1 Corinthians 10:23 (AMP) All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].
The above Scripture says, “All things are lawful,” which means we are allowed to do them, and they don’t affect our salvation or right standing with God, so are we allowed to take full advantage of this liberty?
In the Old Testament, the Jews were operating in the Mosaic and Abrahamic Covenant. Because God is a holy God, the Pentateuch contains many teachings regarding what the Jews were allowed and not allowed to do. It was a massive burden on them, which is why Jesus invited them to go to Him, especially those who are heavily burdened and wearied, and He will grant them rest, for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-29). Today, we live in the New Covenant established through the blood of Jesus Christ. Many things have changed, and because God is not a God of confusion, He teaches us how to carry ourselves in the new life in Christ without being legalistic and ritualistic.
Romans 5:6 (NKJV) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
The Bible revealed that while we could not use our self-righteousness to redeem our sins, Jesus died for us. An ungodly person can be a sexually immoral person, drunkard, drug addict, prostitute, fraud, blasphemer, rapist, or murderer, all of whom are qualified to be saved and can live different lifestyles after they are saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
We are saved and made right with God purely by God’s abundant grace. Therefore, there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing that we have done or spoken to make God love us less. He loves and accepts us based on the truth that we are hidden in Christ. Nevertheless, being saved doesn’t mean we should continue to live in lawlessness because God is holy and righteous, and He has given us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to reign in our flesh and not succumb to its desires to live independently from God.
Therefore, balancing between law and grace is essential for a believer in Jesus Christ. We need to be mindful of avoiding the two extreme ditches: legalistic and liberal. When we are legalistic, we will be pharisaic—more concerned about the do’s and don’ts, causing us to be judgmental of others. On the other hand, being too liberal leads us to live in lawlessness. We live in Christian liberty because we are saved by grace, but God expects us to live in holiness and righteousness, empowered by His Holy Spirit.
Sermon Series： Not All Things Are Beneficial
生活在基督徒的自由和圣洁中
哥林多前书10:23 凡事都可行，但不都有益处；凡事都可行，但不都造就人。
上面的经文说，“凡事都可行”，这意味着我们可以做这些事，它们不会影响我们的救赎或在神面前的地位，那么我们是否可以充分利用这种自由呢？
在旧约中，犹太人在摩西和亚伯拉罕之约中行事。因为神是圣洁的神，摩西五经包含了许多关于犹太人被允许做什么和不被允许做什么的教导。这对他们来说是一个巨大的负担，这就是为什么耶稣邀请他们，尤其是那些背负重担和疲惫的人，到他那里去，因为他会使他们得安息，因为他的轭是容易的，他的担子是轻省的（马太福音11：28-29）。今天，我们生活在借着耶稣基督的宝血建立的新约中。许多事情都改变了，因为神不是一个混乱的神，他教导我们如何在基督里的新生命中生活，而不是墨守律法和形式化。
罗马书5:6 因我们还软弱的时候，基督就按所定的日期为罪人死。
圣经向我们揭示，当我们无法依靠自义来赎我们的罪时，耶稣为我们而死。 不敬虔的人可能是性不道德者、醉酒者、吸毒者、妓女、骗子、亵渎者、强奸犯或杀人犯，他们都有资格获救，并在得救后以不同的方式生活。
以弗所书2:8-9 你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是神所赐的；也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。
我们得救并且与神和好，完全是因为神丰盛的恩典。因此，我们做任何事都不能让神更爱我们，我们做过的任何事或说过的任何话也不会让神减少对我们的爱。他爱我们，并接受我们，基于一个事实，那就是我们隐藏在基督里。然而，得救并不意味着我们可以继续生活在无法无天的状态下，因为神是圣洁和公义的，他赐给我们圣灵，圣灵赋予我们力量，使我们在肉体中掌权，而不是屈服于它的愿望，独立于神生活。
因此，平衡律法和恩典对于信耶稣基督的人来说至关重要。我们需要警惕，避免两种极端，一种是律法主义，另一种是自由主义。律法主义使我们变得像法利赛人，过分关注做什么和不做什么，从而使我们变得批判他人；而过度自由则使我们生活在无法无天的状态中。我们在基督徒的自由中生活，因为我们是因恩典而得救，但神也期望我们被圣灵赋能，生活在圣洁和公义中。
讲章系列：凡事不都有益处
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