Ron Dunn Podcast - The Law of Limitation

Episode Date: February 12, 2025

One of the first things God said in the Garden was, "Thou shalt not." From the very beginning of human history, He established limitations.

I want you to open your Bibles tonight to 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 6, and 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Through the course of the message tonight, we're going to be reading verses from Romans chapter 14 and 1 Corinthians chapter 8, but for the main passage of Scripture that we're going to be reading, let's read 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 12, and then 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 23 and following to the end of the chapter.

1 Corinthians, the sixth chapter, we'll read the twelfth verse, and then we'll skip over to chapter 10. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought unto the power of any. Now in chapter 10, verse 23, he makes another statement similar to that one. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

Let no man seek his own, but every man another. Whatsoever is sold in the marketplace, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake. For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. If any of them that believe not, bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for constant faith. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not, for his faith that showed it, and for constant faith, for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other. For why

is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. One of the first things God said to man was, Thou shalt not. And as he placed man in the Garden of Eden, gave him dominion over all things that God had created, and as God had made abundant provision for man so that he could live his life in fullness and in fellowship. Yet in the midst of all of that, God had a limitation and God had a prohibition.

And he said that free of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. And at the very beginning of human history, God enunciates the law of prohibition or the law of limitations. And all running through all the Bible, you'll find over and over again God setting up limits, limitations and prohibitions. There are certain things that man is not to touch. There are certain things that man is not to partake of. And the reason that God sets the law of limitation is for man's good and for God's glory. And the basic law of all human existence is a law of negatives and a law of limitations. Thou shalt not have any of the gods before me. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not covet. In running through the New Testament, you'll find this same law of limitations. And the Christian who ignores and violates the law of limitation will never find the fullness of Christ in his life that God intends him to have. And so tonight we're going to take these passages that I've read and two or three others, and we're going to investigate just a little deeper God's law of limitations. Now in these verses that we read a moment ago, Paul laid down two great principles for the Christian life. One is the principle of liberty. Paul says, all things are lawful for me.

He says, I have the right, I have the power, I can do anything. There is the law of liberty in the Christian life. Sometimes we get the idea that Jesus Christ and his salvation isn't a liberating thing, that there's no freedom in it. There is. Paul says, all things are lawful for me. And yet, on the other hand, not all things are expedient. So there is the law of liberty. Now, Paul means by this that Christianity, my salvation, is not dependent upon rules and regulations. That I am not saved by keeping rules and regulations.

Nor am I lost by disobeying rules and regulations. Salvation is by grace, through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. So Paul could say, all things are lawful for me. Sometimes a person will come and ask, well, as a Christian, can you do thus and so? And if I ever come to Jesus and if I become a Christian, can I do this and can I do that? Salvation is not dependent upon the things that you do. Salvation is by grace. That means God provides it all.

It is received through faith. A man, a lady came to me several years ago. I was preaching a revival in Hearst, Texas. She had been attending the services and God had been dealing with her. She came to me afterwards and she said, I'd like to be a Christian, but I need to ask you one question. She said, I know how narrow-minded you Baptists are. Of course, I could have told a lot of Baptists that weren't narrow.

She said, I know how you Baptists are. And she said, I love to drink. And if I get saved, will I have to give up my drinking? I said to her, that's beside the point. I said, why do you ask that question? She said, I don't see anything wrong with drinking. I enjoy it. I like to do it.

I don't see a thing wrong with it. I said, let me ask you a question. Would you be willing to come to Jesus without any reservation, holding back nothing, and if after you were saved, if one day God came to you and said, hey, that's wrong, I want you to stop it, would you be willing to do that? If God showed you someday that it was wrong, would you be willing to stop it? He said, serious. He said, if God showed me that it was wrong, if I knew that it was a sin, if God showed me that it was a sin, then I'd quit it. I said, listen, don't worry about that. You just come to Jesus. One night during the service, she came and was saved. God really

did a work of salvation. She came to me a few nights later. She said, hey, you know what? I started to say, yes, I know what. She said, you know that problem I was talking about last. She said, man, I just don't have any desire to do that anymore. Salvation is not dependent upon rules and regulations. Now, if I had told her, yes, you have got to be willing to give up that thing, that is the sin, then I would have been saying to her, salvation is dependent upon what you're able to give up. And no person is able to give up anything that is on strength. He comes to Jesus without reservation, willing to let Jesus take everything that's wrong away from him, and then Jesus does it. D.L.

