1 Corinthians 10:23"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things build up.
The setting
Corinth, Greece, ~55 AD. Paul quotes the Corinthians' own slogan back to them, then corrects their shallow thinking...
The emotion here: patient but firm, correcting immature thinking
The original word
sympheron (συμφέρον) — beneficial, profitable, helpful to the community
Why it matters
Corinthian Christians were using 'all things are lawful' as a bumper sticker for moral license
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Corinthians 10:23
Paul is quoting THEIR words mockingly — 'You say all things are lawful, but...'
Common misconceptionPeople think Paul is giving permission when he says 'all things are lawful' — he's actually quoting their excuse to correct it.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Corinthians 10:23
Bible Genome reading
1 Corinthians 10:23 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Corinthians 10:23 comes from the book of 1 Corinthians, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Paul. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include Christian liberty, edification, wisdom. Notable phrases: All things are lawful; not all things profitable; build up.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does 1 Corinthians 10:23 mean to you, today?
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