Everything is permissible for me—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me” – but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 10:23.
The believer’s life is intertwined with Christ Jesus who gave his life for him. Thus it is worthy of note that we live his life as he is the Vine and we are the branches. His very life is our life and his purpose is our purpose. The scriptures say in John 3:16 paraphrased that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have an everlasting life. So the purpose of the Lord for sending in his son is to win as many as possible as the entire world to himself in as much as they believed. Also, in the way the Son (Christ Jesus) lives, he is expected to reflect entirely and only the character of him that sent him who is God, The Father. So we can literally say he is God the father in the flesh which dubbed him as the Son. He didn’t just end his purpose when he resurrected on the third day from the grave, but he keeps on living this purpose of saving men through his disciples even to the ends of the World as it is written in the book of Matthew 28:18-20; “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Having established that we are extensors of his purpose among the world of men still, Paul the Apostle sought to teach the Corinthian Church how he has resolved to live that life by being modest in his daily livelihood and engagement with the surrounding activities of men. He did this by casting a sharp glance at the life of the Patriarchs and the early Israelites who walked with Moses in the wilderness. How they ate the same Spiritual Meat and Drink and how Christ who was the Rock followed them thus making them One body by these substances they shared in common (1 Corinthians 10:3-4). Paul further stressed that though they had these supernatural privileges from God yet they lusted after evil things, they threw caution to the wind and they became extreme idolaters even bowing to Idols in their supposed independence from the Egyptian bondage. Verse 7 and 8 said… they ate and drank and rose up to play and they even committed fornication and there fell amongst them twenty-three thousand folks; this shows that there are certain restrictions expected of the Israelites as at the time they lived even though it looks permissible for them. One of such restrictions was the need to shun women of other nations as it has a high tendency of leading them to other gods which tends to Idolatry as the word of God has said, “Thou shalt not have any other god before me”.
Paul the Apostle intended to show a life that does not submit to every pleasures of life man wants to live as it can jeopardize the consecration of man to the commands of God and his ultimate assignment of Soul Winning. Following the opening text, everything is permissible for the believer but not everything is beneficial. Clubbing is permissible at least as it is not against the laws of a country, but at the long run won’t be beneficial for the believer in Christ because it can eventually lead him to Sin and ultimately at the long run hurt a watching/observing unbelieving soul to remain adamant still to the Gospel that saves him. Food is permissible to the believer and also a necessity to the body but it must not become gluttony which accounts for the last part of the verse which means that a believer is not mastered by his appetite for anything. A believer must not be mastered and controlled by his desires for anything. He must learn a life that is full of piety and a life that overcomes temptation in whatever form it comes as pointed out by Paul in verse 13 which says There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
In conclusion, as long as we walk this earth, we must learn to draw the lines against pleasures that will drown our souls in perdition and also foil the plan of God to win more souls to his Kingdom. Selah!!!