were temples of the Holy Spirit? When they received the Lord Jesus as their personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit came into their bodies, not just as a guest, but to live forever! Some people do not treat their bodies as though the Holy Spirit were living in them. They eat and drink things that harm their bodies, they do things that keep their bodies tired and sick. Our bodies are God’s gift; they be long to Him. W e are not only to keep our own bodies well and strong; we are to help others keep their bodies well and strong also. Those who are strong and daring are not to harm those who are weak and timid. God wants His children to guard their bodies carefully. He wants them to remember that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. May 31, 1953 The Way of Christian Love 1 Cor. 13 Pointers on the Lesson This has been called the Christian’s love sonnet. The sort of love that is described in this chapter is that which makes Chris tianity powerful. It makes it practical. In chapter 12 of this epistle we have set forth the gifts which the risen Christ gave to His church. In chapter 14 there is presented the use of these gifts. Chapter 13 shows the spirit in which these gifts are to be exercised. It is significant that the word for “love” in this chapter is the Greek word agape. This is the highest type of love revealed in the New Testament. It is divine love, all-absorbing love, such love as only the born-again individual can experience. An other word for love in the New Testa ment is phileo which means friendliness or a kindly feeling toward another. This word is not strong enough for this chapter. The chapter may be divided into three parts as follows: Love Evaluated w . 1-3 In five ways Paul emphasizes the im portance of love in these verses. It should be noted that the word “love” is used in these notes, as in the ARV, instead of “charity” as in the King James Version. It is nearer to the meaning of the inspired writer. This love is greater than (1) eloquence, v. 1. Paul was no mean orator himself, but he recognized that oratory without the love of God in preaching is valueless. It is greater than (2) prophecy, v. 2. It is greater than (3) faith, v. 2. It is greater than (4) benevolence, v. 3. Then, too, it is greater than (5) martyr dom, v. 3. Love Characterized w . 4-7 In this brief section we have a number of short statements which show us what is the character of the love which the Christian should exemplify in his daily life. The statements are clear. They do not need much exposition. They need only to be observed. As we read these char acterizations, we are made to think of the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be difficult to find a more perfect pen portrait of Him than in these verses. Without doing vio lence to the passage one may insert the CONTINUED
Paul is led to stress a most important principle which all true Christians ought to observe. There are many things that the Christian might do which would not harm himself, but some weaker brother or sister might be led into deep sin there by. For instance, one believer might take a few sips of wine occasionally with no harm to himself. But some weaker person following his example might end in a drunkard’s grave. The believer must al ways be thinking of his influence and see to it that it leads only upward. A Glorious Relationship 6:18-20 A basic reason for becoming conduct on the part of the Christian at all times is set forth in this brief passage. His body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Follow ing the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has come to make His permanent abode in the whole body of Christ and in each individual member. Since .the Spirit of God indwells the believer, surely the life of the believer as expressed through his body ought to be in harmony with the holy character of the Spirit. Then, too, it is made clear in this passage that the believer is no longer his own. He belongs to God. He is His by reason of redemp tion (v. 20). He has no right to live in any way but such as will glorify his Redeemer. The facts just presented give force to the exhortation in verse 18 of this sec tion. Since the believer’s body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, he should “flee” every sin of the flesh, especially that of fornication which takes his body which belongs to Christ and unites it with a harlot. He should also, as taught in the previous passage (8:7-13), exert every effort to live a life of helpfulness to others. Memory Verse: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (1 Cor. 6:19). Have you ever received a letter that company was coming to visit in your home? M y, how busy the family is pre paring the house so that everything will be clean and tidy when the doorbell rings! Cobwebs are swept down, closets are cleaned, and drawers are straightened. Mother uses the best set of dishes for the meals and puts her fancy pillow slips on the pillows. Everything must be the very best possible for the company. What would happen in your home if you knew that the Lord JesuS was coming to spend a week with you? In most homes many things would be done in a different way while He was there. Some radio and television programs would not be turned on because they would not honor Him. Some of the books and magazines in the home would be hidden so that He would not see them. Some of the jokes would not be told and some of the songs would not be sung while He was a guest in the home. Do you know that Paul wrote to some of his Christian friends that their bodies Helps for Hie Children The Value of a Strong Body 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 8:13
were selfish. They could never be truly happy until they learned to love one another, to do their work as unto the Lord, and to be unselfish. Paul told the Christians that he was praying that their lives would show those who were not saved how the Lord Jesus can change lives and make them happy and useful for God. The last part of the letter gave some of God’s rules for living. Read chap ter five, verses fifteen’ through eighteen, and see how many of these rules you obey. Do you “pay back” other boys and girls when they say or do some unkind thing to you? Are you always thanking God for His blessings, or do you con stantly complain and act “grumpy” ? Do you pray about all of your problems and say “Thank You” for all of your bless ings? Do you thank God for everything, even the things that you cannot under stand? Perhaps God can use you to write a letter to some friend who does not know the Lord Jesus. A ll boys and girls enjoy receiving a letter in the mail. God can use you in this way to tell others about His Son and you too will be a missionary- letter-writer. May 24, 1953 Problems of the Christian Conscience Sometimes we find folk who are trust ing in their consciences to guide them aright. They say, “I think if I follow the dictates of my conscience I will be al right.” But this is a false assurance. Un less a person’s conscience has been re newed by the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, it cannot be trusted. It is easy for the conscience to become seared and perverted through wrong practices and teaching. A man may be very sincere in thinking he is on the right road when motoring. But he may be sincerely wrong. Thus a man’s perverted conscience may lead him to think that he is following the right course in life but sincerity in the matter will not keep him from being led to hell. A man needs to be sure that his conscience has experienced the new birth. Expediency Recommended 8:7-13 In this passage Paul shows how careful believers need to be lest they cause weaker brethren to stumble or fall. He calls at tention to the matter of believers eating meat that had been offered to idols. Doubt less following some of the idolatrous sac rifices entailing the offering of animals, the meat was available in the temple of the idol or in the market-place at a re duced price. Paul makes it clear that there is nothing wrong in the meat itself or in the eating of it. There was no mystical power of evil that was transferred to the meat that made it wrong for the Christian to partake of it. However, another consideration presents itself. Some weaker brethren who are not possessed of full Christian knowledge might be led to think that partaking of such meat was akin to idolatrous worship. Eating of this meat, they might be led to go further in idolatrous practices. Hence, 1 Cor. 8:7-13; 6:18-20 Pointers on the Lesson
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