Today’s buzzwords are ‘entitled’ and ‘rights.’ If you live in the United States you likely have a sense of both for our culture thrives on both. What you deserve, what you should be given, what is your birthright and what the culture of the day says is yours likely exceeds what God has to say on the subject.
Understand that God is not against ‘stuff’ or ‘possessing’ or ‘enjoying’ but He is big on context. In First Corinthians chapters 6 through 10, the issue isn’t about what is permissible but rather what is worthwhile for those who honestly desire to agree with God’s priorities and represent Him appropriately. It is not a question of what you can have but rather what is beneficial for the serving of God.
First Corinthians 6 begins with the issue of legality and especially about how disciples (saints) are suited to judge more clearly than the worldly.
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 1
In the following verses, Paul outlines what is legal and what is right before God and then draws the demarcation of ‘in’ Christ and not ‘in’ Christ with the boundary being,
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 2
With that change of character in mind, he moves on to the key argument:
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 3
‘Permissible’ or ‘getting away with it’ are not reasonable outcomes for the one desiring to live a life pleasing to God and agreeing with His purposes in the life of the disciple. He follows with several examples of God’s high desires and how the disciple can live glorifying God. Over the next three chapters, Paul talks about this from several viewpoints and in Chapter Nine uses himself as an example of living fully and wholly and holy (distinctively) as an accurate representation of Jesus.
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 4
Both by the Law and by relationship with the Corinthians, Paul had the ‘right’ to all of the benefits but his point is that all he might be ‘entitled’ to was not of sufficient benefit for him to drag these along in his service to God, that these rights were forgone ‘rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.’ 5
Chapter Ten is the conclusion of this discussion and begins with revisiting the legalities of Chapter Six and the commonness of all who live before God and ignore Him. He contrasts the Israelite experience back in Exodus when the formal law was given with the law of liberty in Jesus:
We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 6
The contrast between the permissible and the beneficial is again stated late in this chapter:
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 7
… whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Now, that is a standard to live by—in faith, agreeing with the LORD.
