SERMON: “Freedom, But with Boundaries” (1 Cor. 10:23–24)
“Freedom, But with Boundaries” (1 Cor. 10:23–24)
Series: “1 Cor: Holiness from Messes” #37 Text: 1
Corinthians 10:23–24
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: Oct. 4, 2026
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
Introduction
Are Christians just allowed to do whatever we
want?
Those who come from a legalistic background
have been told that preform and a certain way to get God’s favor. Perhaps it’s not for salvation, but there’s a
sense that God is only paying attention to those who are trying their hardest
to please Him. There are Christians who
want to escape the bondage of performance-based systems, and they finally find
out about the grace of God.
Sadly, what often happens is that the
pendulum swings too hard in the opposite direction. These believers develop an allergy to any
talk of obedience or works. That kind of
antinomian or “anti-law” view cuts them off from a good deal of New Testament
instruction.
This isn’t just among Christians who came
from legalistic backgrounds. There are
some believers who never developed a taste for following the Lord’s commands
for loving Him and loving others. They
instinctively know God is gracious, so they don’t feel any motivation to put
their faith into practice. It’s possible
that they aren’t even true believers, but if Corinth is any indication, there
are true, regenerate Christians who are simply selfish.
That brings us to what Paul is discussing
here. We’re entering a section of
Scripture that again addresses eating meat sacrificed to idols, but it sums up
everything the Lord has been revealing through Paul on the subject into a final
word on our freedom, love, and glorifying God through our actions. This section begins with our verses today and
extends through v. 1 of chapter 11, though we won’t have time to cover all of
that today.
In this passage, we’ll see that we have
freedom, but with important boundaries. First,
we’ll note the tension of Christian freedom (v. 23), that freedom doesn’t mean
we can do whatever we want. Second, we’ll
note the orientation of Christian freedom (v. 24), that we often have the wrong
view of freedom. Let’s consider the
first of these.
First, Note the Tension of Christian Freedom (v. 23)
All
things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things
build up.
The passage opens what appears to be a
paradox, affirming freedom while giving restrictions. As we read it, this verse might seem very
familiar, because Paul is repeating what he said back in 6:12 nearly verbatim.[1] He appears to be riffing on a slogan the
Corinthians were repeating. We have our
own slogans today — some good, and some bad.
This one isn’t entirely false, but it needs important qualifications.
This isn’t a contradiction but a distinction
between what’s permitted and what’s beneficial. This explores what Christian liberty actually
means. Paul first establishes the
governing principle; he will only later tell us how to live that out
practically.
You’ll note first that he repeats their
slogan and adds two thoughts. He does so
because these are possibly ways that they are provoking the Lord (note v. 22).[2] They need to see the limits of what is
allowable for Christian behavior.
First, Paul says “all things are lawful.” However, he simply does not mean “all things”
literally, as in accepting sin categories.
For instance, Paul isn’t arguing that bearing false witness, stealing,
murder, or adultery are lawful.
When I first heard this interpretation of
Paul’s words, I thought that it might be legalistic. However, Paul made it clear earlier that
idolatry is wrong, and a Christian may not participate in the pagan feasts. It’s not legalistic or moralistic to
recognize boundaries in the Christian faith.
Apparently, “some of the believers there apparently had taken it as a
slogan to justify anything they wanted to do,”[3] and
Paul won’t permit that loose an interpretation.
Still, he says that things which are not
forbidden by God are lawful things.
There are many today who want lists of rules that are outside of
Scripture. They want to be told if
everything is right and wrong, down to the minute detail. For instance, in the next chapter, hair length
becomes a talking point, and I have heard preachers say they know down to the
inch exactly the length of hair you need to be pleasing to God! We fall into error if we exceed the written
Word in such ways, even if it feels comforting to have someone tell you how to
feel and think about something not directly addressed by Scripture.
Paul says here, “All things are lawful, but
not all things are profitable,” again repeating what he said back in 1 Cor.
6:12. The word profitable here
has been translated in a few ways, like “helpful” (ESV, HCSB, NKJV),
“beneficial” (NET, CSB), or “expedient” (KJV).
This term refers to something that might benefit yourself and others,[4]
and Paul says here that not everything which is lawful can do that.
