Expedient

Paul, by El Greco

"Simple, easy, quick, convenient." That's the first definition. Another shows "Appropriate to a purpose." Still another definition says, "convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral."

However you look at it, the word was used often by the King James translators. The one that caught my attention was:

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 Corinthians 6:12 KJV)

“All things” were convenient, easy, quick, appropriate to a purposes – but possibly improper or immoral. That’s a summation of a Christian’s freedom, to my mind.

You see, as we are born again (following Jesus' teaching to Nicodemus), we are forgiven new creatures in God's family. When we have sufficient faith to accept Jesus as our savior, our sins are gone. We are not free of their consequences - what we have done is not wiped out of our past, not wiped from history, but is wiped out of our future. I know – that’s hard to understand.

Early in our experience, we take in “milk,” information that we digest just as babies. Then we move up to digesting - or understanding - the meat of lessons Jesus taught. Each one of us are at different points on our ability to discern and apply God's lessons in our daily lives.

When Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, he was further along in knowledge. He understood that nothing held him back from doing anything he wanted to – except his understanding of and love for his Lord. Still, he fought against doing wrong, recognizing:

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. (Romans 7:15 KJV)

What keeps us from taking advantage of our Christian freedom to simply live as we wish without God’s commandments is the same love for our Lord that led Paul to share the gospel with the world. The Holy Spirit dwells within those who share this love:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:14-16 KJV)

When Paul encouraged Timothy, he mentioned this:

Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. (2 Timothy 1:13-14 KJV)

One by one, we’re to tell another what we believe:

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2 KJV)

That’s all I’ve done here.