Moody had a man come to him one time and said, if I get saved and I drink all I want to, he said, yes. And the man was saved and he came back and he said, Mr get saved tonight, I'll drink all I want to. He said, Yes. And the man was saved and he came back and he said, Mr. Moody, I don't want to drink anymore. Paul is saying all things are lawful for me. Now you understand we are not condoning this tonight, but Paul is saying Christianity is not a matter of rules and regulations. You are not saved by what you do, and you are not lost by what you do. One of the greatest verses in all the New Testament is John 3, verse 18, where he says, He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I believe that's verse 19. What is it that condemns a man? The fact that he believes not. Years ago, someone handed me a little plaque. And on the first page it said, in red letters, asking the question, What must I do to be saved? And I opened the next page, and there, giving certain scriptures, it told me what I had I do to be saved? And I opened the next page, and there, giving certain pictures, it told me what I had to do to be saved. I turned the next page,

and there was another question in red ink. What must I do to be lost? I flipped the next page, and one word stared at me, nothing. I don't have to do anything to be lost. A man does not go to hell because he lies or steals or cheats or drinks. He goes to hell because he believes not in the Son of God. So Paul says all things are lawful for me. That means that my salvation doesn't depend upon me. So there is the law of liberty, but there is in that same expression the law of limitation. All things are lawful unto me, but, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful, but I will not be brought under the power of any. So there is the law of limitation, and God can only bless your life

as long as you recognize and bow in submission to the law of limitation. There are some things that are wrong for the Christian to be a part of. Now, the Bible is not a rule book. It is a guide book. And many things the Bible talks about might not be relevant to us today. For instance, you and I don't have any problem about eating meat that's been offered to idols. And many of the passages that we're going to be reading tonight deal with this question, should a Christian eat meat that has been sacrificed to a pagan god? Now, I can't remember when was the last time I faced that issue in my life. That justice is relevant to me. It's been a long time since a teenager came to me and said,

Preacher, what's wrong with eating meat that's been offered to us? That part of it is not relevant, but in that Paul enunciates a principle by which you can look at anything and judge whether or not it's right or wrong. By the way, that is one of the exercises of a spiritual person. I'll tell you what a carnal Christian is. That's a Christian who never evaluates anything, who never judges anything. He just goes without thinking and takes what is offered him and indulges anything in which he feels like doing, he never evaluates anything. In 1 Corinthians chapter 2 it says, he that is spiritual judgeth all things.

He has the ability to evaluate things, to look at two things and determine whether or not this is in the will of God. Is it right or wrong? Preacher, is it right or wrong to dance? Is it right or wrong to smoke? Is it right or wrong to play cards? Is it right or wrong to be this? Well, I'm not going to tell you.

It would be to your injustice tonight if I gave you my conviction. You can't be saved on another person's faith, and you can't grow your convictions on another person's convictions either. Many of us go through life sliding on the coattail of somebody else's convictions. What I want to do tonight is to show you five principles, five tests that God gives to us, and you are your own spiritual high priest, the Bible says. You have the Spirit of God dwelling in you. You are to take these five things that the Apostle Paul mentions, and you are to evaluate something or anything

and everything in the light of these five things. So we want to discover tonight, is this thing right or wrong? I have a question about this thing. Is it right for a Christian to do it, or is it wrong? All right, you take that thing that's in your mind, and you stand it up beside these five spiritual examinations, and it will reveal to you whether or not this thing is right in the sight of God. And I believe if you'll take these five tests, jot them down, write them in the margin of your Bible somewhere, I do not know of anything that you'll ever face in your life in regards to amusement or practice or indulgence that testing it by these five things will not throw light and give to you the will of God in that situation. We're going to use the Bible. The Bible is our guidebook. And the Bible is relevant for all of these issues because

the Bible never changes and man never changes. And when you have those two things that never change, then the Bible is able to speak tonight to our own hearts, and we can take these five spiritual tests and examine everything about which you have a question. All right, what is the first test? The first test, is it right or is it wrong, is the test of expediency. In the law of limitation, first of all, the test of expediency. In the law of limitation, first of all, the test of expediency. In verse 12 of 1 Corinthians chapter 6, Paul says, all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient. Now, what does that mean? We get our word expedition. It has to do with foot travel.

