What does St. Paul mean by “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial”?
By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08
This apostolic maxim is written by St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, where he states it twice in different contexts:
- 1 Corinthians 6:12:
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful [beneficial]. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:23:
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful [beneficial]; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”
In the Sahidic and Bohairic Coptic New Testament, the verse reads:
Ϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲃⲉⲛ ⲟⲩⲏϣ ⲛⲏⲓ: ⲁⲗⲗⲁ ϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲃⲉⲛ ⲣⲫⲏⲟⲩ ⲁⲛ.
(All things are lawful to me, but all things do not profit / are not beneficial.)
(ⲁⲗⲗⲁ is a Greek loanword meaning "but"; ϩⲱⲃ ⲛⲓⲃⲉⲛ [all things / every work] and ⲣⲫⲏⲟⲩ [to be of benefit/profit] are native Coptic.)
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The Theological and Pastoral Context
In Corinth, a wealthy and pagan Greek city, some converts had fallen into a dangerous misconception of Christian freedom. Coming out of paganism, or reacting against the rigid ceremonial burdens of the Old Testament Mosaic Law, certain individuals argued that grace gave them absolute liberty to indulge their physical desires without moral consequence. They coined or misused the slogan: "All things are lawful for me."
St. Paul takes their slogan, qualifies it, and sets the true boundary of Christian liberty:
1. Freedom Versus Slavery (1 Corinthians 6:12)
St. Paul immediately counters the claim of absolute license: “but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
- True Christian freedom is freedom from sin, not the freedom to sin.
- When a person indulges the passions—whether bodily lusts, gluttony, or attachments to worldly habits—they imagine they are exercising liberty, but they have actually become slaves to their desires.
- As St. John Chrysostom comments on this verse: to abuse liberty by becoming a slave to bodily appetites is not the mark of a free man, but of a captive. A Christian is bought with a price—the Precious Blood of Christ (ⲡⲓⲥⲛⲟϥ ⲉⲧⲧⲁⲓⲏⲟⲩⲧ)—and belongs body and soul to God.
2. Edification and the Salvation of Others (1 Corinthians 10:23–24)
In chapter 10, St. Paul deals with matters that are morally indifferent in themselves, such as eating food that had previously been associated with pagan idols.
- Even if an action is not intrinsically sinful or explicitly forbidden by a commandment, the Christian must ask: Does it edify (ⲕⲱⲧ)? Does it build up my brother?
- St. Paul follows verse 23 with: “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1 Cor 10:24).
- Spiritual maturity evaluates an action not merely by asking "Am I legally permitted to do this?" but rather "Will this action draw me and my neighbor closer to salvation, or will it cause a brother to stumble?"
3. Lawful Use and the Law
This balances directly with St. Paul's teaching elsewhere, such as in 1 Timothy 1:8: “We know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.”
- The righteous man does not live merely according to the bare minimum of prohibitions.
- The Law was given to convict sinners and restrain wickedness; but the Christian, living under grace and guided by the Holy Spirit, is called to spiritual perfection, discernment, and self-mastery.
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Application in the Orthodox Spiritual Life
In the spiritual life and monastic tradition of the Church, this verse serves as the supreme rule of discernment (ⲇⲓⲁⲕⲣⲓⲥⲓⲥ — Greek loanword / spiritual wisdom):
- Fasting and Asceticism: Food in itself is clean and permitted by God, yet the Church fasts more than half the year. Why? Because while food is lawful, unrestricted indulgence is not beneficial to the soul's vigilance and prayer.
- Modern Distractions and Habits: Countless worldly entertainments, technologies, and pursuits are not inherently evil in themselves. Yet, if they consume time that belongs to God, dull the spiritual senses, or bind the heart to earthly vanity, they are not beneficial.
- The Criterion of Love: Christian freedom is always governed by love (ⲁⲅⲁⲡⲏ — Greek loanword). The true Orthodox life does not ask, "How close can I get to the edge of sin without falling?" but rather, "What will sanctify my soul and glorify God?"