Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20070401.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
1 Corinthians: Discipling Believers With Very Sinful Backgrounds
III. Overcoming Moral Disorders In The Local Church
D. Respecting The Boundaries Of Christian Liberty
(1 Corinthians 6:12-13 with 10:23-24, 32-33)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Christ calls us to disciple all men, "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever" He commanded us, cf. Matthew 28:18-20 KJV. We Christians are thus at liberty to teach all Scripture to all people.

However, using that liberty can produce a problem, for many are not yet able to bear our giving them all God's truths (John 16:12).

Take, for example, the hurdle we face in discipling those who hold to catastrophic global warming: (1) "beginnersguide.com" posts the article, "What are the Predicted effects of Global Warming?" that claims man's unchecked use of carbon fuel will so raise temperatures, glaciers will melt, causing much of China, India and Asia to run out of water. John Roach's 7/12/04 National Geographic web site article warned that by 2050, global warming could cause a million species of plants and animals to go extinct, and John Pickrell's 11/25/02 article on that site warned that if staple crop yields increase by way of global warming, they will decrease in nutritional value! Indeed, the 3/26/07 issue of USA TODAY , p. 8B claims one of the most important world trends in the last 25 years is " . . . The worry over climate change . . ."

(2) Now, Scripture at Genesis 8:20-22 KJV counters this view, claiming God so controls the "seedtime and harvest", "cold and heat" and "summer and winter" cycles that "While the earth remaineth," each of them "shall not cease", and all in the context of God's promise not to destroy "every living thing" for the rest of man's history on earth! H. C. Leupold notes God was here seeking to console man's "continual apprehension of a repetition of" the recent worldwide Noahic flood, so God's reference to these cycles shows "everything between the wide limits of food and sleep and all that makes both possible is fixed by unalterable divine decree," Genesis, 1974, v. I, p. 325. Yes, cold weather will end, but NOT by man-made global warming , but by God's swift, loud, dissolving of the whole universe, 2 Peter 3:10-11!

(3) Yet, even secular talk show host, Brad Davis on Torrington, Connecticut's am 610 radio station says he can not get those who hold to catastrophic global warming to talk about his rival view! That being so, it would be foolish for us to try telling them the Bible's rival view!

So, we ask, "Does God give GUIDELINES on the BOUNDS of our LIBERTY even to teach Scripture truth to needy people?!"