Paul says, all things are lawful for me. I can do anything out here without exhausting my salvation. My salvation isn't a matter of rules and regulations. I'm not chaffed by ordinances of men. Touch not, taste not, handle not. But he says, what I am limiting those things, even when you have a doubt whether or not it is in the will of God, you sin, even if that thing itself is not wrong.

You remember when television first came out? Well, I remember when it came to my hometown in 1954, and a lot of the preachers, you know, they attacked this new thing, and they said, it's a sin to watch television. It's a sin to watch television. Well, now, I don't think there's anything wrong with watching television itself. Maybe some things, well, not maybe, there are some things wrong on television, but the mere act of sitting down and watching that thing in itself is not a sin. But let's suppose that that preacher instilled some doubt in my mind about it. And so I was a little bit confused. I didn't know if it was right or wrong. I had a doubt about it. And so I sat down, not in faith. I could not sit down and watch that thing in

perfect faith saying, I know that this is acceptable to God. And I watched that in doubt. God says, I have sinned. Whatever you do, and you cannot do that with the firm conviction that this is pleasing and acceptable to God, that thing is a sin for you. So you say, well, preacher, I don't know if this thing is expedient or not. I have a doubt. Sometimes I think it helps. Sometimes I think it hinders. Well, then God has already told you what to do about it.

If you go ahead and continue in that thing when you have the slightest doubt about it, it's a sin to you. I wonder tonight if we have enough courage to get on Bible ground. Would you be willing tonight to say, I really believe the book? I'm really going to obey the book and get rid of everything in your life that is questionable. Now God may show you that it's not wrong and give it back to you. He may show you that it is wrong and keep it away from you. But regardless of what he does, are you willing tonight to get on Bible ground and obey the revelation of God's word and everything in your life tonight that is questionable, get

rid of it. You say, I don't have any proof that it's sin. Is there a doubt? Yes, then it's wrong. You get rid of it. Always give God the benefit of the doubt. When in doubt, don't. First of all, the test of exceedancy. If it doesn't positively help you in your Christian life, if there's anything in that that might hold you back, then it's a sin. All right, the second test is the test of enslavement. The test of enslavement. Look again at Corinthians 6, verse 12. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not exceeding.

All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought unto the power of any. I will not be brought unto the power of any. You know what salvation does? Salvation does not make us free to sin, it makes us free not to sin. And Paul says, even though all things are lawful for me and there's a lot of things I can do, yet I am not going to allow myself

to be enslaved by anything. I will not be brought under the power of anything. Now right here is where you discover the sinfulness in a great many things. When that thing begins to master you and control you, it is a sin. Now, it may not be a sin for this fellow over here because it doesn't master him.

It's not controlling him. But if it's controlling you, if it is your master, then it is a sin. Every once in a while, someone will ask me, what do you think is wrong with smoking? Right here is what's wrong with it.

If you come to the place where you say, I have to have this, I can't do without it, then you've just said one thing, that that thing is your master. And you know what that does? That reverses salvation. For Jesus came to save us, to free us from the slavery of all things, and the Bible says you cannot serve two masters. You just cannot serve two masters. And this body of mine, all of its appetites, all of its desires, this body of mine is supposed to be the solitary exclusive slave of the Lord Jesus Christ and if there

is anything else in this world to which I am a slave, then I am committing treason against the Lord Jesus Christ. I am taking that which alone belongs to his lordship, and I am submitting my body to something other than Jesus, and that becomes a sin. Anything that enslaves you, you say, I've just got to do this. And friends, this is one of the purposes of fasting. This is one reason God over and over again indicates the law of fasting to his people

so that they will not be brought under the power of their appetite, to be enslaved by their appetite. And that's just as much a sin as anything else. Now this thing, what is it? It may be music. It may be some habit. It could be a thousand and one things.

If that becomes your master and you become a slave to that, you're under its power. You have to have it. Then it's a sin in your own life. And so there is the test of slavery. The test of enslavement. All things are lawful, but I will not be brought under the power of anything. Now let's look over in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 23.

