“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.”

The Corinthians needed to get their priorities right—and so do we! Unfortunately, our current society has it wrong. Personal rights make a great foundation for a free political society (as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, specifically the first ten amendments called the “Bill of Rights”), but they make for poor interpersonal relationships. They provide no standing before the righteous and holy Creator of the universe. The Corinthians thought otherwise, and so do many Christians today, as enshrined in such exclamations as “Why me, Lord?” and “I have my rights!”

The centrality of Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) means we stand indebted as sinners saved by grace, who enjoy God’s mercy and forgiveness. We deserved none of this and have a right before Him only to be His children (John 1:12)—and even that is given to us, not abrogated by some worthiness or intrinsic principle inherent to our humanity. Whatever rights we thought we had were surrendered in the Garden of Eden, and such surrender is ratified with each transgression and sin we commit.

Therefore, in light of Christ and Him crucified, what then is left to motivate our daily life in its particulars? Certainly not our so-called “rights” because we have none in the community of those forgiven by grace. Rather our catalytic motivation is to “do all to the glory of God!” Nothing more, nothing less. Actually, we can never do enough of glorifying God.

First, concerning food offered to idols (in context) or any other thing about which we might assert our “rights,” we should rather ask, “How does this activity reflect well on God and His character?” If it doesn’t, then what can I do instead that does? Paul, ever the evangelist and ever reflecting the heart of Christ to reach the lost world (see Matt. 28:18–20, Mark 16:15–16), would ask the question this way: “Would a particular activity hurt or aid in my efforts to effectively reach the people group which I am evangelizing?”

He is not being a “man-pleaser” in a pejorative sense, but one who sacrifices his own “rights” and benefits of life for the much greater goal of glorifying God in the salvation of souls (see 1 Cor. 9:22a, also the example of our Lord Jesus in Heb. 2:17). Could it be that our weak evangelistic efforts give ample evidence to Christian lives mired down in the “enjoyment” of comfortable living?

Lord, I confess to putting my own comforts before reaching others for Christ.