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "Does God offer guidelines on the BOUNDS of Christian LIBERTY even in USING His WORD that we might EDIFY with such liberty in making disciples?! If so, what ARE those bounds?"
  1. In the two passages of 1 Corinthians 6:12a and 10:23a KJV, Paul used the saying: "All things are lawful unto (for) me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but . . ."
  2. This part of the saying in these two passages' contexts describes the boundaries of the liberty in Christ that we believers must observe if we would use our liberty in a spiritually advantageous manner:
    1. Paul's use of the part of the saying noted above describes GENERAL LIMITS of the LIBERTY we Christians enjoy in Christ (as follows):
      1. As F. W. Grosheide noted, Paul's "all things cannot be taken in an absolute sense" so that he would mean that these include sins like "idolatry, murder, etc.", cf. Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT), 1980, p. 145. Paul did not license believers in this saying to be free to commit sin, cf. Romans 6:1-2.
      2. No, by "all things", Paul meant the liberties a believer possessed in Christ that were not sinful acts if viewed by themselves alone.
      3. Yet, not all things the Christian is at liberty in themselves alone to do are always "advantageous" to do in various situations (the meaning of the N. T. Greek word, sumpherei ); such liberties are limited by the GENERAL BOUNDARY of what is spiritually advantageous, Arndt & Ging. Grk.-Engl. Lex. of the N. T ., p 787.
    2. Now, in 1 Corinthians 6:12b-13 and 10:23b-24, Paul applied this GENERAL BOUNDARY to TWO SPECIFIC LIMITATIONS:
      1. First, a Christian's many liberties in Christ are specifically limited to what will not result in himself being enslaved to sin, 6:12b-13:
        1. The phrase ending 1 Corinthians 6:12b KJV, " . . . but I will not be brought under the power of any" uses the word "power" (eksousiasthaysomai) to mean "to be mastered" rather than its other idea of "to have the right, authority" (over), Ibid., p. 278.
        2. The KJV word "any" may mean "anyone" or "anything", but in this context, it refers to specific lusts and sins, 1 Corinthians 6:13; Ibid., p. 827 with U. B. S. Greek N. T. , 1963 ed., p. 590.
        3. Thus, a Christian's liberties in Christ are to be limited as to their USE by the boundary of what will not enslave him to sin.
      2. Second, a Christian's many liberties in Christ are specifically limited to what will not result in failing spiritually to edify others, be they saved or unsaved , 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 32-33:
        1. The phrase ending 1 Corinthians 10:23b KJV, " . . . but all things edify not" uses the Greek word oikodomei for "edify", and "Paul used the word always of causing some one else to advance," Ibid., Grosheide, p. 240 (emphases ours).
        2. Now, in this context, Paul meant the spiritual ministry to saved along with the ministry to advance unbelievers toward their receptivity of the Gospel (as follows): (1) the word rendered "expedient" (KJV) in the introductory part of Paul's saying found in both 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 uses the Greek verb sumpherei while its noun form, sumpheron, appears in 1 Cor. 10:33 with the same main thrust, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T. , p. 590, 601-602. (2) Well, at 1 Cor. 10:32-33, Paul extended his focus of edifying believers that he introduced in 1 Cor. 10:23b to ministering to unsaved Jews and Gentiles! (3) Thus, though elsewhere in the N. T., Paul's use of oikodomeo applies only to the spiritual edification of Christians (cf. Moulton & Geden, Concordance to the Greek Testament , p. 688), in 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, he broadened his focus to include all spiritually beneficial ministry, be it to Christians or to non Christians!
        3. In summary, a believer's many liberties in Christ are specifically limited to what will not result in failing spiritually to minister effectively to other people, be they believers or unbelievers!
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ for salvation from sin to be set free from sin and to enjoy the many spiritual liberties we possess in Christ, John 3:16; Galatians 5:1. (2) On the other hand, may we LIMIT the USE of such liberties if EITHER (a) our use of them entraps us to being mastered by sin OR (b) if our exercise of those liberties hurts the spiritual benefit or advance of other people, be they saved or lost!

Lesson: God offers the following practical guidelines on the bounds of our liberties in Christ: all of our liberties that are not sin as considered by themselves alone are nevertheless to be LIMITED in USE in those situations where EITHER (1) we must keep ourselves from being mastered by sin OR where (2) we must not hinder the spiritual edification or the spiritual advance of other people, be they believers or unbelievers!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

When we began this message, we noted the hurdle we believers often face in heeding Christ's command to disciple men into all the truths Christ has commanded us to teach, and we took as an example the hurdle faced in discipling those who hold to man-made catastrophic global warming. We noted that such folk are often defensive of criticism of their view and so are not open to discussing even any rival secular view. This makes it unwise for us to try explain to them the truth of Scripture on God's control of the earth's climate that exists in Genesis 8:20-22, or that the end of the world will occur not by man-made global warming, but by a loud, rapid destruction of the entire universe by a tremendous miracle of God, cf. 2 Peter 3:10-11!

Accordingly, in applying Paul's teaching of 1 Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23ff, we must limit our liberty to present such Biblical truth to them so as not to hinder our discipling of them. Here are some practical suggestions to that end: (a) First, we can practice restraint on our use of carbon-based fuels, for doing so is right since we Christians are not to be wasteful even of our time (Ephesians 5:15-16), let alone of our use of carbon-based fuels, and 1 Corinthians 10:32-33 would teach us not to create a needless stumblingblock to those who hold to such a catastrophic global warming view by a wasteful use of fuels!

(b) Second, after we lead a catastrophic global warmist to faith in Christ, we can then begin to address his unbiblical dismay of mankind's future due to the abuse of carbon-based fuels, and that by explaining the promise of Genesis 8:20-22 and the prophecy of the end of the world in 2 Peter 3:10-11!



May we then (1) believe in Christ as Savior ourselves to be saved, John 3:16. (2) Then, as we grow in our knowledge of God's Word, may we like Jesus LIMIT the USE of our LIBERTIES in Him even in what and how we tell others of the Scripture truth that we not NEEDLESSLY "turn people off" to the truth by "dumping it all on them" before they can BEAR it, cf. John 16:12! Then, we will heed the example of our Lord in discipling, and become people who EDIFY with our liberties in Him!