Lessons #345 and 346
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Believer’s freedom in Christ (1 Cor 10:23-11.1)
23 “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”27 If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake— 29 the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 11 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
There is a sense that we can assert that this section of 1 Corinthians is a summation of the two topics the apostle had addressed in the preceding chapters with more definitive response to these two topics. The apostle dealt with the matter of food sacrificed to idols in the eighth chapter where he indicated that dealing with such a topic requires differentiating knowledge and love, having knowledge about supernatural beings, and being governed by care for the weak. In the preceding section of 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, the apostle dealt with avoidance of idolatry for believers that in effect prohibits going to the temples of idols to eat in them. He advanced three general reasons to avoid idolatry which are the significance of the Lord’s Supper, the nature of sacrifices that in case of pagans expose one to demons, and impact of idolatry on one’s fellowship with God. The apostle having prohibited absolutely eating sacrificial food at the temple meals because it involves worshipping of demons, in our present passage, he gave a specific recommendation of how to deal with meat sacrificed to idols that were sold in marketplace for consumption in private homes. Specifically, the apostle dealt with how a believer should respond to such food when invited to the house of an unbeliever. The second topic had to do with rights one has in Christ although his focus was his right as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He indicated that he gave up some of his rights to ensure the preaching of the gospel of Christ is advanced. This same point is also implied in what we have in the section of 1 Corinthians that we are about to study. Thus, we are correct in asserting that the section before us is indeed a summation of the two topics the apostle had previously stated but that we have more specific instructions in this section regarding the two topics we mentioned.
The passage before us is, no doubt, concerned with freedom we have in Christ. It is interesting that the apostle went from warning against idolatry back to the subject of freedom. The thing that makes this interesting to me is that the Holy Spirit probably wants us to recognize that the concept of freedom among human beings could become idolatrous. In other words, people not understanding the fallen human nature or the effect of sin on human will, may have the tendency of worshipping the concept of human freedom. In other words, it is possible that people would put the concept of freedom over the worship of God. You see, there are those who would not listen to reason when they think that their human freedom is being infringed upon or give serious thought to the Scripture because they are preoccupied with their human freedom or rights. Such individuals fail to recognize that truth and freedom must go hand in hand as implied in the declaration of the Lord Jesus in John 8:32:
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Here truth refers to absolute reality about God or Jesus Christ and special revelation of God as seen in Jesus’ work or teaching. Understanding of the Scripture, for example, would cause a person to ensure that selfishness is not a driving factor in pursuit of personal freedom. Selfishness causes us not to think about others but only ourselves so that we will not act in love.
That aside, the apostle begins our section with what I describe as prelude to the concept of freedom since the apostle again quoted the Corinthians with his own rejoinders to the quotation and an instruction about being concerned with the good of others. This prelude the apostles gives in verses 23 and 24. This is followed by the freedom a believer in Corinth had regarding meat offered for sale in their market, the conditions when to eat or not to eat such meat. The conditions the apostle was concerned were the conscience of unbelievers in Corinth and God’s glory as the apostle discoursed in verse 25 to 31. He ended the section by drawing attention to his pattern of application of the freedom in Christ with an invitation to the Corinthians, and so to all believers, to imitate his pattern of application of his freedom in Christ that is governed by his desire for others to be saved or to gain salvation in Christ. Both the application and invitation to imitate his pattern are described in verse 32 to 33 of the tenth chapter of 1 Corinthians and the first verse of the eleventh chapter.
The summary of the passage that we are about to study that we gave implies that there is a general message the apostle wanted to convey to the Corinthians. This message is that a Corinthian believer in Christ has right to eat any meat offered to him either in market or in private homes of unbelievers but that right should be guided by the conscience of unbelievers, God’s glory, and concern for salvation of others. Based on this general message, we tailor the specific message we believe the Holy Spirit wants us to convey to you as a believer in Christ. The message is this: Use your freedom in Christ in such a way to advance the spiritual needs of others. We will expound on this message based on three responsibilities you have as a believer pertaining to the concept of freedom you have in Christ given in the passage we are studying.
