ethical teachings
that are based upon the spiritual life
of the Christian, who finds in the love
for Christ the spiritual power that en-
ables him to overcome the bondage OF
all forms of sin.
Liberty Not License.
Liberty is a priceless possession. II
summons the sons of freedom to eter
nal vigilance. There is danger that
Individual, civil and religious liberty
will be lost through neglect and care
leSsneSs. Paul saw that the young,
unframed and immature disciples. who
gospel, were in danger of losing their
new freedom by becoming subjugated
Ito the yoke Of the Mosaic law" In
the commencement the ceremonial
and ritualistic requirements were de
signed to serve a moral and religious
purpose. Paul demanded that they
should realize that the observance of
the ceremonies and conventional re-
quirements of the law were not bind
ing upon the Gentle believer, who
was called upon to live by the spirit
the life of freedom.
MANY demand freedom for the pur-
pose of doing as they please, seeking
not liberty but license. Nothing that
, the apostle ever taught would give
one the idea that they could do as they
wished with their life. Paul did not
allow them to think that Christian
liberty could be used as a cloak for
sin. He held before them the subtle
and insidious danger of giving away
to their lower nature, by calling upon
them TO obey the law of Christ, which
! required that they "by love serve one
another" This is the crux of his tenn
perance teaching for the Christian
"A Christian Robinson Crusoe must
be temperate. because he owes to God
to live righteous personal life. A
Christian living among men must be
temperate for the same reason and
also for the benefit that will accrue to
his fellows"
Spiritual Mastery.
Living by the Spirit does not permit
living wildly without control. No one
| has won his freedom or obtained II
until he has learned how to contro
himself. The man who walks or regu
| lates his life lin the Spirit" follows
the Scriptural teachings by allowing
Christ to control his life. The IRE
| pressible conflict, which started in the
| Garden, has to be fought out in every
| life in the battle between the f1esf
| and the Spirit. Yielding to the flesh
leads to sin. Jesus taught that "Ht
| that committeth sin is the slave ot
sim" In the contest between evil, thai
seeks to subjugate and dominate, and
the Spirit, who seeks to develop one.
| life into one of activity, progress ant
| power. the Christian wins by doing
| the Spirits will. This develops self
control, which is the essence of tenn
| perance.
| Those coming into the church from
| Gentle homes and training lacked the
| background of the centuries of right
| thinking and right-living ancestors
| that the Jewish members possessed
! They brought with them from pa
| ganism a lower state of morality anG
natural tendency to indulge in ths
| lusts of the flesh. Paul does not hes
itate to mention the long list of sins
| which he ends by drunkenness, rev
ellings and SUCH that prove that the
| tap,paropce o,IeSti0D iS an ancient