1 Corinthians 6:9-12
(9) Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders (10) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And that is what some of you were. 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. (12) “Everything is permissible for me”?but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”?but I will not be mastered by anything.”
How can Paul give a long list of stuff God says you can’t do and then say, “All things are lawful for me”? Did he have special permission to commit sin? Can we have the same rights Paul had? What exactly does “All things are lawful for me” mean?
Better translations are “I have permission to do anything,” “I am free to do anything,” or “I may do anything.” Paul is referring to our God-given free-moral agency – the right to make our own choices, including sin.
This freedom to sin appears in Deuteronomy 30:15-20, where God says we are free to choose either death or life, but He commands us to choose life, clearly implying that we are also free to choose death! Sadly, both now and in the past, mankind, under the influence of Satan, human nature, and this world, have overwhelmingly chosen death and become slaves to wrong choices.
When we go All In we realize God has called us. He opens our minds to who we are, the seriousness of life, the certainty of death, and the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf.
We then freely choose to enter into a covenant with Him, and receive His Spirit, and He frees us from our slavery to Satan, human nature, sin, and death. As a result, we can see why Paul says, in paraphrase, “As a son of God, I still have permission to do anything, but not everything is helpful, or expedient, to fulfilling God’s purpose for me if I desire to fulfill the covenant and enter God’s Kingdom.”
He then makes the strong statement, paraphrasing verse 12, “I will not allow myself to be mastered by human nature’s lustful desires. I will control myself because, otherwise, I’d just be serving myself, not God or my fellow men.” I Corinthians 9:27 confirms Paul strong desire to be All In and guard himself against sin: “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
Are you choosing life in every situation/choice?
YIC – Pastor James L Henley, Jr.
Fresh Start Christian Church 