All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corinthians 6:12
People who fail to rightly divide the Word of Truth use today’s text as an excuse to do almost everything. Most people want to know how much they can get away with and not get into trouble. And too many Christians fall into the same trap. They seize upon Paul’s declaration that all things are lawful, and use it to dabble in things that are obviously wrong. Let’s look at what Paul is referring to when he speaks of things that are lawful.
In verses 9 and ten of this chapter, Paul refers to a broad range of sins and sinfulness, and makes it clear that those who participate in and practice those things have no part in the kingdom of God. That very plainly means those things are not lawful. So in our text today, he moves on to those things that are not listed in verses 9 and 10. Paul is saying that there are many activities and situations that are not necessarily wrong in themselves. There are times when such things would be just fine. But there would be other times when those things are not expedient. So we need to know what Paul is referring to when he says not expedient.
Let’s look at a common example, the drinking of alcoholic beverages. Many will tell us that having a glass of wine with a meal does no harm, and can in fact be beneficial to health. In some places in other parts of the world, it is normal for Christians to partake of some wines or beers. But in North America, attitudes toward alcohol are much different. Even the unsaved world views the drinking of any form of alcohol as a vice, a vice which they don’t mind being involved in themselves, but a vice that they are shocked to see a Christian involved in. In our part of the world, drinking is a bad testimony, and something that you and I are well advised to avoid entirely. It can also be a stumblingblock for younger Christians who see mature Christians drinking moderately, and assume it is OK for them to drink, even to excess. For any Christian around here, drinking is not expedient.
Instead of looking at what we can get away with doing, we should be looking at what we should be doing. We should be asking what is expedient. That means we should regulate our actions by those things that will bring glory to the Lord. We should be careful to do those things that will be a help to other Christians. We should be mindful to do those things that will draw sinners to our Saviour. These things are expedient.
We are not under law, but under grace. And we should be displaying the results of God’s grace in our lives, not the results of a license to behave as our old nature desires. -Jim MacIntosh