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THE KING’S BUSINESS
faith but it is well also, to have the love that has faith to itself and does “not injure others by the exercise o f its own faith. Happy indeed is the man who “condemneth not himself in the thing which he approv- eth.” But if a man does that about which not only others condemn him but about which his own conscience has doubts then he is condemned indeed. “Whatever is not o f faith is s i n t h i s is a broad and search ing definition o f sin. You may keep say ing to yourself, “I do not believe this thing is wrong, a «great many people do i t b u t , if you yourself have doubts in your mind about it, if you are not absolutely clear it is the will o f God, then it is sin for you. The question is not, are you sure the thing is wrong. The question is, are you per fectly sure it is right. When in any doubt as to whether any action will please God, don’t do it. vs, 1-3. "W e then (Now we) that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let every (each) one of us please his neighbor fo r his good ( that which is good) to edifica tion (unto edifying). For even Christ (Christ also) pleased not himself / but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that (1 ) Sparing Our Brother, vs. 13-17. Why not judge one another? v. 10. 1 Must we “account” for our brother? v. 12 . Judging others, whom do we condemn? Rom. 2:1. Whom should we judge? 1 Cor. 11:31. To what does Paul liken our criticism? 1 Cor. 8 :9. What was Moses’ law about such? Lev 19:14. How might this affect the brother ? Isa. 8:15. ■ What did Christ say would.be better for a man than that? Luke 17:2. What was the law o f clean and unclean fbods? Lev. 11:1-47.
reproached thee fell on me.’’ What a wealth o f meaning and suggestion there is in verse 1. Our strength is not given us that we may glory over our weaker breth ren, or loi;d it over them, but in order that we may serve them. The question for a true believer in Christ is never “what would it please me to do,” but “what would it help my brother for me to do.” Not self pleasing but pleasing'others is the law of Christian living. What we should aim at in pleasing others should not be to gain their good will for ourselves (that would be but pure selfishness) but their good and that to their highest good, “unto edify ing.” If we seek to please men in order to gain their favor for ourselves we are not pleasing God (Gal. í r10). I f ever any one in this world’s history had a right t o ' please himself it was Christ, but “even Christ pleased not himself” . How inexcus able then it is for us to please ourselves. From this time on then let us sáy good-by to our own pleasure. It was God’s pleas ure above everything else that Christ sought: “the reproaches o f them that reproached God fell on Him.” Paul proves this by an Old Testament quotation from a Messianic Psalm (Psalm 69:9). How then could Paul say “nothing unclean?” Rom. 10:4; Col. 2:14. Where does Paul discuss the food con troversy' in full? 1 Cor. 8:1-13. What position did he take as to its import? 1 Cor. 8 : 8 . What, nevertheless, as to his own prac tice? 1 Cor. 8:13. Who else is grieved if we grieve our ■brother? Eph. 4:30. On what walk are no stumbling stones? Eph. 5 :2. How do men get into and see the inside o f the Kingdom ? John 3 :3-5. (2 ) Serving Christ, vs. 18-23. Whose servants are we ? 1 Cor. 7 :22.
LESSON OUTLINE
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