25 Bible Verses about Abuse, Of Christian Freedom
Most Relevant Verses
For this cause do not let sin be ruling in your body which is under the power of death, so that you give way to its desires;
For this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on running in the way which is marked out for us, Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.
If a man sees his brother doing a sin which is not bad enough for death, let him make a prayer to God, and God will give life to him whose sin was not bad enough for death. There is a sin whose punishment is death: I do not say that he may make such a request then. All evil-doing is sin: but death is not the punishment for every sort of sin. We are certain that one who is a child of God will do no sin, but the Son of God keeps him so that he is not touched by the Evil One.
What may we say, then? are we to go on in sin so that there may be more grace? In no way. How may we, who are dead to sin, be living in it any longer?
What then? are we to go on in sin because we are not under law but under grace? Let it not be so.
But if the righteousness of God is supported by our wrongdoing what is to be said? is it wrong for God to be angry (as men may say)? In no way: because if it is so, how is God able to be the judge of all the world? But if, because I am untrue, God being seen to be true gets more glory, why am I to be judged as a sinner?read more.
Let us not do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.
But if, while we were desiring to get righteousness through Christ, we ourselves were seen to be sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? In no way! For if I put up again those things which I gave to destruction, I am seen to be a wrongdoer. For I, through the law, have become dead to the law, so that I might be living to God.read more.
I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me. I do not make the grace of God of no effect: because if righteousness is through the law, then Christ was put to death for nothing.
But take care that this power of yours does not give cause for trouble to the feeble. For if a man sees you, who have knowledge, taking food as a guest in the house of an image, will it not give him, if he is feeble, the idea that he may take food offered to images? And so, through your knowledge, you are the cause of destruction to your brother, for whom Christ underwent death.read more.
And in this way, doing evil to the brothers, and causing trouble to those whose faith is feeble, you are sinning against Christ.
Because you, brothers, were marked out to be free; only do not make use of your free condition to give the flesh its chance, but through love be servants one to another.
As those who are free, not using your free position as a cover for wrongdoing, but living as the servants of God;
It is said, in fact, that there is among you a sin of the flesh, such as is not seen even among the Gentiles, that one of you has his father's wife. And in place of feeling sorrow, you are pleased with yourselves, so that he who has done this thing has not been sent away from among you.
I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will put an end to them together. But the body is not for the desires of the flesh, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body: And God who made the Lord Jesus come back from the dead will do the same for us by his power.read more.
Do you not see that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? how then may I take what is a part of the body of Christ and make it a part of the body of a loose woman? such a thing may not be. Or do you not see that he who is joined to a loose woman is one body with her? for God has said, The two of them will become one flesh. But he who is united to the Lord is one spirit. Keep away from the desires of the flesh. Every sin which a man does is outside of the body; but he who goes after the desires of the flesh does evil to his body. Or are you not conscious that your body is a house for the Holy Spirit which is in you, and which has been given to you by God? and you are not the owners of yourselves; For a payment has been made for you: let God be honoured in your body.
But I have this against you, that you let the woman Jezebel say she is a prophet and give false teaching, making my servants go after the desires of the flesh and take food offered to false gods. And I gave her time for a change of heart, but she has no mind to give up her unclean ways. See, I will put her into a bed, and those who make themselves unclean with her, into great trouble, if they go on with her works.
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, got money for his property, And kept back part of the price, his wife having knowledge of it, and took the rest and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
But now, when you come together, it is not possible to take the holy meal of the Lord: For when you take your food, everyone takes his meal before the other; and one has not enough food, and another is the worse for drink. What? have you not houses to take your meals in? or have you no respect for the church of God, putting the poor to shame? What am I to say to you? am I to give you praise? certainly not.
For this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on running in the way which is marked out for us,
If we say that we have no sin, we are false to ourselves and there is nothing true in us. If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil. If we say that we have no sin, we make him false and his word is not in us.
Do not be turned from the right way by foolish words; for because of these things the punishment of God comes on those who do not put themselves under him.
And, A stone of falling, a rock of trouble; the word is the cause of their fall, because they go against it, and this was the purpose of God.
And by this we may be certain that we have knowledge of him, if we keep his laws. The man who says, I have knowledge of him, and does not keep his laws, is false, and there is nothing true in him:
Go after love; still desiring to have the things which the Spirit gives, but most of all that you may have the prophet's power. For he who makes use of tongues is not talking to men but to God; because no one has the sense of what he is saying; but in the Spirit he is talking of secret things. But the word of the prophet gives men knowledge and comfort and strength.read more.
He who makes use of tongues may do good to himself; but he who gives the prophet's word does good to the church. Now though it is my desire for you all to have the power of tongues, it would give me more pleasure to be hearing the prophet's word from you; for this is a greater thing than using tongues, if the sense is not given at the same time, for the good of the church. But, now, my brothers, if I come to you using tongues, what profit will it be to you, if I do not give you a revelation, or knowledge, or the word of the prophet, or teaching? Even things without life, having a voice, such as a music-pipe or other instrument, if they do not give out different sounds, who may be certain what is being played? For if the war-horn gives out an uncertain note, who will get ready for the fight? So if you, in using a strange tongue, say words which have no sense, how will anyone take in what you are saying? for you will be talking to the air. There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense. But if the sense of the voice is not clear to me, I am like a man from a strange country to him who is talking, and he will be the same to me. So if you are desiring the things which the Spirit gives, let your minds be turned first to the things which are for the good of the church. For this reason, let the man who has the power of using tongues make request that he may, at the same time, be able to give the sense. For if I make use of tongues in my prayers, my spirit makes the prayer, but not my mind. What then? let my prayer be from the spirit, and equally from the mind; let my song be from the spirit, and equally from mind. For if you give a blessing with the spirit, how will the man who has no knowledge say, So be it, after your prayer, seeing that he has not taken in what you are saying? For your giving of the blessing is certainly well done, but of no profit to the man without knowledge. I give praise to God that I am able to make use of tongues more than you all: But in the church it would be better for me to make use of five words of which the sense was clear, so that others might have profit, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue. My brothers, do not be children in mind: in evil be as little children, but in mind be of full growth.
Now about things offered to images: we all seem to ourselves to have knowledge. Knowledge gives pride, but love gives true strength. If anyone seems to himself to have knowledge, so far he has not the right sort of knowledge about anything; But if anyone has love for God, God has knowledge of him.read more.
So, then, as to the question of taking food offered to images, we are certain that an image is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. For though there are those who have the name of gods, in heaven or on earth, as there are a number of gods and a number of lords, There is for us only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we are for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we have our being through him. Still, all men have not that knowledge: but some, being used till now to the image, are conscious that they are taking food which has been offered to the image; and because they are not strong in the faith, their minds are troubled. But God's approval of us is not based on the food we take: if we do not take it we are no worse for it; and if we take it we are no better. But take care that this power of yours does not give cause for trouble to the feeble. For if a man sees you, who have knowledge, taking food as a guest in the house of an image, will it not give him, if he is feeble, the idea that he may take food offered to images? And so, through your knowledge, you are the cause of destruction to your brother, for whom Christ underwent death. And in this way, doing evil to the brothers, and causing trouble to those whose faith is feeble, you are sinning against Christ. For this reason, if food is a cause of trouble to my brother, I will give up taking meat for ever, so that I may not be a cause of trouble to my brother.
But I have some things against you, because you have with you those who keep the teaching of Balaam, by whose suggestion Balak made the children of Israel go out of the right way, taking food which was offered to false gods, and going after the desires of the flesh.
