1 Corinthians 6:12"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.
The setting
Corinth, Greece, ~55 AD. The Corinthians are using their Christian freedom to justify visiting prostitutes, saying 'Christ set us free!' Paul responds with nuanced wisdom...
The emotion here: frustrated with people twisting his teaching about freedom
The original word
symphérei (συμφέρει) — brings together for profit, genuinely beneficial
Why it matters
The Corinthians had likely adopted a slogan 'all things are lawful' from Paul's own teaching about freedom from the law
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Corinthians 6:12
Paul is QUOTING their slogan back to them — the quotation marks show he's not agreeing
Common misconceptionPeople think Paul is giving permission to do anything. He's actually correcting people who were using grace as an excuse for sin.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Corinthians 6:12
Bible Genome reading
1 Corinthians 6:12 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Corinthians 6:12 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 freedom, wisdom. Notable phrases: All things are lawful but not expedient.
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 6:12 mean to you, today?
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