This is the third test. The test of edification. The test of edification. The test of edification. Verse 23. Paul says, all things are lawful for me, but all things are not exceeding. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. All things don't build up. Now, this has to do with our relationship to other people.

We get our word edifice, a building, from this Greek word edify. Now, the test of expediency had to do with my own personal spiritual relationship. The test of edification has to do with my relationship to other brothers and sisters in Jesus. Have you noticed something as we read these verses? We've not read all of these passages, but if you would go home tonight and read Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 and 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Corinthians 10, you'll find a consistency in every passage. And in every passage, Jesus, Brother Paul, is talking about our relationship

to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And to me, this is one of the most important tests in asking, is this thing right or wrong? Paul says, all things are lawful, but all things do not edify. Now let's look back over in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. Verse 9. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 9. Here again, let's get on Bible ground. Just like we did with the things that were doubtful, let's get on Bible ground and obey the word of God.

1 Corinthians chapter, verse 9. But take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hath knowledge set at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened or edified to eat those things which are offered to idols? And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ has died? But when you sin so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Wherefore, if me make my brother to sin, to stumble, to fall,

I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to fall. The test of edification. The test of edification. Paul says you are your brother's people and you do have a spiritual and moral responsibility for the spiritual welfare of other Christians and he said you actually the question is it right or wrong is irrelevant

that's not really the question that's not really important even if this thing is all right, if I am in the presence of a brother who is weaker than I am, and remember he's weaker, they always think they're stronger, but he's weaker than I am, and even though this thing is all right, but he believes it's wrong and he has confidence in me and if i do this thing it is going to wound his weak conscience it's going to cause him to stumble it's going to cause him to sin then paul says i am not to do it and if i go ahead and do it say well man i'm free the lord

saved me i've got a right to live the way i want to i have liberty and i don't care if this weak brother is never mind he's just going to have to learn to take these things. And I'm going ahead and do what I want to. He said, when you wound the conscience of a weak brother, you sin against Christ. So there are some things that are right that are wrong if I do them. Because I do them in such a way that it causes a weak brother to be offended, to sin, to fall. The test of edification. I think the best way to put this test of edification, this thing that you're indulging in, this thing that you're participating in, if everybody knew about it, would it make them a stronger Christian?

And would it lift them up, or rather lift you up spiritually in their sight? And this questionable thing that you're involved in, would it be all right with you if everybody knew about it? Or would you be very mortified if everybody found knew about it? Or would you be very mortified if everybody found out about it? You're afraid it might cause people not to think so highly of you if you knew about it.

Then you need to check up. There is a doubt there as to whether or not that thing is right. If people found out about it, would it help them to be a better Christian? And would it raise their confidence in you? Or would it help them to be a better Christian? And would it raise their confidence in you, or would it destroy their confidence in you? The test of edification. Test number four is the test of evangelism. The test of evangelism. Look in verse 32 and 33 of 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

Paul says, Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. That includes everybody. The Jews and the Gentiles are the ones that are lost in the church of God, the ones who are saved. Paul says, Don't give offense to anybody saved or lost, even as I pleased all men in all things,

not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many. Why? That they may be saved. That they may be saved. Here is the test of evangelism. This thing that many of you are thinking about right now, you may be thinking about one thing, and you may be thinking about something else. You're trying to hang on to it and trying to justify why it's all right. You really want to know whether or not it's right or wrong in the sight of God. All right? As you are doing this thing, as you are involved in this thing,

would you be able to witness to somebody about Jesus and have a testimony? I remember, oh, it's been a long time, a number of years ago, a young girl came and she said, Preacher, I don't see a thing wrong with dancing. We go up here to the YMCA, YWCA, the Young Women's Christian Association. And we have our dances. And I don't see a thing wrong with it because they're chaperones. And I said, that's all right. I'm not going to tell you it's right or wrong. God has to convict you. If God convicts you that it's wrong,

it'll be wrong. If God convicts me that it's wrong, then I'll take it to be wrong. I'm not going to try to tell you what's right or wrong. I said, hey, let me ask you to do something. By the way, the next time that you're at the dance and you're dancing with a boy and while y'all are out dancing on the dance floor, why don't you tell that boy how much Jesus means to you? And began to witness to him. And she looked at me and

