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 This
is a rerun of a thought that is so often in my mind it demands
repetition. Paul wrote, "All things are lawful unto me, but
all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but
I will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Cor.
6:12). The "all things" is a synecdoche, or way of
saying "many things." (As, "We do it all the
time" — i.e., it is common, we do it often.) Paul is
saying there are many things right within themselves that are
not expedient or profitable. They contribute nothing useful to
our lives (1 Cor. 10:23), or they may wrongly influence others
and cause them to go astray (Rom. 14:16).
And
the second clause goes further: "I will not be brought
under the power of any." At face value, this rules out
tobacco, "pot," or the like — any thing that has
power to limit our control of self. But it also applies to the
"sports nut", music fanatic, or those glued to the
boob-tube. Some Greek philosopher said if one found himself
overly attached to a particular art object, say, a valuable
vase, he should break it rather than have this attachment
control him. The pagans had no higher object than self-mastery;
but Christianity has a more noble use for self-control.
True
God-service can come only as we give our "self" to the
Lord (Matt. 16:25) in a very real sense "self" is our
will or volition. We are what we think, feel, and desire.
Superficial "doing" is not acceptable service to God;
we must obey from the heart. It follows, therefore, that to give
"self" to the Lord we must be in control of
"self", have self to give.
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It
is obvious that many of us have habits, passions, or tastes that
exercise greater influence in our lives than does God. For
example, if we can not pull ourselves away from the TV football
game to worship God, we either want to see the game more
than we want to worship, or we want to put God first, but
our desire to see the game controls us —, overrides our better
intentions. Sure, you can wiggle out of this by some ploy about
"worshiping at home" — but did you turn off the TV
to do it?? People who genuinely worship God in their daily
activities are the first to acknowledge their need to assemble
with saints, and recognize God's instructions regarding such
matters.
The
alcoholic has lost part of his or her "self." The
"pot" smoker takes a "trip" at the expense
of fully controlled self. The smoker who "can't quit"
is no longer his or her own master. But the list does not stop
here. Can we give up a golf game for something more important,
like our family? Can we get up and walk away from any thing
that stands between us and service of God? How truly are we our
own? Are we "brought under" same power??
The
value of an untrammeled will is further seen when we realize
that only such a self can come to Christ (Lu. 14:33). This is
the element essential for a good conscience, for speaking and
acting upon our convictions. "Keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov.
4:23). It is no "little thing" to give ones will into
the hands of habits or other people. It is the one thing we
could give God for eternity.
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