Right or Wrong? Sometimes It Depends

Introduction

One of the most frustrating questions Jason Procopio receives as a pastor revolves around subjects the Bible doesn't explicitly address. Someone comes to him and asks: "Is it right or wrong to do this?" And often, the only honest answer is: "It depends." Nobody likes that answer, but it is the very subject of 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1. Paul refuses to give a simple, easy rule. Instead, he opens up a whole new way of thinking: love comes before freedom, and God's glory comes before personal gratification. This text is a call to grow up, to act as a spiritual adult, to let every other consideration be shaped by this purpose: glorifying God.

Sermon Outline

1. The context: Paul's uncomfortable nuance

• For three chapters now, Paul has been dealing with the question of meat sacrificed to idols, a secondary issue for us, but a central one for the Corinthians, whose social life took place in pagan temples.
• In chapter 8, Paul affirms the true freedom of the Christian: idols are nothing, meat is morally neutral.
• In chapter 9, he shows he is willing to give up all his rights, even his manner of speaking, so that the Gospel can advance without obstacle.
• In 1 Corinthians 10:1-22, he sharpens his tone: eating in a pagan temple amounts to participating in idolatrous worship, because demons hide behind the idols.
• So there is both "yes, you are free" and "no, don't do it." How do you know what to do in a given situation?

2. First principle: love comes before freedom

• In verse 23, Paul picks up the Corinthians' own statement: "Everything is permissible", everything that God has not explicitly forbidden. And he is not wrong: believers are truly free, they are not made impure by meat itself.
• But Paul adds: "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up." Freedom cannot be the sole basis of our decisions.
• Verse 24: "No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." Paul is not talking about the consequences for us, but the consequences for the person in front of us.
• A practical case (v. 27-30): if an unbeliever invites you, eat without raising questions of conscience, the earth belongs to the Lord. But if that person tells you, "This is meat offered to idols," don't eat it, for the sake of their conscience, not yours.
• Context doesn't change the truth God has told us, but it can change what our action communicates. Eating that meat, in that context, communicates approval. Your freedom can blur the line between allegiance to Christ and participation in idolatry.
• The point is not to dilute the Gospel in order to be loved by everyone, but to remove unnecessary obstacles to understanding the Gospel.

3. Second principle: do everything for the glory of God

• Verse 31: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." This is the theological center of this passage, and indeed of the whole Christian life.
• The glory of God is everything God is (his attributes, his character), made visible to the world. To act for his glory is to act in a way consistent with who he is.
• Paul deliberately chooses the most ordinary acts: eating, drinking. There is no spiritually neutral act. The Christian life cannot be compartmentalized into "religious" and "ordinary."
• A coffee drunk with gratitude, work done diligently as for the Lord, a family loved by putting others' needs before mine, finances managed to advance the kingdom, all of this can be done for the glory of God.
• And it isn't only personal. Verses 32-33: "Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God, even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."
• Paul does not say "make everyone like you", he was hated by many. He says: don't add unnecessary obstacles to the Gospel. Serve people because you want their salvation, not because you need their approval.

4. The model: Christ, true freedom

• "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (11:1). Paul is not saying "admire me," but "follow the life you have seen in me."
• Christ had complete freedom, complete authority, every right, all the glory, and yet he did not use his rights to serve himself. He gave himself for his people.
• Unlimited freedom does not exist: if we pursue absolutely everything we want, we will end up enslaved to what we pursue.
• God gives us something better: a freedom with intention, with mission, with clear direction, the glory of God made visible in us and around us.

Key Takeaways

• Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Freedom is never the sole criterion for a Christian decision.
• Love comes before freedom: the first question is not "do I have the right?" but "is this beneficial for the person in front of me?"
• Context can change what your action communicates, even without changing the truth of what it is.
• There is no spiritually neutral act: eating, drinking, working, loving your family, managing your money, all of it can be done for the glory of God.
• True Christian freedom is the freedom of Christ: giving up one's rights out of love, so that others may see God clearly.

Personal Application

1. Is there a situation today where you claim your freedom ("I have the right") without asking whether your decision builds up the person next to you?
2. What ordinary act this week (coffee, work, a family meal, free time) could you consciously offer to God, with gratitude, for his glory?
3. Is there an unnecessary obstacle your behavior places in front of an unbeliever around you? Are you willing to give it up out of love for them?
4. When you seek to "please people," is it to receive their approval, or because you truly desire their salvation?
5. In your heart, what takes priority right now: your freedom, your personal gratification, or the glory of God?

Scripture References

• 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 (LSG)
• 1 Corinthians 8 (LSG)
• 1 Corinthians 9 (LSG)
• 1 Corinthians 10:20 (LSG)
• Psalm 24:1 (LSG)

Further reading

• Internal Church Communication: A Practical Guide
• Church Organizational Chart: Creating a Simple Template
• How to Set Priorities for a Local Church

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Christian eat food about which there is doubt (halal meat, food connected to a pagan practice)?

According to 1 Corinthians 10:25-26, yes: "Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, 'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.'" Food is not contaminated by its origin. But if an unbeliever explicitly tells you that a food is connected to idolatrous worship, then abstain, not out of fear, but out of love for their conscience and so as not to blur the witness of the Gospel.

Does an object used in occult practices become "demonic"?

Paul acknowledges that demons are real and that demonic activity is real. But in this text, he clearly says to eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, knowing that some of that meat has been offered to idols. What matters is the context: participating in pagan worship is an act of idolatry; buying food is not. The earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord.

How do I know what God expects of me in a situation the Bible doesn't explicitly address?

Paul refuses to give a single easy rule. He gives two guiding principles: (1) love comes before freedom, ask yourself what builds up the person in front of you; (2) do everything for the glory of God, act in a way consistent with his character. God expects you to think, to use your intelligence, and to apply the clear commands he has already given to your particular situation. You will make mistakes, but God gives grace.