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STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

—INTERNATIONAL S.S. LESSONS—

SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS DESIGNED TO ASSIST THOSE OF OUR READERS WHO ATTEND BIBLE CLASSES WHERE THESE LESSONS ARE USED; THAT THEY MAY BE ENABLED TO LEAD OTHERS INTO THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL. PUBLISHED IN ADVANCE, AT THE REQUEST OF FOREIGN READERS

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THE GRACE OF LIBERALITY

IV. QUAR., LESSON VII., NOV. 12, 2 COR. 8:1-12

Golden Text—”He became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.”—2 Cor. 8:9

At the council held by the apostles at Jerusalem, A.D. 50, which determined that the Jewish law was not binding upon those converts to Christianity, from among the Gentiles, Paul promised to take up collections among the congregations of the Gentiles for the poor at Jerusalem. He had already taken collections in Macedonia and Greece and Asia Minor; and in the words of this lesson he appeals to the Church at Corinth.

There was great need for such a collection. (1) The converts to Christianity were mostly from the poorer classes. (2) The turbulent state of the times had driven many people from the surrounding country into the City of Jerusalem for greater security, and many were thus thrown upon the charity of their fellows. (3) Christians were unpopular, and could expect no outside aid.

The appeal of this lesson was made A.D. 57, about twelve years before the destruction of Jerusalem. Concerning the distress of Jerusalem at that time, Canon Cook says,—”The abnormal condition of the labor market is illustrated by the fact that Agrippa II. was compelled to resort to artificial means, such as paving the streets of Jerusalem with white marble—after having declined a proposal to destroy and rebuild ‘Solomon’s porch’—in order to supply with work and wages 18,000 workmen who had been employed in repairing the temple. Life and property were rendered painfully insecure by the terrible atrocities of the Sicarii, at once assassins and robbers.”

Charity at that time was not a public affair, as it is at present in civilized countries, where County or Parish homes and other aids for the indigent are liberally supported by a general tax, and supplied regardless of religious professions. Nevertheless, we are to remember that the forty years’ day of wrath upon the Jewish nation, which began with our Lord’s ministry, A.D. 30, and ended with the destruction of Jerusalem, A.D. 70, was a pattern or type of the present day of wrath upon nominal “Christendom,”

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which, having begun with the year A.D. 1875, will end with the beginning of A.D. 1915. And while there are better provisions now for the poor, we may reasonably expect that coming disturbances of society may disarrange these systematic charities, and that there will be opportunities for doing good unto all men—especially toward the household of faith. At all events, there will always be opportunities for those who may desire, and who have this world’s goods, to spend it for spiritual food for the famishing ones fleeing out of Babylon. Babylon spends millions annually upon her own literature and institutions, and “knows not that she is wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” (Rev. 3:17.) And God’s children in her need help from those whose eyes have been anointed with the eye-salve of present truth. It is not our financial help that they need, but our spiritual help; and yet financial ability is necessary to the holding forth of the Word of life. Let each one possessing the gift of wealth exercise it according to his judgment of the Master’s will—in “doing good unto all men [temporally or spiritually, especially spiritually] as he has opportunity, especially to the household of faith.”—Gal. 6:10.

The Apostle’s experience proved to him the truth of the saying, “The liberal soul shall be made fat.” (Prov. 11:25.) He had noted the fact that those individuals and congregations which exercised themselves most in this grace of liberality (under the guidance of reason and justice, of course) were the most blessed in spiritual health and wealth. He, therefore, longed to see all Christians appreciating and using this grace.

The congregation of the Lord at Corinth, while, in many respects, highly favored with instruction and knowledge, had not made the proper progress in spiritual development, and hence was greatly in danger of losing the truths received but never properly put into practice. (1 Cor. 1:4-6,11-13; 3:1-3.) They, too, had evidently been appealed to with reference to contributions for the poor of the congregation at Jerusalem; but, seemingly, they had not responded,—or, at least, not according to their means. Paul now, therefore, while patiently correcting their errors, deflections and stumblings, suggests to them that the exercise of the grace of benevolence is an important factor in spiritual life. In proof of this he points them to the congregations of Macedonia, which, although themselves sorely pressed by a great trial and by deep poverty (no doubt results of the famine which occurred in the reign of the Emperor

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Claudius), had been very liberal in their donations to the yet poorer ones at Jerusalem. The giving, says Paul, did not stop with the money, but extended even to the giving of themselves in any way to serve the cause of God, and thus it brought them great spiritual blessings.—Verse 5.

In view of this spiritual blessing upon the Macedonian Christians, the Apostle urged upon Titus the importance of bringing the subject to the careful notice of the troubled and distracted Christians at Corinth, believing that if they would begin to practice the spirit of Christianity—love, benevolence—they would speedily receive a blessing, and come to see more clearly the doctrines of Christ, which, because of failure to practice, they were in danger and losing.

Benevolence, unselfishness, the Apostle suggests, is a test or proof of the sincerity of our love. If any one claim to have died to the carnal mind of selfishness, and to have been begotten to the new mind of love, the opportunities for the exercise of benevolence will prove it—or to what extent the new mind is ruling in us and conquering the old. (Verse 8.) As an illustration of the true spirit of love in unselfish benevolence, the Apostle cites our Lord Jesus.—Verse 9.

VERSES 10,11 show that they were dilatory about doing what they had purposed. And then (verse 12), lest some who had a proper, benevolent will in the matter might feel that their gifts were too insignificant, this noble teacher assures them (in harmony with our Lord’s teachings—Mark 12:42-44) that God accepts our hearts, our wills; and if our gifts to his service be actually small, they are accepted in proportion to what we have—in proportion to what the gifts cost us in the way of self-denials.

At the Religious Parliament recently held in Chicago the greatest evidence of spiritual development among converts in heathen lands came from Japan. We hope to publish extracts from the report there given, by a Japanese convert, showing the status of Christianity in Japan. In this connection we merely notice his report that the average donations for the support of Christianity, by native Japanese converts, was $6.72 each

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in 1882; $2.15 each in 1888, and $1.95 each in 1892. What an excellent showing this is for people coming out of heathenism;—people, too, who have never yet heard the real good tidings, but merely the human perversion! What might be expected of such earnest souls if once the eyes of their understandings were opened to behold the full light of the gospel of Christ. We notice, however, a steady decline in the past ten years, indicating, possibly, a loss of zeal and first love; and so also the report declares that a lethargy and spiritual decline is at present spreading over the Christians of Japan.

“The liberal soul shall be made fat”—spiritually. Do not our individual experiences corroborate this?

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— November 1&15, 1893 —