THE KING’S BUSINESS
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as well as himself. Is it permissible for a Christian to attend the theatre? one asks. Better ask, “Is it profitable, will it edify?” "Is it permissible for a Christian to use the Lord’s Day as he does other days?” Better ask, “Is it profitable to use the Lord’s Day as other days, will it edify?” In all of these things “Let no man seek his own but each his neighbor’s good.” If we were acting on this principle, how dif ferent the lives of most of us would be, and how much more good we would accomplish, and how many stumbling blocks we would move out of the way of others. Tuesday, Nov. 13 . 1 Cor. 10 : 25 , ^ 6 . The believer should not be troubled with a morbidN conscience. He should not fear to eat anything sold in the markets because of a suspicion that it might have been offered to an idol and thus be tainted. He need ask no question about that; for, even if it had been offered to an idol, it really belonged to the Lord; “for the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.” (cf. Ps. 24:1; 50:12; 1 Tim. 4:4). This state ment that the “earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof” as self-evident as it is, is a wonderful statement and one we should .deeply ponder. If we keep it in mind and at the same time walk in fellowship with God, we need never have any anxiety or fear on the one hand, and on the other hand need never be troubled with a morbid conscience. Wednesday, Nov. 14 . 1 Cor. 10 : 27 - 30 . There are some today who are afraid to sit down to the Lord’s table unless they have carefully examined everyone there and find that everyone who partakes with them is perfectly sound in doctrine and in life. They fear if they should by any chance par take of the Lord’s supper with someone else who is defiled, they themselves would be defiled. This is sadly confounding the Old Testament law with New Testament lib erty. We can never know absolutely about others who partake with us of the Lord’s
supper, furthermore if it was necessary that we should know, we could never have a conscience perfectly at ease. ' Christianity is not morbidness. The Christian, Paul here teaches us, might even go to a feast made by an unbeliever and in case he did, he should eat whatever was set before him and not be haunted by the torturing suspicion that “perhaps this was offered to an idol.” The believer need ask no questions about this. But if someone should say, “This hath been offered in sacrifice,” then he should not eat, not because he would himself be hurt, but for the sake of the one who said it. He should abstain from eating it in order that the one who said it might not be hurt. His liberty could not be judged by another’s conscience, and he would still have liberty to eat as far as his own con science was concerned; but his liberty should give place to love, therefore, he should not eat it because of love to the one who said it, lest he should be made to stiimble. We find here two great princi ples: (1) Every man’s liberty must be determined by. his own conscience, not by the conscience of another. (2) Liberty must give way before love. The question is not what have I liberty to ;do, but what does love prompt me to do. If I partake “in grace” even of that which has been offered to an idol, no one whose opinion may 'differ as to what is permissible, has a right to speak evil of me concerning that for which I return thanks. Thursday, Nov. 15 . 1 Cor. 10 : 31 - 33 . Paul here lays down a very simple, but a very great principle for deciding what we may do and how to do it: “Whether there fore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” This prin ciple will settle all our questions. Do noth ing that you cannot do to God’s glory, and whatever you decide to do, do it to His glory. This will settle all the perplexities about the thousand and one questions that come up to the Christian about what they should do and what they should not do. If we decide questions in this way we have
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