Understand: The question Christians should
ask shouldn’t just be, “Has God forbidden it?”
We should indeed ask whether God allows us to do something, but we must
go beyond that. We must also ask whether
it’s profitable or expedient. Sometimes,
we may engage in an act that is technically permissible but that is also unwise
and unprofitable for us and others.
For instance, churches can have all manner of
approaches to worship within a biblical framework, but they might not be
best. In this case, a Christian might
know that he may eat meat bought at the marketplaces without committing
idolatry himself, but he should be sensitive to the consciences of other people
if they raise an issue about it.
Paul again says it again: “All things are
lawful.” We must note again that Paul is
not denying Christian freedom. He is not
laying down a new code or encouraging us to bind the consciences of our
neighbors with our scruples. He is
affirming, just like before, that Christ has set the Christian free.
Still, this is where he departs from what he
previously said. In 6:12, he had said
“but I will not be mastered by anything.”
In that verse, he was more focused on what would be personally
profitable or beneficial.
In this verse, though, he asks us to look
outward from ourselves toward what is profitable for others.[5] That’s why he changes here to say, “but not
all things build up.” This means to “edify”
(NASB95), or to be “constructive” (NIV84).
It is a term of construction, and we should want to see the body of
Christ built into an even greater structure.
Elsewhere, he calls us to the peace and building up of one another (Rom
14:19), and that’s not accomplished when everyone is only concerned with their
own desires and freedoms.
Consider the contrast with what we’ve read about
Israel earlier in this chapter. As the
LSB translation notes state here, “There, Paul’s language of ‘falling’ (1 Cor
10:8, 12) and being ‘destroyed’ (1 Cor 10:9–10) serve as rhetorical
counterpoints to Paul’s statement here about ‘building up.’ ” When we seek our own wants, we do damage to
the structure of the whole body; when we seek the needs of others, we build
each other up in the Lord.
One commentator puts it this way:
When we are faced with a decision about a
practice, we should first ask if we have a right to do it. If it is not forbidden in Scripture the answer
is yes. But our next question should be,
Is it profitable, edifying, and upbuilding for ourselves and for others? If the answer to both questions is yes, then
we can do it to God’s glory. If the
answer to either question is no, we cannot do it to His glory.[6]
How can we build each other up, then? This may come in many various ways. For instance, it can happen as we share biblical
doctrine with one another.[7]
We can also ensure that our actions are
aiming at benefiting others (including evangelizing unbelievers).[8]
We can seek to love and serve one
another, which Scripture tells us also builds up the body of Christ (1 Cor.
8:1; Eph 4:12).[9] We just have to be open and willing, seeking the
Lord’s Spirit for grace.
This isn’t something a church can force
top-down. The women’s ministry can plan
fellowship meals, but they can’t create love.
The men’s ministry can challenge us to step up, but we must be willing
to answer the call. We must each seek
to value others and seek for their good. And this begins with prayer.
With that, I’m stepping on the next point, so
let’s turn there next:
Second, Note the Orientation of Christian Freedom (v. 24)
Let
no one seek his own good, but that of the other person.
We should desire to see others built up in
the Lord. We can become inwardly focused
as believers. We might even be seeking
something good for ourselves, as in something spiritually beneficial, but we
think that others might get in the way.
The Lord’s apostle here tells us we have the wrong view, if that is the
case.
I’ll give you an example of that. There was a story told to every incoming
class to seminary, and though such tales are meant to scare people straight, I’m
sure this one was based on a true story.
A seminary student dedicated himself to his studies, wanting to be a
good pastor one day. And when the day of
his graduation came, he noticed his wife was missing from the audience. When he returned home, all his books were on
their bed with a note that said, “I hope you have a happy life together!” He sought his own good under the appearance
of a worthy calling.
I’ve heard similar stories with similar
outcomes. Pastors were too focused on
the ministry, prioritizing others consistently over their families. Sometimes, it’s the children grow up to
despise their fathers, because Dad spent more time with other kids than his
own. (This is why I strongly recommend
Paul David Tripp’s Dangerous Calling for anyone interested in entering
ministry.) I’m not saying that a wife
never leaves for her own selfish reasons, or that kids don’t grow up
unconverted and, in truth, grow resentful toward God. Still, some men get too focused on pursuing some
good position for themselves or some good thought from others outside his family,
neglecting those closest to him.
