1 Corinthians 10:23–24

Context

Chapters 8–10 of 1 Corinthians, the letter Paul sent to the church at Corinth, address whether believers may eat meat that had been offered to idols. Paul first warns against taking part in idolatrous worship (10:14–22), and beginning with this passage he turns to everyday situations, such as meat sold in the market or a neighbor's invitation to a meal. His conclusion is that believers may eat without raising questions of conscience, but if someone points out that the meat was offered in sacrifice, they should not eat it for the sake of that person's conscience (10:25–29). The discussion culminates in 10:31: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

The passage reads in the King James Version: "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth" (1 Corinthians 10:23–24). Here "lawful" means "permitted" or "allowable." "Edify" derives from a Greek word meaning to build a house, and it refers to strengthening the faith of other people and of the church community.

Interpretation

• Reading as a quoted slogan: Many commentators regard "all things are lawful" as a slogan circulating among the Corinthian believers. On this reading, Paul accepts the statement and then qualifies it with a limitation introduced by "but." The same expression appears in 1 Corinthians 6:12. Some English translations place the phrase in quotation marks to mark it as a quotation.
• Reading in terms of Christian liberty and love: In On the Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther explained that the Christian is free in all things and yet, in love, a servant of all. John Calvin, treating Christian liberty in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, likewise held that the freedom enjoyed in matters not directly related to salvation must be regulated by love so as not to cause a weaker brother to stumble. The Reformed tradition reads this passage as a basis for such a doctrine of liberty.
• Reading with an emphasis on holy living: Wesleyan theology and churches of the Holiness movement have applied this passage as a principle of self-restraint for holy living, that is, for sanctification. In this view, even permitted things should be voluntarily avoided if they harm one's own faith or that of one's neighbor.

Questions of Application

There is no major doctrinal controversy among denominations concerning this passage. Views differ, however, over the scope of its application.

• Some hold that this passage can serve as a basis for community standards of abstaining from alcohol and tobacco and similar things.
• Others point out that in the same section Paul also says, "for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?" (10:29). They therefore argue that the passage sets forth a principle of love that calls for judgment according to circumstances, not a basis for uniform prohibitions.

There is also a textual question. Manuscripts of the Byzantine tradition include the words "for me" in verse 23, and these are reflected in the King James Version. The words are absent from translations that follow the critical text, such as the New Korean Revised Version. The difference in meaning between the two readings is slight.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, this passage is frequently cited in discussions of matters that Scripture does not directly prohibit, such as alcohol and tobacco, popular culture, and Sunday activities. The expression "it does not edify," common in Korean church life, also echoes this passage's language of edification.

Related Passages

• 1 Corinthians 6:12
• 1 Corinthians 8:9–13
• 1 Corinthians 10:31–33
• Romans 14:19–21
• Galatians 5:13