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Paul's "All Things Are Lawful" Passages

1 Corinthians 6:12

"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."

Context (1 Corinthians 5:1-6:20): The immediate context is Paul dealing with: - 1 Cor 5:1-2 — Fornication reported among them, "such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles" - 1 Cor 5:9-11 — "not to company with fornicators... if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator... with such an one no not to eat" - 1 Cor 5:13 — "put away from among yourselves that wicked person" - 1 Cor 6:9-10 — "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers... shall inherit the kingdom of God." - 1 Cor 6:11 — "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified" - 1 Cor 6:12 — "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." - 1 Cor 6:13 — "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord" - 1 Cor 6:15 — "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid." - 1 Cor 6:18 — "Flee fornication." - 1 Cor 6:19-20 — "your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost... ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body"

1 Corinthians 10:23-33

"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."

Context (1 Corinthians 10:1-33): - 1 Cor 10:6-8 — "we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters... Neither let us commit fornication" - 1 Cor 10:12 — "let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" - 1 Cor 10:14 — "flee from idolatry" - 1 Cor 10:20-21 — "I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils" - 1 Cor 10:23 — second occurrence of "all things are lawful" - 1 Cor 10:24 — "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth" - 1 Cor 10:25-29 — shambles/conscience discussion - 1 Cor 10:31 — "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" - 1 Cor 10:33 — "not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved"

Jesus's Sermon on the Mount Intensifications

Matthew 5:17-20 — The programmatic statement

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven" "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:21-22 — Anger = Murder

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:" "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."

Matthew 5:27-28 — Lust = Adultery

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:" "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Matthew 5:31-32 — Divorce tightened

"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:" "But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery"

Matthew 5:33-37 — Oaths tightened

"Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:" "But I say unto you, Swear not at all... But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay"

Matthew 5:38-42 — Retaliation reversed

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:" "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."

Matthew 5:43-48 — Love enemies, be perfect

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you" "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Paul's Moral Teaching (Anti-Antinomian Passages)

Romans 6:1-2, 14-15

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."

Galatians 5:13-14, 19-21, 24

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

Ephesians 5:3-7

"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;" "Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." "Be not ye therefore partakers with them."

Colossians 3:5-8

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:" "For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:" "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

"Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more." "For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus." "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:" "Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:" "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."

Romans 13:8-14

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying." "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (immediate context of "all things lawful")

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

1 Corinthians 8:9-12 (liberty and stumbling)

"But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak." "But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ."

Cross-Testament Parallels

NT parallels to 1 Cor 6:12

  • 1 Cor 10:23 (0.482 hybrid) — direct parallel, second occurrence of "all things lawful"
  • Mat 5:17 (0.328 hybrid) — "Think not that I am come to destroy the law"
  • Rom 7:18 (0.313) — Paul's internal conflict over doing what he knows is right

Additional Context Passages

Paul's vice list parallels to Jesus's ethical teaching

Galatians 5:19-21 compared to Matthew 5:21-28: - Jesus: anger = murder (Mat 5:22) | Paul: "hatred, variance, wrath, murders" (Gal 5:20-21) - Jesus: lust = adultery (Mat 5:28) | Paul: "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness" (Gal 5:19) - Jesus: "Be ye perfect" (Mat 5:48) | Paul: "they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom" (Gal 5:21)

Concept Context Results (concept_context.py --scope author)

  • 1 Cor 6:9 (author scope): Paul uses KINGDOM + INHERITANCE concepts also in Eph 5:5 ("no whoremonger... hath any inheritance in the kingdom") and Gal 5:21 ("shall not inherit the kingdom of God") — Paul's moral exclusion lists parallel each other.
  • Gal 5:19 (author scope): Paul's FLESH concept appears in 1 Cor 6:16 (joined to harlot = one flesh), connecting the "all things lawful" context to the flesh/Spirit framework.
  • Rom 6:1 (author scope): Paul's SIN + GRACE concepts appear throughout Rom 5-6, establishing that grace never permits sin.