in the
Church have ever done.

29. The Galatians had received from Paul the wisdom of justification
before God by faith in Christ alone. Nevertheless, in spite of that
knowledge, they were deceived and would have lost their wisdom
altogether through the claim of the false prophets that the God-given
Law must be observed, had not Paul aroused their understanding at
this point and brought them back from error. The Corinthians were
taught by their spiritual wisdom the article of Christian liberty;
they knew that sacrifices to idols are nothing. But they failed in
this respect: they proceeded without understanding, and made carnal
use of their liberty, contrary to wisdom and offending others.
Therefore Paul had to remind them of their departure from his
doctrine and wisdom.

30. The Scriptures record many instances of failure in this matter of
understanding. A notable one is found in the thirteenth chapter of
First Kings. A man of God from the kingdom of Judah, who had in the
presence of King Jeroboam openly denounced the idolatry instituted by
the king, and had confirmed his preaching and prophecy by a miracle,
was commanded by God not under any circumstances to abide in the
place whither he had gone to prophesy, nor to eat and drink there. He
was to go straight home by another way than the route he had come.
Yet on the way homeward he allowed himself to be persuaded by another
prophet, one who falsely claimed to have a revelation from God, by an
angel, commanding him to take the man of God to his home and give him
to eat and drink. While they sat together at the table the Word of
the Lord came to the inviting prophet and under its inspiration he
told the other that he should not reach home alive. The latter,
departing on his journey, was killed on the way by a lion, which
remained standing by the body and the ass the man of God had ridden,
not touching them further, until the old prophet came and found them.
He brought the body home on the ass and buried it, commanding that
after his own death he should be laid in the same grave. Such was
God's punishment of the prophet who allowed himself to be deceived
and obeyed not God's express command. However, his soul suffered not
harm, as God testified by the fact the lion did not devour his body
but defended it. Now, in what was the prophet lacking? Not in wisdom,
for he had the Word of God. He lacked in understanding, allowing
himself to be deceived when the other man declar