November, 1942
THE K I NG ’S BUS I NESS
417
GOI.DBN T E X T t “T e Ore th e « a lt o f th e ea rth , . . Ÿ è a re th e l i g h t o f t h e Trorld” (M atC 5:13, 14). ' DEVOTIONAL READINGS P h il. 4:4-9. ’ Outline and Exposition I. I n the C hurch ' s CHARACTEk (Matt. 5:13-16) B KRISTIANS are described as the the unseen, aspect that is in mind. Apart from born-again believers—the ' salt of the earth—there is no other element of real truth in the midst of the wotld’s darkness, no other real life in the midst of the world’s death, and no other real restraint in the midst of the w o r l d ’ s lawlessness. Without the church, thè world; would be a. sink of iniquity,'for the natural heart of man, from which come all evil things (cf. Mk. 7:22, .23), would have no restraint 3Multiplied evils would bq openly manifest. Christians are also the “light of the world” (vs. 14, 15). This characteriza tion has to do with the outward, or seeri, aspect. Without the light, in . and from the .church,. which is the light of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is only darkness. The light ' of nature often leads to the worship of inanimate things. The " light of education *nay lead to proud Self-worship and agnosticism- Even the light of conscience may lead to legalism and pride. Thus it is 'seen that the very character of the church is of inestimable., value. . When a question was asked con cerning the. payment. of taxes, the Lord answered- bÿ asking for a ¡penny. When the coin was b r o u g h t , He pointed to the image arid superscrip-. tion thereon, which were those of the ruling monarch. “Caesar” is not used here as designating the name of a person, but of the office 'which the person held. In the same way we speak of the “President,” having in mind the office to which he has been .elected. Our Lord. taught that the people were to render to the govern ment, nof merely to an individual, the proper tafces for the support of their government. But, on the other hand, human be ings bear the'image and superscrip tion of the Monarch of the universe, and therefore they are to be given- to God their Maker, as thè coin of the realm is rendered unto “Caesar.” The persons are to be given to God, the taxes to toe government. In illustrat ing this tiuth, the church stands in The exhortation is:; “Let your light v . . .shine” (v. .16), The light is there, but- it must be- allowed ;to‘shine, . p H ! i ; ■. I n the C hurch ' s C onduct • (Mk. 12:13-17)
defer as" the salt and Tight" of the world, in her conduct in rendering unto God that which belongs to Him, and in her constraint, being submis sive to what God has ordained for the governments of the world. .%■
BLACKBO ARD D R A W IN G '
Points and Problems
-A’*-'}
1, “Ye are the sa lt . . . the light . a city . . . a candlestick" (Matt 5:13* , 15). We have here four figures through Which,our Lord conveys the important purposes to be fulfilled by His people in -the world. The first two”set forth what all true believers are individ* Auallyi ,They are salt and light; salt of the earth, and light of the world. Their presence in the world is the sole preserving principle which keeps the world temporarily from complete . disaster and decay. Their presence also is the sole enlightening principle without which the world would be in total spiritual darkness. The last two figures, city and candlestick, pic ture true believers collectively, vBofh of these, figures- are employed in the ■Book of Revelation to represent the church. “The seven candlesticks . are the seven churches” (1:20). And “that great city, the holy Jerusalem” is “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (21:9, 10). Now the reason our Lord uses these figures'in Matthew is to show forth our witnessing function.1The city is to be on a hill, and the candle is to be raised up on a candlestick or holder, so that they can be seen. Thus ./we may learn that believers are not to live their lives in isolation from other believers. - It is only when be lievers- gather themselves together; in .churches that their light becomes gen uinely effective. The church of Christ is, no part of the world’s “social order,” tondf;its ;value consists ,in its; inain- Waifting its separateness from ithht gd- >ikl order. Whenever the church unites With .the world, it ceases tp be a; city on “a hill.” . ; 2. '"Glorify your Father which is in heaven" (v. 16). The work of the church in the world as “salt”; arid ’Tight” i's not merely for the sake of a .lost world. To help humanity, meri torious as.this Work may 'be, is licit the final goal of human existerice. If
“salt of the earth” (y. 13). Salt is a preservative. In likening 'Christians to salt, ■ it is the inward,
the midst of the Christ-rejecting mul titude to show what is God’s, order.' ^ ' ni. "■ I n the C hurch ' s C onstraint (1 Pet. 2:13,-17) The church is"'composed o f-“the bondservants- of Gqd” -;(y. 16, ,R. V.). As such they ..live in submission -to the government ofdained ’by God (vs. 13-15;. ch Rom>.,13:1-6), They are sub ject to the .institutions-established by the government, respecting' the office even whfn; the person occupying the office canpot be praised. The char acter Of the person dip.es"not,alter the character of the office. It is the office that is sacred, ordained, and estab lished by God Himself, lienee the submission is “for the Lord’s aake” (Vs. 13, 14). Thus, for the Christian,, all the civil duties in' relation to the state are performed, frpm a principle within,, not from;pressure from -with out, The church obeys the Lord by obeying the government’s commands, except w h e n those commands run counter to the Lord’s commands. ' Christians have beenfset free, from Satan’s bondage in 'order that they may be free to serve God (vs; 15, 16). The church belongs to the Lord,1and by submission -toHim-is able t o .a l ienee the enemies of God. Christians also present an example of respecting all men, regardless of nationality, or Color, They show love of the brethren, revealing how life should be lived ¡with all peoples. They honor the king (that is, the office) who rules in the place of God over temporal affairs (v, 17), Thus the value of the church to the social order is found in her char*
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