🗣️ 1 Corinthians 6:12 | Time To Choose

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Happy Friday, everyone!

It’s (Good) Friday! I can’t think of a better way to wrap up the work week than in God’s Word.

If you missed any of this week’s emails, you can read them here: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

In today’s email…

• ❤️ The heart of this wonderful verse

• 🗣️ A text to send a friend today

• 📚️ In case you missed it…

• 🎵 A song you need to listen to today

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

“___ ______ ___ ______ ___ __,” ___ ___ ___ ______ ___ _______.

“___ ______ ___ ______ ___ __,” ___ _ ____ ___ __ _________ __ ________.

1 Corinthians 6:12

CONTEXT 📕 

We’ve covered a lot this week!

On Monday, we explored the context of 1 Corinthians 6:12, understanding that Paul was correcting the Corinthians' misuse of Christian freedom.

They believed they could do whatever they wanted because of grace, but Paul reminded them that not everything is beneficial and that true freedom isn’t about indulgence; it’s about submitting to Christ.

On Tuesday, we zoomed in on this verse, breaking down Paul’s warning that just because something is lawful doesn’t mean it leads to life.

We saw how the Corinthians’ distorted view of freedom led them to sin and how Paul called them — and us — to consider whether our choices bring us closer to God or enslave us to harmful habits.

On Wednesday, we did a word study, digging into the original Greek meanings of words like “lawful,” “helpful,” “dominated,” and “anything.”

We learned that Christian freedom is not about pushing boundaries but choosing what is truly good and holy.

And on Thursday, we looked at Jesus Himself as the perfect example of true freedom.

Though He had the right to do anything, He laid down His rights in obedience to the Father, even to the point of death on the cross.

His surrender is the model for our own, reminding us that true freedom is found in living for God, not for ourselves.

At the heart of this verse, we receive this truth: True freedom is not found in doing whatever we want but surrendering to the One who gave everything for us.

God calls us to choose what is beneficial.

When we lay down our desires at His feet, we find the kind of freedom that leads to true life, not bondage.

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APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Who in your life needs this truth?

• A friend who believes freedom means living without limits?

• A fellow Christian who knows Jesus but is not living like they know Him?

• Someone who needs to hear that Jesus offers freedom, not just from sin’s punishment, but from sin’s power?

Take a moment to share what you’ve learned. Send them this verse, have a conversation, or pray for them. You never know how God might use you to help someone else walk in true freedom.

Here is an example of a text you can send:

Hey [friend’s name], was reading 1 Corinthians 6:12 today. My #1 takeaway is that just because I can do something doesn’t mean it’s actually good for me. I’ve realized [habit in my life] might not be glorifying God. Would love to talk about this next time we chat. Made me think and wanted to share!

RESOURCES 📚️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into the verse and its themes:

• 📚 Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (link)

• 📚 Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (link)

• 📚 David Bowden, Rewire Your Heart: Replace Your Desire for Sin with Desire For God (link)

• 🎥 Bible Project 1 Corinthians overview video (link)

• ✊ Learn more on how to fight against the New Drug (link)

• 🎵 1 Corinthians 6 by Streetlights (Spotify | Apple | Malachi Daily Playlist)

Everyone who pays-it-forward to support our work gets lifetime access to Renew Your Mind: How to Take Your Thoughts Captive and Make Them Obedient to Christ.

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful.

“All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

1 Corinthians 6:12