This demonstrates how fine the line can be
sometimes, and how it might even appear good to us and may not even be idolatrous. Yet, it comes back to an inward focus — even
if there is an appearance of outward service.
There is an ordering of the “others” you put before yourself (your wife,
your kids, then others in the church, and finally, those out in the world) —
but, it is always before self. Of course,
I mean this realistically, for we must all sleep and eat and relax at
times. Still, if we are ultimately seeking
our own good, then we are ultimately no good for the body of Christ.
We should seek the good and edification of
our neighbor. As Romans 15:2 says, “Each
of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his building up.” It’s not that we are to be people pleasers,
but we should also avoid only pleasing ourselves. Even Christ did not please Himself, but He
went to the cross for the building up of those who at one time hated God (v.
3). We should be of the same mind as
Christ.
Again, this message isn’t saying we don’t
have freedom. However, we regulate that
freedom by our love for others.[10] Incidentally, again, though the term here in
1 Corinthians 10:24 is “neighbor” in many of your translations, it just means “other”
— we should develop an “otherly” mindset.
In situations where our rights come into conflict with other believers,
we should set aside those rights.
We talked about one example of this in our Wednesday
study, and we’ve talked about it before in this series. Some Christians have grown up in legalistic
environments that add rules to Scripture, saying things like drinking alcohol
is always a sin for Christians. When
they begin really studying what the Bible has to say about it, they discover that
this is a freedom that God even sometimes calls a blessing. So, what do they do with that knowledge? They begin drinking in front of church members,
daring someone to say something. That’s
the exact opposite attitude that the Lord calls us to, and we can’t glorify God
while hating our brothers and sisters (cf. Rom. 14:3).
Of course, ultimately, the goal of using
Christian freedom isn’t even for other people.
It’s for the glory of God. And
that is what we’ll see further down in this passage (v. 31). However, we’ll have to save that for later.
Conclusion
Do you give up your freedoms for others in love? MacArthur shared this story:
A pastor friend of mine, after
preaching on this passage, had a time of testimony. He asked the congregation to share experiences
of giving up something for the sake of someone else. Except for one man who said he did not drink
or smoke around other Christians, no one responded. After the service a number of people told the
pastor, “For the first time in my life I realized that I don’t really give up
anything for the sake of others.”[11]
The Lord does have us give up even our blessings for others
at times so we can seek the good of others.
This principle can be applied to a lot of our freedoms today, and it reorients
everything we do. Again, your freedom
isn’t primarily about what you’re allowed to do; it’s about what builds others
up. This echoes Paul’s broader vision
elsewhere, that freedom was given to believers, but it must be exercised
through love in service to one another (Gal 5:13–14). Our care for each other must temper the
liberties we take in Christ.
Now, pastors can do this in part from the
pulpit, but this requires the whole body to be operating in love. So, put off seeing people in the church as
burdens, nuisances, or obstacles to your freedoms and desires. Repent of passive aggressive (and certainly, pugnacious
or quarrelsome) behavior, seeking to find faults with each other. Be renewed by this teaching and pray for a drive
to build up others. Then, seek ways to
love one another authentically.
If you find that you have failed in this,
remember the glorious gospel. Jesus loved
us and died for people who don’t naturally love in return. His forgiveness covers this sin, and His
grace instructs us how to live differently in the power of His Spirit. Confess your sin to Him, believing He covers
your sin in love, and ask Him to help you love others better.
Let’s glorify God in how we prefer one
another over ourselves!
[1] Ronald Trail, An Exegetical
Summary of 1 Corinthians 10–16, 2nd ed., (Dallas, TX: SIL
International, 2008), 42.
[2] Andrew David Naselli, Romans–Galatians, 2020, X, 307.
[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians,
MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 245.
[4] Trail.
[5] Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to
the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand
Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010),
485.
[6] MacArthur, 246.
[7] John MacArthur Jr., Ed., The MacArthur Study
Bible, electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1744.
[8] F. Alan Tomlinson, CSB
Study Bible: Notes, 2017, 1826.
[9] MacArthur, 1 Corinthians,
245.
[10] David K. Lowery, The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, 1985, 2, 527.
[11] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians,
MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 246.