The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 422

Christ is not such a. Ma.star !lB to 01st him off for a mistake. No; "he shall be made to eto.nd." Is not this the determining principle of the Christian life? Not tbe minute observnnco, right or wrong, but the motive, makes the Christian man. It matters nothing compamtively whether we eat or do not eat, whether we observe days or observe them not, whether we live or die: "none of us liveth to himself, and none diet.h to himself." The aim of the whole life is Christ-wards, and the aim, not the details, determines the life. 2. He has another Judge. This follows from the former. If Christ be the Master now, he shall judge the service itself at the last. And if we may not measure the fidelity of another's servant, neither may we pass sentence on hls deeds. No; "the do.y shall declare it, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" (1 Cor. iii. 13). For it is true that the details of the life will be taken into account, but not by our brethren: " Each one of us shall give account of himself to God." II. THE DUTY OF THE STRONG. So, then, the weak are warned not to judge the men of liberty; and the men of liberty, men of strength as they thought themselves, are t.o show their strength by gentleness, and their liberty by self-sacrifice. For the con- science of the weak, if erring, was to be respected, and neither were they to be grieved by a needless exhlbition of the liberty of the strong, nor above all led to sin against their convictions by the example or ridicule of the preponderant party. 1. They u:ere not to be grieved. Could the stronger ones ruthlessly cause pain t.o the scrupulous ones by their own seeming unscrupulousness? That was not walking in love. And for the sake of showing that they could eat meat! Away the thought: this was not God's kingdom, Let them rather know that, eating or not eating, to respect the rights of others, to have peace with all, and to rejoice with a common joy in God,-this was God's kingdom. So also would their spirit commend itself to men and to God. Christians then indeed ; as Christ died for the weaker ones, so they sacrificing their liberty for them. 2. They were not to be made to fall. Let them know that, innocent as their eating of flesh might be, it was not innocent to the doubting man, and ea.eh one's con- science must approve his own deeds, or he is condemned. Nay, he falls I Oh, surely they were not prepared for that? For this was, not merely to destroy the weak brother's peace and charity of heart, but to overthrow the work of God in him! .d.Ild all for the sake of meat! Better sacrifice all your liberty than this. Have your faith to yourself; have all tender solicitude for your weak brother's conscience. Then receive-the brother, care for him, sacrifice your freedom for him. For while faith, liberty, strength, are good, the best of all is love 1-T. F. L. Ver. 6.-Individual decision. Questions concerning conduct greatly interest and occupy the minds of the majority. They involve the translation of abstract principle into concrete rules, and the visible concrete stirs us more deeply than abstraction& Yet it is these matters of application and detail which have often rent and grievously damaged the fellowship of the saints. Tbe wise, magnanimous prudence of the apostle lays down one duty in relation to these vexed questions, which crop up to-day in modern forms. For instance, many are perplexed as to the rigid obligatoriness of sabbath observance, as to what is implied in keeping a day of rest as" the Lord's day." Others moot the topic of contributions for religious purposes, whether a tithe is the scriptural proportion, and how far this is compulsory. Other subjects coming under the same category are amusements, abstinence from spirituous liquors, business policy, and politics. • I. EAOH HAS TO BETTLE BUOH QUESTIONS FOB B.lllSELF. "Let each be assured in his own mind." Others cannot do our part in investigation and decision. No one is authorized to come between us and God in such matters; even the apostle does not intrude on the province of several judgment. We must decide what our conscience prescribes, and where our conception of Christian service requires us to draw the line. Only let each see to it that he be not sntisfied with giving the least amount or render- ing the slightest obedience possible. He is wrong and condemns himself who ask.._", " How nenr the daucrerous cliff can I walk without peril?" or," ,vhat is the minimum rdi"ioue work I cmi° undertake as a. servant of Christ?" W o need to study &ripture, to 1~rnyorfully ponder on its la.w of life, its principles, and the i.llustrations_ afforded by tL.o lives a11u acts of the nol.ilost heroes. Nor are we predudeu from seeking the help  'l'IIE EPISTLE OF l'Al1L TO TITE llO~fANS. [011. :uv. 1-23.