The first responsibility you have as a believer in Christ derived from our passage is that You should understand that not everything you have right to do, helps others spiritually but you are required to seek the good of others. This responsibility is derived from what the apostle stated in verses 23 and 24. There are two parts to this responsibility that demand our attention. The first part is understanding that not everything you have the right to do, helps others spiritually. This first part is derived from a statement that is repeated twice in verse 23 and two clauses in the same verse. This statement is Everything is permissible. This is the second time in this epistle to the Corinthians that the apostle has penned this sentence. The first was in 1 Corinthians 6:12:
“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.
There are two differences between 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 1 Corinthians 10:23. The first is the phrase for me that occurs twice in 1 Corinthians 6:12 does not occur in 1 Corinthians 10:23 although some later Greek manuscripts inserted it contrary to the most ancient manuscripts that omit the phrase. The second is in the last clause of each passage. The last clause of 1 Corinthians 6:12 reads but I will not be mastered by anything while the last clause of 1 Corinthians 10:23 reads but not everything is constructive. Thus, we will review what we considered in 1 Corinthians 6:12 regarding the sentence “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial with some modifications to fit the sentence as used in 1 Corinthians 10:23.
The sentence of 1 Corinthians 10:23 Everything is permissible is literally all things are lawful. There are two problems associated with this sentence that as we stated appears twice in 1 Corinthians 10:23. A first problem is whether this is a quotation or a statement. A minority of commentators take the position that it is a statement of the apostle as reflected in the translation of the Authorized Version (KJV) and the NASB. However, majority of the commentators take the sentence as a quotation so that majority of our English versions put a quotation mark on the sentence as we find in the NIV. Even then, there is no agreement among the majority commentators as to whom the apostle was quoting. Some take the view that the apostle was quoting an attitude that some in Corinth had developed based on the apostle’s teaching while others say that he was quoting an argument, or a slogan used by the Corinthians. It is difficult to be certain whether the apostle referenced an attitude that developed among some Corinthians based on his teaching or a slogan used by the Corinthians to justify their attitude towards meat offered to idols. Nonetheless, it is not necessary to be certain about the source of the quotation since the point of the quotation is simply to indicate an abuse of what is true for the believer who enjoys freedom in Christ. You see, the apostle had taught freedom that believers enjoy in Christ in Galatians 5:1:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Of course, he warned the Galatians, and so all believers, regarding the abuse of the freedom in Christ, as we read in Galatians 5:13:
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
Anyway, of the two interpretations regarding the sentence Everything is permissible I agree with those who interpret it as a quotation that is more likely a slogan used by the Corinthians to justify their view about meat sacrificed to idols as they misapplied what the apostle taught about the freedom in Christ. This is because, although there is no Greek indicator of a quotation but the use of the contrasting conjunction “but” twice in 1 Corinthians 10:23 seems to imply that the apostle was countering a quotation or a slogan that is a misunderstanding of what he taught regarding the freedom believers enjoy in Christ.
A second problem of the sentence Everything is permissible or literally all things are lawful is with the word “everything” or “all” that implies an absolute sense in which every and anything is permissible or lawful whether the apostle quotes a slogan used by the Corinthians or an application of what he taught. The problem is similar to the general statement of many Christians when they say that God is omnipotent by which they mean God can do anything. This kind of understanding is supported from the Scripture. For example, Job asserted in Job 42:1–2:
1 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
Similar assertion is supported by what the Lord Jesus stated in Matthew 19:26:
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
To use these two passages to define God’s omnipotence to mean that God can do anything causes a difficult problem, considering God’s attributes. Let us consider some of the examples that scholars have identified to show the difficulty of such understanding. If God can do anything, then He, in theory, could create a creature that is uncontrollable by Him. This, of course, would contradict His attribute of sovereignty. Take another example, if God can do anything then He would, in theory, be capable of sin, such as lying but that is contrary to His moral perfection such as not being able to lie, as stated in Titus 1:2:
a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
Thus, it is not quite accurate to say that omnipotence of God means that He can do anything. Rather, when we say God is omnipotent, we mean that He can do anything He wills in accordance with His nature. So, we must admit that it is not everything in absolute sense that God can do. He can only do things that conform to His nature and to His holy will. If we put this kind of limitation in the declaration that God can do all things, then it should be clear that when Apostle Paul quoted the sentence Everything is permissible or literally all things are lawful he could not have meant in an absolute sense. This we can demonstrated from examining a word and an expression used in the Greek sentence.
