“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12 NKJV)

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.” (1 Corinthians 10:23 NKJV)

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 compliment His love. Unfortunately, we don’t always do that.

And here is where it gets interesting: There are those who like to say that we should walk in love while vehemently arguing that we no longer have to keep God’s Law.  But what are they really implying in speaking thusly but that they do not want to be lawful?

Frankly, if they do not want to be lawful, then how could they walk in love when love is the fulfillment of the law? (Romans 13:10) While it is true that we can’t look to the law for salvation but only to Jesus Christ in this way as He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; it is equally true that grace does not give us a license to sin. Paul made this quite clear when he had said, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31 NKJV) Indeed, God expects us to live righteously. Therefore, those who speak against the law of God do so at their own peril.  For Jesus made it very clear that those who practice lawlessness will not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:23).

Note: The idea if practicing lawlessness has to do with willful sin that is committed out of habit–sin that is born out of what is knowingly not surrendered to God. Not unintentional sin or occasional ‘slip ups‘ if you will.

Difficult but not Impossible

Listen, I will be the first to admit that dealing with temptation isn’t easy. In fact, 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, yielding to God will result in victory over sin. For no matter how great your sin might be; God is greater! And the more of your life that you surrender to Him the easier it will become to turn away from temptation when it surfaces around you.

Of course, the ultimate objective is to be completely surrendered to God in everything and in every way–in our thoughts, words, and actions. But keep in mind that victory comes in steps. Not leaps. And as you learn to master each step, advancing in the faith of Jesus Christ, the things that you are now having difficultly in dealing with will become less troublesome for you as you grow more and more in His righteousness. Hence as we move from faith to faith, each step in overcoming the world becomes less challenging when our hunger and thirst for righteousness becomes greater than our desire for sin.

Therefore, relish the freedom that God has given to you; but don’t let what isn’t yours rule your spirit; nor let that which belongs to you ruin your mind. Instead, let the power of the Spirit inspire your thoughts and illuminate your path each step of the way. As you do this you will experience true freedom in Jesus Christ.  For He will set you free from that which is keeping you from finding true peace with God when you invite Him to wield His power within your heart.

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