📊 1 Corinthians 6:12 | What in your life is mastering you?

together with

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Tuesdays are for tacos and giving God praise! If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here.

Today we’re partnering with Surfshark to bring safe (internet) surfing to your household — more on that below!

In today’s email…

• 📖 Paul’s main point behind this verse

• 🤔 What in your life is mastering you?

• 📊 A poll to see how closely you were paying attention yesterday

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

“All things are ______ ___ me,” but not all things ___ _______.

“All things are ______ for me,” but I will not be _________ __ anything.

1 Corinthians 6:12

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CONTEXT 📕 

As discussed yesterday, Paul opens this verse by repeating a popular saying among the Christian Corinthians: “All things are lawful for me.”

They saw their freedom in Christ as an excuse to indulge in whatever they pleased, but Paul immediately corrected their thinking:

✅ Not everything is beneficial.
✅ I will not be dominated by anything.

His response cuts through their distorted idea of Christian liberty.

They assumed that grace = permission. And if we’re honest, many of us can fall into that same trap in rather obvious ways (but more on that later).

Paul reminds them that true freedom is about living in a way that builds up rather than destroys.

So, let’s break this down…

Paul’s correction in 1 Corinthians 6:12 is twofold:

1. Not everything is beneficial.

Just because something is allowed doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Some choices bring harm rather than help.

2. I will not be mastered by anything.

The Corinthians were allowing their desires to control them.

True freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want. It’s about not being enslaved by anything.

Paul is building up to his main point: Your body matters to God.

The Corinthians had adopted a dangerous mindset. They treated bodily desires as unimportant because they thought only the soul mattered.

Paul pushes back hard against this idea:

• The body is not meant for sin — it’s meant for the Lord (v13).

• You are united to Christ, so your actions reflect Him (v15).

• Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit — it should glorify God (v19-20).

This wasn’t just about sexual immorality (although that’s a big part of it).

The Corinthians had a distorted view of freedom, and Paul is resetting their understanding.

True Christian freedom doesn’t ask, “What can I get away with?” — it asks, “How can I bring glory to God?” 

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

You have total freedom in Christ.

But instead of using it for good, we sometimes use it as an excuse to:

• Feed unhealthy habits

• Justify harmful decisions

• Avoid accountability

I’m not accusing you. I am pointing out the human condition.

Paul’s writing begs us to wrestle with this question: What in your life is dominating or mastering you?

• Is it lust?

• Is it anger?

• Is it comfort and ease?

• Is it fear of people’s opinions?

Pray 🙏 

Lord, reveal the areas where I’ve let something control me. Help me to use my freedom to glorify You, not indulge in what is harmful. Teach me to walk in true freedom. Freedom that honors You. Amen 🙏

TRIVIA 📊 

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