A first word the apostle used that indicates he could not have been thinking in absolute sense is the word “everything” or “all things” in the literal translation. The literal phrase all things is translated from a Greek word (pas) that means “all, every, each, whole” but in the Greek form used in our passage it means “all things, everything.”
Quite often when we encounter the word “all” or “everything” we think in terms of absolute totality, probably because we think a word has an inherit meaning instead of recognizing that it is the context that determines the meaning of a word. Such misunderstanding has a serious consequence, for example, it creates problem for many in accepting specific teachings of the Scripture. For example, some people reject the doctrine of election because they say God is not willing for anyone to perish but wants everyone to come to repentance, so they quote 2 Peter 3:9:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The problem with using this passage to deny election is at least twofold. The first is with the word anyone translated from the plural of a Greek word (tis) that means “anyone, anything, someone; something, many a one or thing, any, some.” In the Greek text of 2 Peter 3:9, it is in the plural, so it is best to translate it “some” or “certain ones.” This interpretation is supported by the fact the translators of NIV translated the same plural Greek pronoun “some” in the clause as some understand slowness and so one wonders why they did not translate it “some” the second time the word appears. This interpretation of the Greek word used that means “some” or “certain ones,” immediately reveals that those that will not perish are not humanity in general as indicated by the word “anyone” but “certain ones” or “some.” The second problem is with the word everyone that is translated from the same Greek word that we said means “all, every, each, whole.” The context suggests that it should be translated “all” and not “everyone.” If this translation is followed, then it is easier to understand that “all” refers to the “some” or “certain ones” that God is not willing for them to perish but to repent. These certain ones are the elect whom Apostle Peter mentioned in the beginning of his first epistle. They are those God is not willing to perish but to be saved; for all the elects will be saved as implied in the reason Apostle Paul gave for his laboring to preach the gospel in 2 Timothy 2:10:
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
The point we want to establish is that the Greek word translated “all” in the literal phrase of 1 Corinthians 10:23 all things are lawful or in the words of the NIV Everything is permissible should not always be taken in an absolute sense but that it is the context that enables its interpretation. Let me illustrate from several passages in the Scripture. The Lord Jesus declared all things were committed to Him by the Father in Matthew 11:27:
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
The phrase all things could refer to authority and power or to knowledge and teaching. Our Greek word is used in reporting Jesus’ Parable of Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:26:
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
The word everything may also be translated “all things” that here refers to total debt owed by the speaker. Luke at the beginning of his gospel account used our word in Luke 1:3:
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.
The word everything may be translated all things that in the context refers to every available information or facts regarding the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. Apostle John used our Greek word in John 1:3:
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
The phrase all things here refers to totality of creation. Apostle Paul used the Greek word in Galatians 4:1:
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
The sentence he owns the whole estate is literally he is master of all things. In the context of Galatians 4, the phrase all things refers to everything that a man owns, hence the translators of the NIV gave a good interpretative translation using the phrase whole estate. The apostle used our Greek word in his epistle to Titus in Titus 1:15:
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
The phrase all things here is a reference to food. This interpretation is supported by what the apostle stated in Romans 14:20:
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
The sentence All food is clean is more literally all things, indeed, are pure. The Greek phrase so rendered is similar to that used in Titus 1:15, the only difference is the word “indeed” not translated in the NIV that is inserted between the two Greek words translated “all things” and “pure.” Thus, for all practical purposes, the Greek phrase in both passages is the same. It is true that the word “food” does not appear in the Greek of Romans 14:20 but the context supports the insertion of the word “food” as found in the NIV since the last phrase of the first sentence of verse 20 is for the sake of food. Furthermore, the preceding context of verse 20 indicates the apostle had in mind the question of clean or unclean food, as he stated in Romans 14:14:
As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
The context of Romans 14:20 is concerned with the ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law which is similar to the context of Titus 1:15. Consequently, since the same Greek phrase is used in both Titus 1:15 and Romans 14:20, we are correct in our interpretation that the phrase all things in Titus 1:15 refers to food.
The examples we have cited should convince you that the phrase all things should not always be taken in absolute sense without reference to the context. Hence, although the apostle quotes the Corinthians who misapplied what is given in the sentence we are considering, he wanted them, at least, to recognize the limitation of the meaning of the Greek word he used in the quotation as not meaning any and everything but limited in application as we will note later. But let’s turn our attention to the expression we said we need to examine.
