Is It Beneficial?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:23 – “‘All things are permitted,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are permitted,’ but not all things build up.” (NRSVUE)

I remember when I was in high school, I went on a windjammer cruise with my friend, and I expressed my faith to another teen. He said I was naïve and too obsessed with rules. He especially highlighted the various contradictions in the Bible and what only an idiot would believe it. He didn’t convince me to abandon my faith, but I still remember the encounter because the truth is that the Bible is full of contradictions, and especially when it comes to following the rules.

For example, Jesus says that any who break the least of the Jewish laws will be least in the kingdom of Heaven, but later declares all food clean, even if the law forbids you to eat it. Which is it? Should you follow the law or can you eat anything you want? What is more important to live a holy life: freedom or obedience?

Perhaps it was that encounter on the windjammer, but I tend to fall on the side of freedom. Because of this, some say I am not a true Christian because I do not obey the “clear” law of God. But I don’t think God is asking for blind obedience, but rather engagement with why God would make such a commandment for your benefit. If you truly understand why, you are more likely to obey.

In First Corinthians, Paul makes a distinction between freedom and action. He wrote to the non-Jewish converts in Corinth, a city known for being notoriously lax when it came to morality. So when Paul taught that all foods were clean, they continued to eat meat sacrificed to idols, which made others think their new faith made no change in their lives. So Paul said, “All things are permitted, but not all things are beneficial.” Sure, you could eat whatever you wanted, but if you were setting a bad example, it might push people away from faith rather than draw them in. What was the benefit of that?

This placed a level of responsibility on the church. They had to consider how and why they obeyed the commandments. This can be a difficult task, because it is always easier just to do what you are told rather than apply critical thinking to it.

But blind obedience can be a problem. One of the biggest challenges to Christianity today is deconstruction. Usually, someone who grew up in a very strict Church is confronted with a contradiction in the Bible, an inconsistency in theology, or hypocrisy in the behavior of others. They realize how restricting all the rules they were told they must obey had been and reject Christ altogether. I think that if they were allowed to ask, “is this beneficial?”, rather than be told, “do what you’re told,” they may have kept their faith.

I believe I have freedom in Christ, but that is a more difficult calling than just following the rules. My faith on the windjammer was sincere, but empty. It was only after struggling with the Bible and recognizing that things are not always as simple as we want them to be that I was able to fully turn my life over to God.

Doing things because you have to makes you grumble. Doing things because you want to makes you love. Faith is what shapes our desires so that we will want to do what is best for God and others rather than what only benefits us. So, don’t be afraid to ask questions about God. You have the freedom to do so. And that gives you the power to do the right thing.

Prayer: God, open my eyes to your truth and let me make good decisions by knowing your loving will for all. Amen.