1 Corinthians 6:12

THE MESSAGE

Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"I am allowed to do anything," you say. My answer to this is that not all things are good. Even if it is true that "I am allowed to do anything," I will not let anything control me like a slave.

Revised Standard Version
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
All thinges are lawfull vnto me: but all thinges are not proffitable. I maye do all thinges: but I will be brought vnder no mans power.

Hebrew Names Version
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

International Standard Version
Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me.1 Corinthians 10:23;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

New Century Version
"I am allowed to do all things," but not all things are good for me to do. "I am allowed to do all things," but I will not let anything make me its slave.

Update Bible Version
All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Webster's Bible Translation
All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

English Standard Version
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.

World English Bible
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
All things are lawful for me; but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Weymouth's New Testament
Everything is allowable to me, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable to me, but to nothing will I become a slave.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Alle thingis ben leeueful to me, but not alle thingis ben spedeful. Alle thingis ben leeueful to me, but Y schal not be brouyt doun vndur ony mannus power.

English Revised Version
All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Berean Standard Bible
"Everything is permissible for me," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me," but I will not be mastered by anything.

Contemporary English Version
Some of you say, "We can do anything we want to." But I tell you that not everything is good for us. So I refuse to let anything have power over me.

Amplified Bible
Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].

American Standard Version
All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Bible in Basic English
I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any.

Complete Jewish Bible
You say, "For me, everything is permitted"? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. "For me, everything is permitted"? Maybe, but as far as I am concerned, I am not going to let anything gain control over me.

Darby Translation
All things are lawful to me, but all things do not profit; all things are lawful to me, but *I* will not be brought under the power of any.

Etheridge Translation
ALL (food) is lawful to me, but all is not expedient for me. All is lawful to me, but over me no one shall have power.

Murdock Translation
12 Every thing is in my power: but every thing is not profitable to me. Every thing is in my power; but none [fn] shall have dominion over me.

King James Version (1611)
All things are lawfull vnto mee, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawfull for mee, but I will not bee brought vnder the power of any.

New Living Translation
You say, "I am allowed to do anything"—but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything.

New Life Bible
I am allowed to do all things, but not everything is good for me to do! Even if I am free to do all things, I will not do them if I think it would be hard for me to stop when I know I should.

New Revised Standard
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.

Geneva Bible (1587)
All thinges are lawfull vnto mee, but all thinges are not profitable. I may doe all things, but I will not be brought vnder the power of any thing.

George Lamsa Translation
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not advisable for me: indeed all things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power of any.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All things, unto me, are allowable, but, not all things, are profitable: all things, unto me, are allowable, but, I, will not be brought under authority by any.

Douay-Rheims Bible
All things are lawful to me: but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful to me: but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
All thinges are lawfull vnto me, but al thinges are not profitable: Al things are lawfull vnto me, but I will not be brought vnder the power of any.

Good News Translation
Someone will say, "I am allowed to do anything." Yes; but not everything is good for you. I could say that I am allowed to do anything, but I am not going to let anything make me its slave.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
All things are permitted for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be controlled by anything.

Literal Translation
All things are lawful to me, but not all things profit. All things are lawful to me, but I will not be ruled by any.

Young's Literal Translation
All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable; all things are lawful to me, but I -- I will not be under authority by any;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I maye do all thinges, but all thinges are not profitable. I maye do all thinges, but I wil be broughte vnder no mas power.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Are all things lawful for me? however, all things are not expedient: are all things lawful for me? however, I will not be a slave to any.

New English Translation
"All things are lawful for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "All things are lawful for me"—but I will not be controlled by anything.

New King James Version
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.

Simplified Cowboy Version
I know some of you are already saying, "But I am set free and can do anything I want." Yeah, you can. But just because you can doesn't mean you should. You are free and can do anything you want, but don't become a slave once again to sin.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

Legacy Standard Bible
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

Contextual Overview

¹² Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims. ¹³ You know the old saying, "First you eat to live, and then you live to eat"? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body! ¹⁴God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not. ¹⁶There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

things are lawful: 1 Corinthians 10:23, Romans 14:14

are not: 1 Corinthians 8:4, 1 Corinthians 8:7-13, 1 Corinthians 9:12, 1 Corinthians 10:24-33, Romans 14:15-23, 2 Thessalonians 3:9

but I: 1 Corinthians 9:27, Romans 7:14, Hebrews 12:15, Hebrews 12:16, Jude 1:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 27:3 - take me Leviticus 15:18 - unclean Deuteronomy 14:26 - thy soul 2 Kings 5:16 - I will receive Romans 14:20 - For 1 Corinthians 8:13 - if meat 2 Corinthians 5:10 - in 2 Corinthians 8:10 - expedient 2 Corinthians 12:1 - expedient Titus 1:15 - the pure

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
When the human race began to increase, with more and more daughters being born, the sons of God noticed that the daughters of men were beautiful. They looked them over and picked out wives for themselves.

Genesis 6:3
Then God said, "I'm not going to breathe life into men and women endlessly. Eventually they're going to die; from now on they can expect a life span of 120 years."

Genesis 6:4
This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.

Genesis 6:5
God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, "I'll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I'm sorry I made them."

Genesis 6:8
But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah.

Genesis 6:13
God said to Noah, "It's all over. It's the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I'm making a clean sweep.

Genesis 6:14
"Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper.

Genesis 6:17
"I'm going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction.

Genesis 7:1
Next God said to Noah, "Now board the ship, you and all your family—out of everyone in this generation, you're the righteous one.

Genesis 9:12
God continued, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All things are lawful unto me,.... That is, which are of an indifferent nature; otherwise everything is not lawful to be done:

but all things are not expedient; when the doing of them destroys the peace, comfort, and edification of others; when it stumbles and grieves weak minds, and causes offence to them; see 1 Corinthians 10:23

all things are lawful for me; which is repeated for the sake of saying the following words:

but I will not be brought under the power of any; which would be very inexpedient, should any by the use of liberty in things indifferent, on the one hand, offend his brethren, and, on the other, bring himself into bondage to those very things he has the free use of; and therefore the apostle determines, that these shall not have the mastery over him, that he will use them, or not use them, at his pleasure. It is somewhat difficult to know what in particular he has respect unto, whether to what he had been treating of before, concerning going to law before unbelievers; and his sense be, that however lawful this might be in itself, yet it was not expedient, since it was exposing of themselves to ungodly persons, and a putting themselves under their power to judge and determine as they pleased; or whether to the use of meats forbidden under the law, or offered to idols; which though in themselves lawful to be eaten, every creature of God being good, and not to be refused and accounted common and unclean; yet it was not expedient to use this liberty, if a weak brother should be grieved, or a man himself become a slave to his appetite.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All things are lawful unto me - The apostle here evidently makes a transition to another subject from that which he had been discussing - a consideration of the propriety of using certain things which had been esteemed lawful. The expression, “all things are lawful,” is to be understood as used by those who palliated certain indulgences, or who vindicated the vices here referred to, and Paul designs to reply to them. His reply follows. He had been reproving them for their vices, and had specified several. It is not to be supposed that they would indulge in them without some show of defense; and the declaration here has much the appearance of a proverb, or a common saying - that all things were lawful; that is, “God has formed all things for our use, and there can be no evil if we use them.” By the phrase “all things” here, perhaps, may be meant many things; or things in general; or there is nothing in itself unlawful.

That there were many vicious persons who held this sentiment there can be no doubt; and though it cannot be supposed that there were any in the Christian church who would openly advocate it, yet the design of Paul was to “cut up” the plea altogether “wherever it might be urged,” and to show that it was false and unfounded. The particular flyings which Paul here refers to, are those which have been called “adiaphoristic,” or indifferent; that is, pertaining to certain meats and drinks, etc. With this Paul connects also the subject of fornication - the subject particularly under discussion. This was defended as “lawful,” by many Greeks, and was practiced at Corinth; and was the vice to which the Corinthian Christians were particularly exposed. Paul designed to meet all that could be said on this subject; and to show them that these indulgences could not be proper for Christians, and could not in any way be defended - We are not to understand Paul as admitting that fornication is in any case lawful; but he designs to show that the practice cannot possibly be defended in any way, or by any of the arguments which had been or could be used. For this purpose, he observes:

1. That admitting that all things were lawful, there were many things which ought not to be indulged;
2. That admitting that they were lawful, yet a man ought not to be under the power of any improper indulgence, and should abandon any habit when it had the mastery.

(3)That fornication was positively wrong, and against the very nature and essence of Christianity,1 Corinthians 6:13-20; 1 Corinthians 6:13-20.

Are not expedient - This is the first answer to the objection. Even should we admit that the practices under discussion are lawful, yet there are many things which are not expedient; that is, which do not profit, for so the word συμφέρει sumpherei properly signifies; they are injurious and hurtful. They might injure the body; produce scandal; lead others to offend or to sin. Such was the case with regard to the use of certain meats, and even with regard to the use of wine. Paul’s rule on this subject is stated in 1 Corinthians 8:13. That if these things did injury to others, he would abandon them forever; even though they were in themselves lawful; see the 1 Corinthians 8:0 note and Romans 14:14-23 notes. There are many customs which, perhaps, cannot be strictly proved to be unlawful or sinful, which yet do injury in some way if indulged in; and which as their indulgence can do no good, should be abandoned. Anything that does evil - however small - and no good, should be abandoned at once.

All things are lawful - Admitting this; or even on the supposition that all things are in themselves right.

But I will not be brought under the power - I will not be subdued by it; I will not become the “slave” of it.

Of any - Of any custom, or habit, no matter what it is. This was Paul’s rule; the rule of an independent mind. The principle was, that even admitting that certain things were in themselves right, yet his grand purpose was “not to be the slave of habit,” not to be subdued by any practice that might corrupt his mind, fetter his energies, or destroy his freedom as a man and as a Christian. We may observe:

(1) That this is a good rule to act on. It was Paul’s rule 1 Corinthians 9:27, and it will do as well for us as for him.

(2) It is the true rule of an independent and noble mind. It requires a high order of virtue; and is the only way in which a man may be useful and active.

(3) It may be applied to “many things” now. Many a Christian and Christian minister “is a slave;” and is completely under the power of some habit that destroys his usefulness and happiness. He is the slave of indolence, or carelessness, or of some vile habit - as the use of tobacco, or of wine. He has not independence enough to break the cords that bind him; and the consequence is, that life is passed in indolence, or in self-indulgence, and time, and strength, and property are wasted, and religion blighted, and souls ruined.

(4) The man that has not courage and firmness enough to act on this rule should doubt his piety. If he is a voluntary slave to some idle and mischievous habit, how can he be a Christian! If he does not love his Saviour and the souls of people enough to break off from such habits which he knows are doing injury, how is he fit to be a minister of the self-denying Redeemer?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Corinthians 6:12. All things are lawful unto me — It is likely that some of the Corinthians had pleaded that the offence of the man who had his father's wife, as well as the eating the things offered to idols, was not contrary to the law, as it then stood. To this the apostle answers: Though such a thing be lawful, yet the case of fornication, mentioned 1 Corinthians 5:1, is not expedient, ου συμφερει-it is not agreeable to propriety, decency, order, and purity. It is contrary to the established usages of the best and most enlightened nations, and should not be tolerated in the Church of Christ.

They might also be led to argue in favour of their eating things offered to idols, and attending idol feasts, thus:-that an idol was nothing in the world; and as food was provided by the bounty of God, a man might partake of it any where without defiling his conscience, or committing sin against the Creator. This excuse also the apostle refers to. All these things are lawful, taken up merely in the light that none of your laws is against the first; and that, on the ground that an idol is nothing in the world, there can be no reason against the last;

But I will not be brought under the power of any. — Allowing that they are all lawful, or at least that there is no law against them, yet they are not expedient; there is no necessity for them; and some of them are abominable, and forbidden by the law of God and nature, whether forbidden by yours or not; while others, such as eating meats offered to idols, will almost necessarily lead to bad moral consequences: and who, that is a Christian, would obey his appetite so far as to do these things for the sake of gratification? A man is brought under the power of any thing which he cannot give up. He is the slave of that thing, whatsoever it be, which he cannot relinquish; and then, to him, it is sin.