1 Corinthians 7:24 Brothers, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. Learn — I. WHAT THE RELIGION OF JESUS CHRIST REALLY IS. The godly man is the man who "abides with God." We use the term "religious" very loosely, meaning by it the observance of certain ceremonies or the reception of certain opinions, but religion in deed and in truth consists in a right state and action of the soul towards God. It is our knowledge of God in Jesus Christ leading us to aim at a Christ-like life. II. RELIGION SO UNDERSTOOD IS A RIGHT AND A REASONABLE THING. It is the exercise of our powers upon Him who is infinitely worthy of them all. It is the rendering to God His own what He is pleased to ask and require. The eye is no more fitted to see or the ear to hear than is the constitution of your nature fitted for religion; and just as the formation of the eye tells us that though there may be blindness, nevertheless, we were made to see, and just as the formation of the ear tells us that though there may be deafness the ear was constructed that men should hear, just so the very structure of our moral nature teaches us that, in spite of all the wanderings of the intellect and the worse wanderings of the heart, we are made, it is the very end of our being, to love and honour God. Regarded as a life, religion is the life a man is fitted to live. Regarded as a work, religion is the work a man is adapted and intended to perform. A man is not a man in the full sense of the term unless he is religious; he is other than he ought to be, he is less than he ought to be if he is not religious. He is a ground not tilled, a seed not sown, a perversion of power. III. THIS RELIGION MAY BE A MATTER OF EVERY-DAY LIFE WITH US IS EVERY CONDITION OF LIFE A MAN MAY BE CALLED TO OCCUPY. If it consisted in the observance of certain rites, then it would be a thing of times and places; but since it is a life, it cannot be restricted to times and places and conditions. Even slaves are told that whatsoever they do they do heartily as unto the Lord. Well, now, if the bard service of slaves may be a service of God, is it not perfectly clear that every-day religion must be possible to each one of us? (J. Vaughan Pryce, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.WEB: Brothers, let each man, in whatever condition he was called, stay in that condition with God. |
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