1 Corinthians 6:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “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.

NIV: I have the right to do anything,' you say--but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'--but I will not be mastered by anything.

NASB: All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

CSB: "Everything is permissible for me," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me," but I will not be mastered by anything.

NLT: You say, 'I am allowed to do anything' — but not everything is good for you. And even though 'I am allowed to do anything,' I must not become a slave to anything.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Christian teaching about God's grace can create uncertainty for believers about what is or is not acceptable behavior. On the one hand, Scripture is emphatic that those who are in Christ are not subject to the law of Moses. Christians are free to eat old-covenant-restricted animals, for instance, and not to participate in all the special holidays required for religious Jews. More than that, as Paul has written in the previous verse, those in Christ have already been washed of their sins, sanctified in Christ, and declared justified by God. That transaction is complete. We are saved.

Why not continue to do whatever we want, then? Why not participate in what we used to call sexual immorality? Why not do whatever comes naturally, whatever our bodies desire? That's the question Paul seems to be answering in this and the following verses. In doing so, he also sheds light on the problem of using trite clichés, which don't come from the Bible.

Quotation marks and other punctuation were not used in ancient writing. However, the phrase Paul uses here appears to be a slogan or common expression. Perhaps it was even being used by the believers in Corinth: "All things are lawful for me." It is true that nothing—including sin—can ever separate a forgiven Christian from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39). However, it's possible the Corinthians were practicing sin and using this idea to justify their actions.

Paul writes that this is a wrongheaded standard for believers. Christian liberty is not an open excuse for any behavior or attitude. Whether participating in something will "send me to hell" is not a sufficient question for the born-again believer. Instead, we must ask, "Will this help me and other people?" "Will this activity master me, cause me to lose control of myself?"

Paul is urging the Corinthians to live up to who they are now in Christ. He is encouraging them—and by extension, all Christians—to make this the standard for their choices. This contrasts with "living down" to the standards of what is acceptable in a sin-drenched culture.

First Corinthians 6:12–20 describes Paul's objections to those in the Corinthian church who had a casual attitude about sexual immorality. Beyond formal, literal laws, Paul insists the standard for Christian behavior must be whether a practice is helpful or enslaving. Sex is more than a mere bodily function; God designed it to unite two people into one body in marriage. That union with another person drags Christ, to whom we are also united, into the union with us. Our bodies will be resurrected and are meant even now to bring glory to God.

First Corinthians 6 continues Paul's confrontations of the Corinthian Christians over issues in the church. Earlier passages discussed problems of division into factions, and tolerance of heinous sexual sin. Paul is also outraged that they would take one another to court in a lawsuit over minor issues. Instead of suing each other before unbelievers, they should settle trivial issues in the church. Second, Paul urges them to live up to their new identities in Christ instead of living down to the sexually immoral standards of the culture. This sets up discussions of marriage in chapter 7.

Paul confronts two major issues happening in the church at Corinth. First, he is outraged that one of them has brought a lawsuit against a brother in Christ over a minor dispute. It is absurd to think that Christians—those who will judge the world and angels—cannot even judge a small matter between themselves. Second, Paul warns his readers to run from sexual immorality. Sex creates a powerful bond intended only for marriage. Since our bodies belong to and are part of Christ, we have no right to bring Him into a one-body union with someone to whom we're not married.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.