Think Like a Christian on Topics Not in the BibleEsimerkki

Day 6: Liberty to Do Beneficial Things

One of the greatest passages in the entire Bible is found in 1 Corinthians 6:11. After running through a laundry list of sin-making identities that disqualifies one from the Kingdom of God, Paul responds, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Christians have been purified from past sin and shame, set apart as holy, and have already received the declaration of their end-times judgment of “righteous!” Oh, the richness of the gospel and the grace of God in Jesus!

But Paul takes an unexpected turn in the next verse: “‘'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” (1 Corinthians 6:12).

Christians are governed by the New Covenant and have the liberty to engage in all manner of activities, but what a waste it would be to use our standing before God and our blood-bought freedom to exercise that freedom in things that are not beneficial.

There are many activities not inherently or essentially sinful, but they are also not beneficial. One does not need to be a glutton to harm oneself through eating (or not eating). One does not have to become intoxicated to be harmed by the use of certain substances. Just because something is not against the law does not mean that it is necessarily right for the Christian. Paul’s words are straightforward. Christians have the liberty to engage in many different activities that are not expressly forbidden by God’s Word, but just because God has not prohibited an activity does not mean that it is wise to participate or partake.

Of course, the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how to determine if something is beneficial, so I suspect there is room for disagreement. But certain or potential harm to self and others ought to be considered if one wants to avoid things that are not beneficial.

After all, we have been set apart, cleansed of sin and shame, and declared righteous by our holy God. Why use a platform like that for anything that doesn’t bring about good, both for ourselves and others?