Profitable

“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable.  All things are lawful, but not all things edify.”  1 Corinthians 10:23

Profitable – What responsibility do I have to those who are weaker in their understanding of grace?  That’s the question.  It’s not about money; it about influence. 

Paul has been discussing a very real problem in the Corinthian church.  The problem is that some Christians rightly understood that prohibitions about certain foods no longer had any merit.  Under Christ, all legalism is set aside.  But even though they were theologically correct, their behavior overlooked one critical factor:  the influence it left on those who still wrestled with a shallower view of grace.  What they did might have been technically correct, but the results did not show true humility and service.

Paul chooses the word sumphero.  It literally means, “to bring together”.   It is directed toward someone other than myself.  I might not be prohibited for any particular behavior but I must still consider if my behavior brings others together or pushes them apart. 

Of course, Paul is not suggesting that any behavior is allowable.  After all, believers are called to be holy as He is holy.  Some behaviors God simply does not endorse.  Paul gives us more than one list of such actions.  But life is not always black and white.  There are always gray issues, actions that might be perfectly allowed by the letter of the Law but could have a negative influence on another believer.  Examples abound.  Is your communion with wine or with grape juice?  Why?  Do you worship on Sunday or some other day?  Why?  Do you have a creed or no creed?  Why?  Do you take an active political stand for religious reasons?  Do your beliefs affect your hiring policies or your benefits package?  Do they determine what movies you go to, what music you listen to, want television shows you watch?

And when you make those choices, based on being fully convinced before God (Romans 14:5), do you consider sumphero, the influence you will have on others?  Christians are spotlight people.  We are intended to be that way.  Lamps on posts.  Cities on hills.  Eyes are watching.