1 Corinthians 6:12

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. ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL UNTO ME. Paul's own words on some former occasion (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:23) were made a pretext for excusing the eating of meats offered to idols, and so of what was generally connected with it (Acts 15:29), "fornication" (perhaps in the letter of the Corinthians to Paul, 1 Corinthians 7:1). Paul had referred only to things indifferent, and things within the sphere of Christian liberty (John 8:34). They wish...

12._All things are lawful for me. _Interpreters labor hard to make out the connection of these things, (345) as they appear to be somewhat foreign to the Apostle’s design. For my own part, without mentioning the different interpretations, I shall state what, in my opinion, is the most satisfactory. It is probable, that the Corinthians even up to that time retained much of their former licentiousness, and had still a savor of the morals of their city. Now when vices stalk abroad with impunity, (346) custom is regarded as law, and then afterwards vain pretexts are sought for by way of excuse; an instance of which we have in their resorting to the pretext of Christian liberty, so as to make almost everything allowable for themselves to do. They reveled in excess of luxury. With this there was, as usual, much pride mixed up. As it was an outward thing, they did not think that th

12-20 Some among the Corinthians seem to have been ready to say, All things are lawful for me. This dangerous conceit St. Paul opposes. There is a liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, in which we must stand fast. But surely a Christian would never put himself into the power of any bodily appetite. The body is for the Lord; is to be an instrument of righteousness to holiness, therefore is never to be made an instrument of sin. It is an honour to the body, that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead; and it will be an honour to our bodies, that they will be raised. The hope of a resurrection to glory, should keep Christians from dishonouring their bodies by fleshly lusts. And if the soul be united to Christ by faith, the whole man is become a member of his spiritual body. Other vices may be conquered in fight; that here cautioned against, only by flight. And vast multitudes are cut o...

Verse 1 Corinthians 6:12. _ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL UNTO ME_] It is likely that some of the Corinthians had pleaded that the offence of the man who had his father's wife, as well as the eating the things offered to idols, was not contrary to the law, as it then stood. To this the apostle answers: Though such a thing be lawful, yet the case of fornication, mentioned 1 Corinthians 5:1, is not expedient, ου συμφερει-it is not agreeable to propriety, decency, order, and purity. It is contrary to the established usages of the best and most enlightened nations, and should not be tolerated in the Church of Christ. They might also be led to argue in favour of their eating things offered to idols, and attending idol feasts, thus:-that an idol was nothing in the world; and as

ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL UNTO ME - The apostle here evidently makes a transition to another subject from that which he had been discussing - a consideration of the propriety of using certain things which had been esteemed lawful. The expression, “all things are lawful,” is to be understood as used by those who palliated certain indulgences, or who vindicated the vices here referred to, and Paul designs to reply to them. His reply follows. He had been reproving them for their vices, and had specified several. It is not to be supposed that they would indulge in them without some show of defense; and the declaration here has much the appearance of a proverb, or a common saying - that all things were lawful; that is, “God has formed all things for our use, and there can be no evil if we use them.” By the phrase “all things” here, perhaps, may be meant many things; or things in general; or there...

EXPOSITION 1 CORINTHIANS 6:1 _Litigation before heathen courts forbidden._ 1 CORINTHIANS 6:1 DARE ANY OF YOU? rather, _Dare any one of you? _It is in St. Paul's view an _audacious _defiance of Christian duties to seek from the heathen the justice due from brother to brother. A MATTER; some ground of civil dispute. AGAINST ANOTHER; _i.e. _against another Christian. When one of the litigants was a heathen, Christians were allowed to go before heathen law courts, because no other remedy was possible. GO TO LAW BEFORE THE UNJUST. The "unjust" is here used for "Gentiles," because it at once suggests a reason against the dereliction

ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL UNTO ME,.... That is, which are of an indifferent nature; otherwise everything is not lawful to be done: BUT ALL THINGS ARE NOT EXPEDIENT; when the doing of them destroys the peace, comfort, and edification of others; when it stumbles and grieves weak minds, and causes offence to them; see 1 Corinthians 10:23 ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL FOR ME; which is repeated for the sake of saying the following words: BUT I WILL NOT BE BROUGHT UNDER THE POWER OF ANY; which would be very inexpedient, should any by the use of liberty in things indifferent, on the one hand, offend his brethren, and, on the other, bring himself into bondage to those very things he has the free use of; and therefore the apostle determines, that these shall not have the mastery over him, that he will use them, or not use them, at his plea

1. _Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?_ In those days, the courts of law were utterly unjust. It was all a matter of who could bribe the most, for he would gain the suit. I think that we cannot say that it is quite like this at the present time in our law courts, neither can this verse be strictly a rule for the guidance of men in these days, except that, in the spirit of Paul's words, all lawsuits among Christians should be avoided if possible. 1 Corinthians 6:2. _Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?_ Sitting with Christ, at the last great day of judgment, we shall give our «Amen» to the condemnation of the fallen spiri

CHAPTER 6 __ 1. Concerning Disputes before Heathen Courts. (1 Corinthians 6:1). 2. The Holiness of Believers; Their Bodies the Temples of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:8). Instead of settling their disputes amongst themselves, as it becomes the Saints of God, they brought their difficulties before a heathen court. In doing this they had lost sight of the dignity of their calling. The Saints of God are to reign with Christ and share His glory; they shall judge the world and angels in that day. Going to a heathen court to have these matters settled by one who was not a child of God, but unrighteous, was unworthy of them; they were making known their own shame before the world. If they had remembered that coming day of glory, when as Saints they were to par

IMPURITY IS NO TRUE EXPRESSION OF CHRISTIAN FREEDOM, BUT INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE BELIEVER'S UNION WITH CHRIST. The special case of incest and the warnings against impurity in the last section (1 Corinthians 6:9 f.) have prepared the way for this explicit and reasoned denunciation. Impurity was defended on the principle that all things were lawful, possibly a maxim in which Paul had expressed his own doctrine of Christian freedom. If so, here, as elsewhere, illegitimate inferences were drawn from his antinomianism, here to defend licence, elsewhere to discredit his doctrine of freedom by exhibiting its moral dangers. More probably the maxim was coined by those who defended licentiousness; Paul opposes to it the counter-maxim, All things are not expedient, _i.e._ there are things which involve moral and spiritual loss. All are lawful, he repeats, retorting: Yes, but if they are at m