Note 1 at 1 Cor. 10:23: Paul admits that he is free to do many things that he wouldn't do. Some people can't understand that. If there isn't a law against it, they want to do it. They are trying to discern the boundary line and then get as close to it as possible without violating it. That attitude stinks! We shouldn't be asking, "What can I do?" but "What should I do?".

In Galatians 4:1-5, Paul likens our time spent under the law to the time that a child spends under rules before becoming an adult. The rules serve a purpose but that purpose is seldom clearly understood by the child.

For instance, as children we were all taught to look both ways before we crossed the street. The real purpose of that rule was to avoid being hit by a car but most children observed that instruction so they wouldn't get a spanking. When an individual becomes an adult, spankings are no longer an issue, but does that mean that there is no reason to look both ways before crossing the street? Certainly not!

Someone who asks, "Am I going to be punished now that I'm an adult if I don't look before I cross the street?" has missed the whole point. It's not what do you have to do, but rather what you should do, that's at stake.

Likewise, now that salvation by grace has come (see note 5 at Acts 20:24, p. 698) we are free to do all things. But is that smart? Certainly not! It's as stupid as refusing to look both ways before you cross the street because you aren't going to get reprimanded. Although our salvation is not dependent on our actions, Satan is just waiting to take advantage of any opportunity we give him in our lives (see note 8 at Rom. 6:16, p. 782).

So rather than seeing just how far we can go and still retain our salvation, we should be seeing just how close we can stay in our love and devotion to the Lord. That is what Paul was advocating.