she said, Ricky, she said, I couldn't do that. I said, why not? She said, that would be out of place. I said, if that is out of place, you're out of place. The test of evangelism. There may be some teenagers in our church that really don't have a testimony and can't really witness to their boyfriend or girlfriend because of the way they behave on a date, and they want to know whether or not this way they behave on a date is right or wrong, well, here's a test. While you're engaged in your dating life, can you tell this person about Jesus? The test of evangelism. You say, well, preacher, I don't think it's wrong to use some of this language that we

use or tell some of these jokes on the job. All right, can you tell one of those suggested jokes with one breath and talk to that fellow about Jesus with the other? Are those two things a little bit inconsistent with each other? The test of evangelism. Paul says, I don't please myself, and right there is the crux of the whole matter. Some of us have determined we're going to please ourselves no matter what. I'm going to live my own life.

Paul says, no, I do not live for my own profit. I live for the profit of others, giving none offense in all that they may be saved. Now, there's in all probability one thing tonight in somebody's life that keeps you from having an effective witness with a lost friend. There may be one habit, one inconsistency, one little pleasure, one thing that keeps you from having an effective witness with that lost thing. And every time you think about witnessing to him, the devil accuses you of this thing and the Spirit of God convicts you of it. And it's this one thing that keeps you, I repeat,

from having an effective witness with him for Jesus. And so you do not witness to him. God has put you there as a light, as a witness. That man is not witness to. He dies without Christ. He goes to hell. You stand at the judgment seat of Christ. And I want you to know that little thing, that one thing,

that one thing that you've clung to is going to seem mighty insignificant when it's measured in the balances with the weight of an eternal soul. I don't know what it is tonight that keeps you from being an effective witness with that member of your family or that boyfriend or that girlfriend, but I want to ask you one question tonight.

Is your love for that one little thing, is it worth tonight the soul of a person? Is it? That's exactly how much value you are placing on it. If that thing keeps you from having freedom in witnessing and testifying, you are placing a greater value upon it. The test of evangelism. The test of evangelism.

The test of evangelism. And then the last test, the test of exaltation. And this is found in verse 31 of 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. There is the test of exaltation. You ask one last question about this thing. Does this thing glorify God? Can I do this thing and glorify God? Can I do this thing and ask the blessings of Jesus on it? Can I? If you cannot, then it is a sin.

Whatever you do, whether it's eating or drinking, whatever it is, you're to do it all for the glory of God in the name of Jesus Christ. And if you cannot do that thing for the glory of God in Jesus Christ, if you're not exalted in it, or if there is a doubt about it, then you need to withdraw from that activity. You see, if you have a doubt about any one of these things, you say, well, I'm not sure if it's expedient.

I have a doubt as to whether or not it's edifying. I have a doubt as to whether or not it's enslaving. I have a doubt whether or not it is exaltation. Well, if you have a doubt as to whether or not it's edifying. I have a doubt as to whether or not it's enslaving. I have a doubt whether or not it is exaltation. Well, if you have a doubt about any of it, then Paul has already told you what to do in Romans 14, 23. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin, and he that doubteth is condemned if he eateth. Five tests.

The test of expediency. Does this thing make a positive contribution to your spiritual growth? Does it give you a boost? Does it help you on your way? Secondly, the test of enslavement. Does this thing have you in its power? Are you its master? Are you its slave? You say, I've just got to have this,

I've just got to do this. I have no control over it, I have no power over it. The test of enslavement, the test of edification. If other people saw you doing this, found out about it, would it help them in their Christian life?

Would it make them a better Christian? Or would it cause them to lose confidence in it? The next one, the test of evangelism. Does this help your testimony? Can you witness to somebody, tell them about Jesus while you're in the very act of doing this?

And the last one, the test of exaltation. Does this thing exalt the Lord Jesus Christ? Does it glorify God? Is God glorified in your participation in this? Thank you for listening to this message by Ron Dunn. Ron Dunn's messages are for personal edification, not to be duplicated, uploaded to the web, or resold without prior written permission. The Ron Dunn Audio Library is managed by Sherwood Baptist Church. For more Ron Dunn materials, including sermon outlines, devotions, scanned pages from a study Bible, books, CDs, MP3s, and DVDs, visit rondunn.com or the Sherwood Baptist Bookstore, the source.