Expedient

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are expedient,”  I Cor. 10:23

Expedient – The Greek word (sunphero) is a combination word.  It comes from sun (which means “together”) and phero (which means “to bring”).  We get the English word “sum” – as in adding up things – from this Greek prefix (sun).  So, the idea is to bring things together in one place.  The concept is to profit from some addition.  Paul is saying that while everything is available for the Christian who is no longer a slave to the Law, not everything adds up to making life better.  Some things that might seem acceptable or even unacceptable, we avoid just because they do not add to our lives.

Paul is making a great point about the freedom that comes under Christ.  God no longer holds our sins against us.  We have been forgiven.  We are seen as though we have the holiness of Christ.  The demands of the moral law have been met in Christ’s atonement – his death for us.  Technically, this means that we no longer live under the law.  But even though we have technical freedom, we realize that there are aspects of freedom that are not beneficial for us.  As believers, we are called to grow into the character of Christ.  Some things we don’t do just because they don’t take us on the growth path. 

After we experience the release of guilt, after we know the joy of forgiveness, we sometimes discover that old patters and relationships interfere with our desire to become what God intends us to be.  Some activities need to be set aside, not because they are technically “wrong” but because they don’t add up for our new way of living.  Paul tells us to keep careful track of the addition.  Make sure you are getting the right totals.  When you add up things in your life, bring the combination before God and let Him sort out the answers.  He will tell you what to subtract.  Let God do the math!

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