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1 Corinthians 10:23 - The Significance of Better or Best.

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV) Everything is 
permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is 
permissible"--but not everything is constructive. 

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NLT) You say, I am 
allowed to do anything - but not everything is 
good for you. You say, I am allowed to do 
anything - but not everything is beneficial. 

1 Corinthians 10:23 (ESV) All things are 
lawful, but not all things are helpful. All 
things are lawful, but not all things build up. 
 

WORD STUDY

I have the right to do anything. A 
slogan of Corinthian Christians - one that Paul 
decisively refutes (cf. 8:9; 9:1, 4, 12, 15). A 
Christians freedom is limited by how their actions 
affect other Christians. [NIV SB 2018 Carlson] 

INTRODUCTION

While some actions may not be wrong, they 
may not be in the best interest of others. While 
we have freedom in Christ, we shouldn't 
exercise our freedom at the cost of hurting a 
Christian brother or sister. [Life Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Our navigation app directed my husband 
and me through unfamiliar parts of St. Louis. 
   "Turn left at the light," the automated 
voice commanded. 
   The signal was green, traffic was moving, 
but we weren't in the turning lane. With a few 
quick maneuvers, Russ put us right where we needed 
to be. So we thought. 
   Oncoming headlights blinded us. "Why are 
cars driving toward us?" he shouted. Russ had 
turned onto the wrong side of a six-lane boulevard! 
Swerving through a break in the median, he got the 
car on the correct side of the street. 
   How did that happen? The voice said, 
"Turn." The light indicated it was safe. Did we miss 
a Do Not Enter sign? Even though we tried our 
best, we failed to navigate the streets of St. 
Louis successfully. 
   Sometimes I don't navigate life 
successfully, either. I don't see, or maybe I ignore, 
warning signs and turn down a wrong path. I visit 
online sales for retail therapy when my budget is 
tight. I remain in friendships with toxic people 
because it's easier than confrontation. I RSVP "yes" 
to a social event when the "right" people, whom 
I know don't share my values, are invited. 
   When I start down the wrong path, a voice 
- Jesus's voice - warns me of danger. Jesus 
gives me the freedom to choose, but when my 
choices are not beneficial to me or to others, I can 
avert potential disaster by listening to Him. And 
when all else fails, thankfully, He allows 
U-turns. Karen Sargent 
   Faith Step: Do you face a choice that is 
perhaps permissible but not beneficial? Listen for 
Jesus's voice to guide you. [Mornings With Jesus 
2023 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] 

COMMENTARY

Decide Whats Best, Not Just Whats Good
   Some things are not necessarily wrong; 
theyre just not necessary. Most choices you make in 
life are not really a matter between good and 
bad. Theyre more a matter of whats best for 
you. 
   The Bible talks about this in 1 
Corinthians 10:23: I have the right to do 
anything, you say - but not everything is beneficial. 
I have the right to do anything - but not 
everything is constructive (NIV). 
   Some things are morally neutral. To make 
a good decision, you need to go to a higher 
standard and ask, Will I become a better person 
because of what Im about to do? Thats 
called the improvement test. 
   I remember many years ago when Kay was 
nursing our baby, who always got hungry about noon, 
so she would sit down to feed the baby and turn 
on the TV. Whats on TV at midday? Soap 
operas. So she started watching a soap opera as she 
fed the baby. Evidently, soap operas run into 
each other. One leads right into the next one. 
Pretty soon she was watching two shows, and then 
three. Thats a long time for a baby to keep 
getting fed! 
   After a while she said she realized she 
wasnt doing this for the babies anymore. She was 
actually rearranging her schedule to make sure she 
could see those shows. Shed start thinking, 
Ill do ironing right now or Ill clean 
up the kitchen, and shed make sure she 
was near the TV. 
   Suddenly she got connected to the lives 
of fictional characters. She became intimately 
interested in the lives of people who didnt even 
exist! Then one day it hit her like a ton of 
bricks: I am wasting my life! This does not make 
me a better woman or mother or wife. It has no 
redeeming value. I could be caring about people who do 
exist. 
   Are you more interested in fictional 
people on TV than you are in Paul and Peter and the 
disciples and what God wants to do in your life? Do 
you invest your time in the shallow lives of 
people who fill celebrity magazines? Are you glued 
to ESPN from the moment you get home on Friday 
until Monday morning? 
   Are these things evil? No. Are they bad? 
No. But the question is not, Is there 
anything wrong with it? The question is, Will 
it make me more like Jesus? [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

Four Important Questions
   Theres a common question Christians 
ask that may indicate a spiritual problem in 
their lives: Can you be a Christian and still 
_____? (Fill in the blank.) In other words, Can 
I get away with this and still technically be 
saved? 
   Instead, what we ought to ask is, 
Because I am a Christian, how can I best serve the 
Lord? What can I do to grow spiritually? 
   If youve ever wondered about whats 
okay for a Christian to do, consider these 
questions. 
   Does it build me up spiritually? Does 
this thing that you want to do promote growth in 
your Christian character? Some things in life can 
tear you down because they tear you away from the 
people of God or dull your hunger for the Word of 
God. 
   Does it bring me under its power? Some 
Christians say they have the freedom to do a certain 
thing because they can handle it. They can control 
it. But does it bring them under its power? Can 
they go through a day without it? If not, then it 
isnt freedom. 
   Do I have an uneasy conscience about it? 
There might be something that you feel uneasy 
about doing. It just doesnt feel right. Romans 
14:23 says, For whatever is not from faith is 
sin (NKJV). Were all different. One believer 
may do a certain thing, but that very thing 
could harm you spiritually. 
   Could it cause someone to stumble? You 
may have the liberty to do something, such as go 
to this movie or watch that TV show. But if it 
bothers another believer, be sensitive to that. As 
Christians, we dont live unto ourselves. We have an 
effect on others. 
   All too often people who are interested 
in following Jesus dont want to let go of 
things that will slow them down. We need to count 
the cost. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY

1 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) Be careful, however, 
that the exercise of your freedom does not become 
a stumbling block to the weak. 
[devotional pending]

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/