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THE KING’S BUSINESS
peace” would “bruise Satan under their feet shortly.” In this statement, Paul refers to the promise which God made in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15). In the meantime, there' was one sufficient means of constant victory, “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Wednesday, Sept. 12 . Rom. 16 : 21 - 24 . Paul has been giVing salutations to'vari ous believers in Rome and now he gives salutations from various workers and be lievers in Corinth to the believers in Rome. The first salutation is from Timothy. At this time, Timothy was travelling with Paul in the work. At a later period, Tim othy was settled at Ephesus as the bishop of the church there. Besides Timothy, Paul had also a number of his converted relatives with him, Lucius and Jason and Sosipater. Paul had not written the latter with hi? own hand but through an aman uensis, namely, Tertius. Paul seems to have had some difficulty that made it hard for him to write his own letters. There is reason to suppose it was some weakness of his eyes (Gal. 4:16; 6:11 R. V.). There was a man in Corinth named Gaius who made it his business to entertain the saints who were sojourning in Rome. Paul speaks of him as the “host of the whole church.” This hospitality which- Gaius exercised, was doubtless expensive but it paid him well. The fragrance of his hos pitality" still breathes from this page after eighteen centuries. Paul was stopping with this man when he wrote this letter. Paul’s work in Corinth had reached men in high station. Among others, “Erastus, the treasurer of the city.” It is possible then for a man to be in political life and still be a Christian, even in Corinth which was more corrupt than even our modern cities. There are those who contend that a Chris tian should have nothing to do with poli tics ; evidently Paul was not of this opinion. But while it was true that this man in high political position had been reached by the gospel, nevertheless, the great bulk of the church in Corinth was made up of people
Monday, Sept. io. Rom. 16 : 17 , 18 .
Divisions among brethren are not pecu liar to our day. Division is ever the natu ral fruit of the carnal heart (Gal. 5:20 R. V.; 1 Cor. 3:3). There were divisions in the church in Rome and Paul found it necessary to warn the saints in Rome against them “which were causing the divisions,” “they were to turn away from them.” That is a wise treatment in all ages of those who “cause divisions.” While these men might make great pretensions of sincerity, in reality they were not serv ing “our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.” That is true in every age of those who cause divisions, and “occasions of stumbling contrary to the doctrine” learned from the apostles. Yet while these divi sion makers were in reality serving their own belly, nevertheless, “by their smooth and fair speech, they beguiled the hearts of the innocent.” This is a perfect descrip tion of the methods of the errorists in our own day and also of the results of these methods. How “smooth” and “fair” is the “speech” of many of the false teachers who are abroad in our land. Their words are so soft and wooing, their personalities so charming, that they would deceive, if possible, the very elect. Let each of us beware, lest we also be beguiled by this “smooth and fair speech.” The devil is much more dangerous when he speaks with a velvet mouth than when he roars like a lion. Tuesday, Sept. 11 . Rom. 16 : 19 , 20 . In spite of all the false teachers in Rome, the obedience of the saints in Rome to the true doctrine, was known everywhere. For this reason, Paul rejoiced over them. Nevertheless, there was still need of warn ing and he would have them “wise unto that which is good,” and “simple unto that which is evil.’ So many men are anxious to appear wise that they are willing to be wise unto evil as well as unto good. The time of testing and suffering for the saints in Rome would be short, “the God of
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