Was reminded of a foundational principle for doing life this morning . . .

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything.  
(1Corinthians 6:12 ESV)

The New Living Translation puts it this way, “You may say, ‘I am allowed to do anything.’ But I reply, ‘Not everything is good for you.’ And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything.” And Peterson, in his paraphrase, The Message, says it like this, “Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.”

I kind of like that . . . the difference between what’s “technically legal” for us as Christians versus what’s “spiritually appropriate.”

Now, for those who like black-and-white rules, this sort of thing can drive them crazy . . . because it’s grey . . . it’s a principle . . . it’s a filter through which we assess our choices. It’s what determines the difference between something being “ok” . . . and “good” . . . and “better” . . . and “the best.” It’s the difference between “permissible” and “beneficial” (NIV terms). And one of the key tests is whether or not we are enslaved by or mastered by one of these “permissible” activities. You see, it’s all about who owns us.

I remember one of my girls, when she was little and learning to assert her independence, saying to one of her sisters, “You’re not the boss of me!” And that’s the question at the heart of the matter in this latter portion of 1Corinthians 6 . . . who is the boss of me?

The world tells us that we are “the boss” . . . and we can choose what we want to do . . . and who we want to do it with . . . and when we want to do it. But the Scripture has a different view of who’s the boss . . .

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.  (1Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)

“Your are not your own.” Doesn’t matter which translation of the Bible you read, the words are the same, “You are not your own.” And The Message, not known for using few words when many will do, makes the implication of this truth clear in this way, “Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works” (6:19-20a MSG).

I was bought with a price (6:20) — the blood of God’s precious Son . . . I am not my own. “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (6:15) . . . I am not my own. “He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (6:17) . . . I am not my own. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God” (6:19) . . . I am not my own.

“God owns the whole works.” That’s the truth . . . that’s the reality. It’s the foundation upon which the principle operates . . . everything is permissible . . . but not everything is beneficial . . . I will not be mastered by anything . . . other than the Lord . . . for I am not my own.

A couple of simple questions to ask myself as I make life’s choices . . . “Is this beneficial?” . . . “Is this mastering me?” . . . “Am I seeking to glorify God?” . . . “Am I making this choice because I think I’m the boss of me?” No black-and-white do’s-and-don’ts . . . but a life principle that can make all the difference. Father, by Your grace, so let me live and so help me to choose as to seek to glorify You in my body . . . ’cause You’re the boss of me. Amen?