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Call-In Classic Christianity Radio – Bob George P1152 (07-31-26)

“Everything is Permissible for me,” but NOT Everything is Beneficial

In Christ, believers are no longer under the law as a system for earning righteousness; we have died to the law and now live under grace. Because we are fully forgiven and accepted in the Beloved, there is a true sense in which “all things are lawful” – our standing before God is not upheld or destroyed by food or drink, by days or customs, or by the old written code. Yet this freedom was never given so that we might please the flesh or indulge sin, but so that we might walk in the Spirit, serve one another in love, and live as those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

For that reason, while everything is indeed allowed in the sense that no external rule can add to or take away from the finished work of the cross, not everything is beneficial, not everything is fitting, and not everything builds up the body of Christ. Many things that may be “permissible” can still dull our hearts, enslave our desires, wound weaker brothers and sisters, or bring confusion rather than edification. The question for a free child of God is therefore not merely, “Am I allowed to do this?” but, “Does this help? Does this edify? Does this strengthen the church and honor Christ?” True Christian liberty gladly lays aside what is unprofitable so that the body of Christ may be built up in love.

“‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.” “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. (1 Corinthians 6:12; 1 Corinthians 10:23)

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (Romans 6:14; Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 2:16)

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 14:19; Romans 13:10)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 5:8; Romans 13:14)

Bible Study Books

Bob George addresses callers’ questions on faith and Christian living. Laurie from Vancouver discusses her return to faith after overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, emphasizing the importance of living a life consistent with being a child of God. Bob advises her to seek answers in the Bible and reassures her that sin is already forgiven through Christ. Mary from Lubbock seeks clarification on reincarnation and the afterlife, with Bob explaining the concept of a glorified body and the eternal presence of believers with God. Heath from Bakersfield inquires about the rapture, and Bob explains that the rapture is a sign, not a salvation event, and that people will always have the opportunity to believe in Christ. Jeff from Orange County discusses his struggles with anger, and Bob advises him to address the root cause of fear to overcome his anger.

Laurie’s Situation – In More Detail

1. Her background and spiritual turning point

Laurie calls from Vancouver, British Columbia and immediately expresses gratitude for Bob’s program and says she listens “all the time” [0:01:09–0:01:25]. Then she briefly shares her story:

She gave her life to Jesus years ago, but her life did not line up with that profession:
- Long-term involvement with drugs and alcohol
- Smoking cigarettes
- Sexual relationships outside marriage (“they’re not really affairs, but the relationships that weren’t of marriage” [0:01:40–0:02:07]).

She describes a renewed commitment:

She “recently came back to the Lord” and had a strong desire that she wanted “my utmost for His highest” in her life [0:01:31–0:01:40].

That phrase signals she’s not just seeking basic church involvement; she’s longing for deep, wholehearted discipleship, willing to let God deal with root issues.

2. Seeing her habits as false refuges

Laurie has come to see that all these behaviors—drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sexual relationships, even food—functioned as substitute refuges:

“It doesn’t matter what it is, food. They’re all kind of a replacement for what God has for us. We use them as refuges or escapes to fill a deeper need that’s within us.” [0:01:52–0:02:20]

That’s a very insightful self-diagnosis:

She recognizes the root issue is not simply “bad behaviors” but misplaced refuge, trying to soothe or escape deeper needs apart from God.
She’s framing sin and harmful habits as counterfeit comfort that replaces what God wants to be and give in her life.

3. The process of surrender and the cost

Laurie then describes a deliberate, costly process of letting go:

She went through three months of insomnia [0:02:20–0:02:29].
In that time she prayed something very costly:

She told the Lord that if she needed to let go of 34 years of smoking pot, drinking, and smoking cigarettes “so that I can remove the barriers between us, so that I can hear you clearly, I’m willing to do it” [0:02:29–0:02:54].

Key elements here:

She sees these things as “barriers” between her and God—particularly to hearing Him clearly.
She’s willing to sacrifice long‑term patterns (decades of habit) to prioritize intimacy with God.
She doesn’t present it as self-reliant willpower; she says she was trusting God to help her stay free of those things [0:02:54–0:03:06].

