"All things are lawful for me" is a Corinthian catch phrase, probably drawn from Greek philosophy and used to justify doing whatever one pleased, especially sexually. "Lawful" here means permissible or allowable, not lawful under God's law. Paul answers it in I Corinthians 6:12 with two replies: not all things are helpful, and he will not be brought under the power of anything. God does allow people to sin, and Paul grants that they are free to act, but he urges them to weigh the outcome. Many permitted things become enslaving, addictive, destructive, and shameful, and even good things done at the wrong time can bring bad results. Paul likewise answers the companion slogan "Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods," a euphemism for sex being as natural as eating. The body will be destroyed, and it has a higher purpose, serving the Lord, who in turn provides for it and will raise it. Believers are members of Christ, bought at a price, and so are not their own. Their bodies belong first to God and, in marriage, to their spouse. Sexual immorality dishonors Christ and harms the sinner. When the slogan returns in I Corinthians 10:23, Paul adds that not all things edify. He draws two principles from it: seek the other person's well-being rather than one's own, and do everything to the glory of God. Freedom in Christ is therefore a call to self-sacrifice and to giving up one's rights out of love.