All things are lawful to me, but all things do not profit; all things are lawful to me, but *I* will not be brought under the power of any.
Paul takes up the claim "all things are lawful for me" and puts it to the test. He does not deny the freedom. He asks two questions of it: does this do any good, and who ends up in control?
What "All Things" Covers
The "all things" here are not sins. One writer marks out what Paul is talking about, and the danger hidden inside it.
"All things" — and here he speaks of right things, food and natural relations — are lawful for the Christian. Even so, we have to be careful. Everything may be lawful, but it does not follow that everything is helpful. There is a danger that in using right things we come under their power.
The Second Question
One question is "is it forbidden?" Paul adds a second one. Many things pass the first test and fail the second.
Even so, what is perfectly lawful may not be "helpful" or "profitable" at all. And even a lawful thing can tend to enslave. We must not let anything take power over us. We should stay free instead, as the willing slaves of our Lord and Saviour. How often people say about a disputed point, "But it is not forbidden. What is the harm in it?" The reply has to be another question: is it profitable? We want things that do no harm — but we also want things that do real good.
Freedom That Turns Into Slavery
The second half of the verse guards the first. A freedom that hands control to a habit has stopped being freedom.
There is another safeguard. If all things are lawful to the Christian, he still refuses to let anything take power over him. If that were not so, it would be slavery, not freedom. So he must keep caring for the good of others, and keep his freedom itself intact. The Christian is called to serve others, never to be the slave of a habit, in anything great or small.
Note who is speaking. Paul says "I will not." One writer sees a man guarding himself against a real danger, not an imaginary one.
Paul says that things which are "lawful" to him — things not against Scripture — are not all "expedient," that is, wise. About these same things he at once adds, "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything" (1 Cor. 6:12). Lawful things can build up a power or influence over a person, and even Paul feared becoming their captive.
How Small the Thing Can Be
The moment of surrender is not dramatic. It is the moment a thing starts giving the orders.
By "all things are lawful, but not all are helpful" (v. 12), he means that there is no difference to him, but he will not allow anything to have power over him. The moment a thing governs him, lust has power over him — even if it is only eating something nice… The Lord has taken up the body as well as the soul, though He has not yet redeemed it out of its present state. So the body is for the Lord, and not for its own lusts.
Not a Rule, but a Master
This restraint is not a return to law. It comes from somewhere else, and it rests on a simple fact: a Christian already has an owner.
Someone may insist that grace has made "all things lawful." Even so, grace has a powerful voice to persuade that person that "all things are not helpful." Grace teaches us the opposite of self-indulgence (Titus 2:11-12)… If "all things are lawful," personal faith still refuses to come under the power of mere "things." The believer has a Master who is supreme. So it is only right that he should let nothing else rule him.
Rights Given Up for Others
Paul's freedom was real, and he still did not treat it as the deciding factor.
All things are lawful for those who are heirs of everything. But our great care should be to rule our natural desires, not to obey them. Otherwise we stop being free men and become slaves again. The apostle is our pattern here (1 Cor. 6:12). He claimed his personal freedom in the strongest terms, yet he chose to wear the chains of one bought by his Lord and belonging to Him. All things were lawful, but his rights were not his measure. His faith worked through love, and love does not count its rights; it looks for its opportunities.
Summary
- Lawful. The things in view are not sins. They are right things — food, natural relations. The danger is in the use, not the thing.
- Profitable. "Is it forbidden?" is only the first question. Ask also whether it does real good, not just no harm.
- Power. A lawful thing can start to govern you. The moment it governs, you are no longer free — that is slavery wearing the name of freedom.
- Master. A Christian already has a supreme Master, so nothing else may take command. Grace teaches this restraint, not rules.
- Love. Paul held his rights but did not let them decide. Love looks past what it may claim to what it can do for others.