Weighing Consequences

Proverbs 1:7-10; Isaiah 5:11, 12, 18-23; Galatians 6:7-9

GOLDEN TEXT: “Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.”—I Timothy 4:8

THE selections from the Scriptures comprising today’s lesson were chosen no doubt with the thought of emphasizing the importance of weighing thoughts and conduct to insure that they are in accord with the purpose and object one is seeking to attain. And certainly there is no more important principle than this of sincerity and consistency both for the Christian and for others. Much of the trouble through which the world is passing and their sufferings in the past can be traced to insincerity, to conduct inconsistent with the principles of right and justice—the “Golden Rule.”

The Apostle Paul’s words in his epistle to the Galatians referred to above, summarize these thoughts. He says, Chapter 6:7,8, “Be not deceived”; and adds, “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap; for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.” Of course, the Apostle is not addressing the world; it is the new creation that is either sowing to the flesh or sowing to the spirit, and that either will reap of the flesh or reap of the spirit.

The Christian sows to the flesh every time he allows the fleshly, selfish, unjust, unrighteous desires of the flesh to sway in heart and life. And on the contrary each sowing to the Spirit means resistance to the desires of the flesh toward selfishness, etc., and the exercise of the new mind, the new will, in spiritual directions toward the things that are pure, noble, good, true.

The Scriptures clearly indicate that there is a certain standard of character which every Christian must attain to, else he cannot be counted in as one of the Kingdom class. The Apostle does indeed speak of the new creatures as at first being babes in Christ, but the Kingdom will not be made up of babes in Christ, but of overcomers; and the overcoming is not, as we know, a matter of age or physical stature, but of spiritual development, of growth in grace, and knowledge, and love. We are to grow in love, and love is the principal thing, but before we can make much development in the cultivation of love, we must learn to be just, right, righteous. It is a proper presentation of the matter that is given in the proverb, that a man should be just before he is generous.

This principle of consistency is of particular importance to the Lord’s people and demands our continued study in all the affairs of life to see that we are putting into practice the lessons given us in the divine Word. All of the saints must be the foes of sin. Wherever sin is they must wage a warfare against it, and see to it that in their hearts at least they are free from sin, that in their hearts they do not countenance sin but oppose it; that sin finds no harboring place or sympathizing weakness in their hearts.

This will make them rigidly careful as respects the words of their mouths, the conduct of life and the meditations of their hearts, that all of these shall be in absolute accord with the divine Word and its spirit of righteousness, holiness, truth, etc. Such as get this proper foundation of character before they begin to build love will find that they are making progress properly. All love, on the other hand, that is founded upon injustice or wrong ideas of righteousness is delusive, and is not the love which the Lord will require as the test of discipleship.

The Apostle John has a word to say also about the danger of being deceived after we have become new creatures in Christ. His words are, “Let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:7,8) The Apostle is not speaking here of some one whose heart is loyal to the Lord and who is momentarily overtaken in a fault, for he declares respecting such that there is forgiveness for them because of the weakness or the ignorance which permitted them to be ensnared. He is, however, speaking most distinctly of a willingness of the heart to sin, to do unrighteousness. He indicates a great truth when he suggests that there are but two sides to the question—that Satan is on the side of sin, and that all who love and with willingness practice sin are on his side. On the other side of the question are the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as the Redeemer of mankind, that He might destroy Satan and all who sympathize with Satan in their opposition to God and His righteous arrangements.

The Apostle adds, “In this the children of God are manifest from the children of the devil: whoso ever doeth not righteousness is not of God—neither he who loveth not his brother.” Here again the question is sharply drawn as between the children of God and the children of the devil. All who are on the side of righteousness are on God’s side. These will love justice and oppose selfishness, and sin which is related to selfishness, in every sense and in every degree compatible with, their opportunities and commission.

But this is not enough: they must do more than love to do what is right; they must have such a love for the truth as would even lead them to sacrifice their rights on, behalf of the Lord or any of His “brethren.” If we have tasted that the Lord is gracious, is good, we have tasted also that He is just, and in that sense of the word, severe. Let us then, while rejoicing in divine favor, see to it that we walk circumspectly, consistently; that our walk in life is not after the flesh, which leads more or less directly to death, but after the Spirit, after righteousness, after truth, all of which leads, under the Lord’s blessing and guidance, to everlasting life and the Kingdom honors and glories with our dear Redeemer.

QUESTIONS:

To whom were St. Paul’s words in Galatians 6:7,8, addressed?

What is a “babe” in Christ, and how does a Christian grow out of this immature stage?

Is there a danger of being deceived with respect to the importance of character development?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |