Who is my master

August 20, 2012

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.”

Interpretation: This verse seems to be Paul quoting an argument that people were making. In those days, one of the main sins was idol worship. Today, we don’t think of many people sacrificing animals to statues or praying to graven images. We don’t see any golden calves, and there are no high places built on the hills of cities. But the world hasn’t changed its ways of worship, it has simply changed its name and makeup. We may not sacrifice animals to “gods,” but we sacrifice our time to things like computer, music, other people, all over spending time with God. Golden calves take the place of golden jewelry and shiny cars, the high places in our lives include human philosophy, the media, and the approval of man. People were arguing that everything is permissible for them through freedom in Christ, and is Paul reminding them that not everything is beneficial. While we have freedom in our Christian life, we recognize that our freedom comes from submission to the right constraints. Paul writes in Romans 6:15- “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” And enforces this in v. 21 with, “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” Things are permissible because of God’s grace, but we must remember Romans 2:4, “Or did you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?” We are no longer under the law, and therefore no longer slaves to sin. We are free under Christ who bought us out of slavery and took us into sonship and we must remember John 8:34-35 when Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it forever.” Christ is our master, let us not be mastered by the desires of our sinful nature anymore.

Application: I am going to pray that God reveals to me things that I am mastered by today, and submit to him for my freedom; knowing that everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial.