“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 KJV
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” – 1 Corinthians 10:23 KJV
One of the greatest gifts that God has given to humankind is freedom. But that gift comes with responsibility; that is, we are expected to exercise our free will in such a way as to make God’s love known. Unfortunately, we don’t always do that. And here’s where it gets interesting: there are those who agree that we should walk in love, but do not agree that we are required to keep God’s Law. Of course, without realizing it, what these people are really saying is that they don’t want to be lawful, but lawless. Yet how could anyone walk in love without being lawful when love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10)?
Indeed, salvation is by grace through faith, and we can look to none other but Jesus Christ for it. But grace doesn’t give us a right to sin with impunity. Even Paul made this point very clear in the following words: “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31 KJV). God expects us to live righteously; He expects us to be lawful. Therefore those who speak against the law of God do so at their own peril. For Jesus made it very clear that those who are workers of iniquity will not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:23). Such people go about using their liberty as a license to sin. When they should be speaking favorably of God’s law they cast it down instead. Thus, they sin against God.
Listen, dealing with temptation isn’t always going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to avoid delving into it. Granted, it could take years to overcome certain sins. Unless you can find the root cause of your weakness it is difficult to escape its thrust. Nevertheless, your yielding to God will result in victory over sin. For no matter how great your sin might be, God is greater! Hence the more of your life you surrender to Him the easier it will become for you to turn away from temptation.
Of course, the ultimate objective is to be completely surrendered to God in every way; in our thoughts and our words and our actions. It is important to note, however, that victory over sin comes in steps, not leaps. So, don’t be discouraged to the point of giving up if you falter in your faith at some point. Instead, get back up and keep trying to succeed. As you continue to walk with Christ, you will advance in the faith more and more. Thus, the things that you now struggle with will become less troublesome for you to deal with as you grow in Christ (1Timothy 4:7-8; Hebrews 5:13-14). In other words, as we move from faith to faith in Christ, each step to overcoming the world will become less challenging. For our hunger and thirst for righteousness will exceed our desire to sin, and we will thereby learn to walk even as Jesus walked (1John 2:6; Revelation 14:12).
Relish the freedom that God has given you through Jesus Christ, but don’t let evil rule over your heart. Instead, let the power of the Spirit inspire both your thoughts and actions, and thus the righteousness of Christ will illuminate your path each step of the way (Romans 6:12-13). Indeed, as you continue to follow God in this way you will experience true freedom in Jesus Christ, who has the power to set you free from that which is keeping you from finding true peace with God. But that won’t happen unless you yield your life to Him by allowing Him to wield His power within your heart, not using liberty as a license to sin, but as an opportunity to experience the power of God.
