What Is Not

All things are lawful to me, but not all things are profitable.  1 Corinthians 6:12

Lawful – How we long for the removal of all requirements over our lives!  We want to be free!  What we mean, of course, is that we want to do whatever we want to do whenever we feel like doing it.  That is societal suicide, as the world is once more discovering, but it doesn’t stop our natural desire to throw off all the constraints.  So, when we read this declaration from Paul, we quite naturally understand it in terms of our own desire to find justification for self-enhancing actions.  We remove the context and proclaim, “I am free under grace.  I can do anything I want to do.  I don’t have to live by the Law anymore.”

Of course, Christians would never believe that Paul’s declaration means they can steal, lie, murder or commit adultery without consequence.  Some “laws” seem so basic that even a declaration of freedom like this one does not overturn them.  When Christians offer this verse for justification, the issue is usually all the other instructions in the torah, in particular those instructions that appear to be just for the Jews.  The battle cry, “I am under grace,” is used to rationalize ignoring God’s commands to Israel.  But maybe we haven’t looked at this verse as seriously as we should.

The Greek word exesti is not found in the Greek version of the Old Testament.  It is a New Testament word, used most often in the description of Jesus’ interaction with the Pharisees over what is “lawful.”  The word itself comes from two Greek words, ek meaning “out of” and eimi meaning “to be”.  So, it can appropriately be translated “what is possible, what comes out of what is” as well as “lawful.”  It all depends on the context.  Paul is not talking about a person can do but rather about what a person must do.  This is particularly important in the Corinthian church where personal liberty created an atmosphere of license that opposed the very heart of God.  Paul addresses this ungodly behavior not by commanding obedience but my pointing out that voluntary submission to what delights God and benefits others is the true path.  In other words, while Corinthian Christians can do all kinds of things (and, in fact, are doing them), they have missed the point.  Christianity is not a religion of legislation but rather an act of devotion.  That simply means that some things may not be done even if they could be done.

Now let’s look at the greater context.  Does Paul ever suggest that walking with the Messiah means we are free to ignore torah?  Does he proclaim that grace overthrows law?  Certainly not!  How could Paul exhort us to follow his example just as he follows Jesus unless he means that he is as faithful to the torah as Jesus was?  How could Paul claim that he never violated any of the torah or the traditions of his people and still proclaim that he can do anything he wishes?  Paul’s point is about the reason that a believer follows God’s instructions.  That reason is not based in forced compliance but rather in grateful submission.  We are human.  We have free will.  We can choose anything that is possible.  But we don’t.  We choose based on what God calls good because we love Him.

The goal of life is not about liberty.  It is about slavery to the One who loves us.

Topical Index:  Freedom