Is it helpful?

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. – 1 Corinthians 6.12

Liberty in Christ is an amazing thing. ‘Free from the Law’ is one of the greatest of blessings. In Christ the legal restrictions are gone. The Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Now that Christ has come the schoolmaster it has lost its authority.

So indeed we can say now, that apart from clear sin, I can do anything. I can’t lie, steal, cheat, commit adultery, get drunk, disrespect authority, backbite, or any of those kinds of things, but what about the not so clear things? How do I decide to do it or not when I have the liberty?

There is a lot we could say, I even have a nice list I came up with one time but I can’t find it right now sadly.

For now I guess there are two things from this verse – is it helpful and will it make be captive.

That’s a great place to start anyway.

Before I decide to act on my liberty I need to ask myself if it is going to be something helpful, or expedient. Is it going to help me grow in Christ? Is it going to help others. Not everything that is ‘lawful’ is good. Is it going to offend another? Will it cause someone to stumble? Will it build me up? Can it honour God? Exercising liberty from the law is not just a matter of doing whatever I want.

Also, will this bring me captive? Will it control my life? Is it something I will obsess over to the point of denying other responsibilities? Will it take up time that I could otherwise use ‘redeeming the time because that days are evil?

Thank God that I am free from the law – but that does mean I am free from responsible living.