The key expression the apostle used in the sentence Everything is permissible is the verbal phrase “is permissible.” This is translated from a Greek word (exesti) that may mean “to be authorized for the doing of something” so has several nuances. The word may mean “it is right, is proper” as it is used in the question of the Jewish authorities that wanted to trap the Lord Jesus regarding payment of taxes to Roman government, as in Mark 12:14:
They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
When the context suggests that there is a reference to the Mosaic Law, the meaning is “to be lawful” as it is used primarily in the gospel. For example, it is with the meaning “to be lawful” that the word is used to describe Jesus’ question to the Pharisees and experts in law before He healed a man with dropsy (a condition that involves swollen limbs resulting from the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues, especially the legs) as reported in Luke 14:3:
Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
When the context suggests that it is Roman law, the word may mean “to be legal” as that is the way the word is used to report Paul’s question to the Roman army commander when he ordered him to be flogged, as narrated in Acts 22:25:
As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”
The word may mean “is permitted, permissible” as that is the meaning in which Apostle Paul speaking of himself in third person indicated he was not permitted or authorized to write down what he heard when he was taken to third heaven or paradise, according to 2 Corinthians 12:4:
was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.
The word may mean “to be within the range of possibility” hence means “it is possible” as the word is used to describe what Apostle Peter said during his sermon on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2:29:
“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.
The sentence I can tell you confidently is more literally it is possible to speak with confidence as reflected in the Lexham English Bible. In our context of 1 Corinthians 10:23, the sense of the word is “to be permissible,” that is, “to be allowed, especially according to rule or custom.”
The key word and key expression we have considered allow us to recognize that when Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23 Everything is permissible he meant that those he quoted should recognize that to be free to do anything is limited to what conforms to God’s word not everything, even if it is approved by the society at large. You see, the society often does not approve things that are in keeping with God’s word. Therefore, we contend that the apostle was thinking strictly on the things that conform to God’s word as what those he quoted are free to do. He could not possibly mean anything that is sinful, especially, as he had taught that believers have been set free from sin, as we read in Romans 6:22:
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
The point is that the apostle never intended to convey that a believer is free to do anything even if it is not sinful.
It is not only that the apostle did not mean to convey that the Corinthians are free to do anything that is in accordance with the word of God, but he also conveyed that not even everything that they are free to do would be of immense benefit to others. Of course, he probably was thinking of himself as an example of what he stated in the next sentence of 1 Corinthians 10:23 but not everything is beneficial based on the things he stated in the ninth chapter of 1 Corinthians. This clause is first of the two clauses that help us in understanding the first part of the first responsibility that you have regarding the message of the section of 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 we are studying. The first responsibility that we have stated is You should understand that not everything you have right to do, helps others spiritually but you are required to seek the good of others.
All the same, the expression “is beneficial” in the clause of 1 Corinthians 10:23 but not everything is beneficial is translated from a Greek word (sympherō) that may mean “to bring together especially into a heap” as it is used to describe those who in Ephesus were involved in magical arts but upon conversion gathered together their magical books into a heap to be burned, as narrated in Acts 19:19:
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
The Greek word may mean “to be advantageous” with several meanings. It may mean “to be good, to confer a benefit” as it is used to record the Lord Jesus’ statement to His disciples to indicate His leaving the world would be beneficial to them, as in John 16:7:
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
The word may mean “to be profitable or helpful or useful” as in Apostle Paul’s declaration to the Ephesians in Acts 20:20:
You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.
The word may mean “to be gained” as Apostle Paul used it in describing the fact that although there is nothing for him to gain by boasting about God’s dealings with him; nevertheless, he did so, as we read in 2 Corinthians 12:1:
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:23, the word means “to be advantageous” in the sense of being useful or helpful.
In any case, the apostle intended to convey to us that we should be careful in what we do even when sin is not involved. In effect, we should be thoughtful of what we do by recognizing that not everything that we do or have the right to do that is not sinful would be useful or helpful to us or to others. The apostle had already provided examples of this in what he had already written so far in this epistle to the Corinthians. An illustration of something that is lawful but may not be useful or helpful the apostle had already referenced is marriage. There are certain situations being married may not be helpful or useful. The apostle gave a general example of this in his advice to the unmarried not to marry because of difficult situation that some in Corinth were facing, as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:26–29:
26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. 29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none.
