T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S • if all social intercourse was prohibited. Oddity is not necessarily holiness, nor singularity sanctity.Mj-Hom. Com. v. 28. If any m an say. In th is case th e Christian should not eat—not be cause he would himself be h u rt bu t for th e sake of the one who said it. His liberty could not be judged by ano th er’s conscience and he would still have per fect liberty to eat as far as his own con science was concerned, b u t th is liberty should in th is case give place to love lest th e one who said it be made to stumble. The question is not, “W hat have I liberty to do?” b u t “W hat does love prompt me to do?”—-Torrey. Pos sibly the host by way of challenge would say this, bu t more probably some weak Christian. In th is case the law of ch arity comes in.-fc-Parry. Offered in sacrifice. The believer knew th a t an idol was nothing in itself and the fact of food having been offered before a shrine did not make it b etter or worse. It was a common practice and m eant nothing so far as Christian disciples were concerned, bu t if an unbeliever or a weak Christian were to make the meal a te st of faith by rem inding believers th a t in p artak ing of such food they were p artn ers in a heathen rite, then th e re was no course bu t to refuse and abstain.— Meyer. v. 29. Why Is my liberty judged? Why should I not be judged by my own conscience and have liberty to do what it sanctions? Paul replies in verse 31. Your doing so .ought always to be lim ited by regard to w hat most tends to the glory of God.— Conybeare & How- son. v. 30. If IJby grace. I do not blame him for his not u n n atu ral condemnation of me, nor is God’s condemnation of such a use of my liberty unjust. I only blame myself. Why should I persist in doing w hat brings even th is indirect condemnation? It would have been b etter to abstain, although I could, hav ing regard only to myself, ea t w ith thankfulness, i. e., by g race.-^Fo ster. v. 31. W hatsoever ye do. It is pos sible to invest th e most trivial details of life w ith a moral character and di rect them Gcdward. This brings saint hood Within the reach of every hum an being. Holiness of h ea rt is n eith er de term ined nor discovered by g reat a t tainm ents h u t by the bent of th e dis position and th e a ttitu d e of th e will.—^ F arr. Do all to th e glory of God. How many things th is excludes from the
914 block and lead others Into sin. A course of action may be rig h t in one’s own sight and may be followed w ith a clear conscience before God so far as oneself Is concerned, bu t if th a t con duct, observed as it will be by others, seriously affects o th ers and leads them into sin, then th a t th ing becomes a stum bling block and an occasion of sin to one whose conscience may be weak. Therefore the g reat law th a t should control th e believer’s conduct should be the edifying of others.— Evans. v. 25. Sold in th e shambles. We are no longer dealing w ith sacrificial meats bu t w ith the use of m eat in general and ordinary social entertainm ent. There would be considerable difficulty finding out what meat offered for sale was p art of a sacrificial victim and w hat was not. — Camb. Bible. Ask no questions. This does no t mean, shu t your eyes and go on. Do not raise th e questionM-but th ere is before God no reason to raise any question—‘th ere is really no ques tion to raise. But accidentally a ques tion of conscience becomes involved in th e m atter under the circumstances of verse 28, yet even then, only for the b ro th er’s conscience’ sake directly. In directly any w ant of consideration for him which ends in sp iritual harm to him will mean condemnation of the first m an’s liberty.— Foster. v. 26. The ea rth Is th e Lord’s. The ground bn which such eating w ithout questioning is justified is, th e earth and alh its contents, including all meats, be long to th e Lord and are appointed for our use; and where conscience suggests no scruple ail are to be eaten (Rom. 14:14-20; 1 Tim. 4:4, 5; Acts 10 :15 ). — -J. F. and B. v. 27., If any th a t believe not. Would, of course, not be a public heathen festi val—There he must not go a t all— but one in a private home of a friend or relative.— Critical Com. If ye be dis posed to go. Some intercourse w ith th e world cannot be absolutely prohibited. The Christian belongs to the world in many ways and cannot choose b u t to tak e his p art in social life. Many a fam ily is itself traversed by th e line of severance between church and world. It would be difficult to decide in some instances between the two. One of the best means of cultivating personal piety would be removed from the train ing of Christian life and one of th e main ele ments of hope for th e world would be gone— th e presence in it of th e “ sa lt^ -t^
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