There is nothing wrong with being married. In fact, it is God’s will for believers to marry but marriage may not be useful or helpful under certain conditions of life, such as in economic depression or in a specialized ministry. It is the specialized ministry of Apostle Paul that in part was the reason he was single. His question to the Corinthians indicated he had the right to marry but he did not use that right, as we read in 1 Corinthians 9:5:
Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
It is true the apostle did not say here the reason he was not married but his writing gives us a good indication of his reason. He recognized that he was in an unusual ministry that being married would hinder his effectiveness and would cause unusual hardship for a wife. We say this because he had explained that marriage could cause a person not to be devoted to the Lord as the person would when single, as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:32–34:
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.
Thus, while it is lawful to be married but in certain situation being married would not be helpful.
Another illustration of something that is lawful but may not be useful or helpful the apostle applied to himself is the right of support during his ministry in certain situations. It is this he referenced in 1 Corinthians 9:12:
If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
The apostle implied that it would not have been useful for him to receive support from the Corinthians since his intention was to preach the gospel free of charge to them as he stated in a passage we studied in the past, that is, 1 Corinthians 9:15–18:
15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.
He did the same with the Thessalonians for a different reason which is to be a model of hard work to them, as we read in 2 Thessalonians 3:9:
We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.
To be clear, the apostle did not refuse all supports since he received support from other local churches. This he stated in 2 Corinthians 11:8–9:
8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
The point is that the apostle knew when it was useful to receive support from other local churches but not from the Corinthians. Anyway, having made his point that freedom to do what is not sinful may not always be useful, leads to the last clause of 1 Corinthians 10:23 that is a basis for the first part of your responsibility regarding the message we are considering which is You should understand that not everything you have right to do, helps others spiritually but you are required to seek the good of others.
The last clause of 1 Corinthians 10:23 that enabled us to derive the first part of the first responsibility we have stated is but not everything is constructive. The verbal phrase “is constructive” is translated from a Greek word (oikodomeō) that may mean “to build” in the sense of to erect a structure as it is used in the Lord Jesus’ charge against the Jews of His time for building monuments for the prophets their forefathers killed, as we read in Luke 11:48:
So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.
The word may mean to help improve ability to function in living responsibly and effectively hence it means “to strengthen” as it is used to describe the action of the Holy Spirit in the early church, as we read in Acts 9:31:
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
The word may mean “to edify” as it is used in 1 Corinthians 14:4:
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
The word means “to build up” in the sense of believers strengthening one another as the word is used in 1 Thessalonians 5:11:
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
The word may mean “to rebuild” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what a return to the law that he has preached against as not required for salvation that came through Jesus Christ would mean in Galatians 2:18:
If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 10:23, the word means “to build up” in the sense of to help improve a person’s moral strength or conscience or simply to strengthen a person spiritually. Thus, the apostle wants to convey that it is not everything a person is free to do can lead to building up others spiritually. By the way, the meaning “constructive” of the NIV is not wrong if a person understands the word to mean “promoting improvement or development” spiritually.
The clause but not everything is constructive is essentially saying the same thing as the clause of 1 Corinthians 10:23 but not everything is beneficial although the emphasis of the clause of our focus is on helping someone spiritually. You may be free to do whatever that is not sinful but you should be careful to understand that while something may not be sinful but that it may not necessarily help to advance you or another spiritually. Apostle Paul gave an example of this kind of thing in his teaching to the Romans regarding eating and drinking. You certainly have the right to eat and drink anything you want but under certain situation such right may tear down another believer’s faith instead of building it up. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit through the apostle indicates that in such a situation a person may avoid eating and drinking as we read in Romans 14:19–21:
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
You may also have the freedom to say whatever you want that is not a lie or gossip but what you say may not build up another believer in which case you should avoid doing so as implied in the instruction given by the Holy Spirit through Ephesians 4:29:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Instead of a talk that would not help build up another believer spiritually, it is better to talk or speak the word of truth to others that would help to build them up since we know that the word of God builds up believers as we read, for example, in Acts 20:32:
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
In any event, the first responsibility you have regarding the message of 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 is that You should understand that not everything you have right to do helps others spiritually, but you are required to seek the good of others.
09/10//21