She says:

“One by one, these things started to go. I just started sacrificing them to Him. I gave them to Him, and trusted that He would help me… be free of them.” [0:02:54–0:03:06]

So, Laurie’s posture is:

Repentant (turning away from clearly identified sins).
Dependent (trusting God to sustain the change).
Relationally motivated (doing it to remove barriers to communion, not just to “clean up her act”).

4. Social isolation and “just me and Him”

She also describes a lonely season:

Over the summer, church Bible studies stopped, leaving her mostly on her own spiritually [0:03:06–0:03:16].
Her old friends think she’s gone “nuts” because she has “found God” and is now “strange” to them [0:03:16–0:03:28].

So:

She has lost her old social circle (they reject or mock her new seriousness about Christ).
She does not yet have a strong Christian support network.
She describes it as “basically me and Him for the whole summer” [0:03:24–0:03:28], which is both beautiful (close to God) and also vulnerable (isolated).

5. Joining Alpha and her view of God’s boundaries

When fall comes, she joins an Alpha group (an introductory Christian course):

She is very happy to be there and has attended about five sessions [0:03:28–0:03:40].
In the group, she makes a comment about God’s boundaries:
- She says God lays down boundaries—not as fun-killers, but for our protection:
  - They prevent self-harm
  - They protect others
  - They safeguard our relationship with Him [0:03:40–0:04:22].

She uses concrete examples:

Drugs
Alcohol
Premarital sex

Her argument:

God says “no” to certain behaviors not because He wants to “knock all the fun out of our life,” but because:
1. They hurt us.
2. They hurt others.
3. They interfere with our personal relationship with Him [0:03:40–0:04:22].

This shows:

She has a mature theological lens: obedience is about love and protection, not legalism.
She’s trying to help others see sin’s relational consequences, not just its rule-breaking nature.

6. The tension: perceived “lax” attitude toward sin

When Laurie shares this in the Alpha group, she senses discomfort or resistance:

“All of a sudden, I got looked at as if I was strange… by the leaders… people from church that are leading the group…” [0:04:22–0:04:41].

Later she clarifies her concern:

She keeps bringing discussions back to: “What does God say about this? Not just sex, about anything,” but she’s finding there’s a sort of “laxy daisy” attitude toward that, even in a Christian group [0:04:46–0:05:12].

So her unrest has two parts:

Doctrinal/ethical: She perceives a casualness about sin—especially sexual sin and addictive behaviors—among people who profess Christ.
Social/emotional: She feels judged as odd or “radical” for insisting on Scripture’s authority and serious discipleship.

Her underlying question emerges:

“Am I being radical here?” [paraphrased from 0:04:46–0:05:12]
And practically: “Am I supposed to just be quiet when I hear [these attitudes]?” [0:08:07–0:08:15]

7. Bob’s core theological response: sin, forgiveness, and identity

Bob first clarifies what she’s asking:

He checks: is she encountering a “laxadaisical attitude toward sin”? [0:05:12–0:05:21]
When she confirms, he answers by going to 1 John 2:

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the righteous one…” [0:05:23–0:05:56]

From this, he draws several points:

Sin is not okay.
- John writes “so that you will not sin” — God’s will is not that we continue in sin.
- So Bob affirms Laurie’s intuition: we should not treat sin lightly.
But you will still sin as a believer.
- “You’re going to be doing it anyway.” [0:05:56–0:06:03]
- This is not permission; it’s realism about the ongoing presence of sin in the Christian life.
Forgiveness was fully provided at the cross.
- Jesus is the one who turns aside God’s wrath and takes away our sin, “not only ours, but the sins of the whole world” [0:05:23–0:06:03].
- So the judicial issue of sin between God and the believer has been settled once for all.
Don’t be preoccupied with sin; focus on Christ’s life.
- Bob warns Laurie that if she is preoccupied with sin, she’s “preoccupied with the wrong side of the cross” [0:06:03–0:06:11].
- The “dynamic of the Christian life” is in Christ’s resurrected life, not in obsessing over sin.
Identity: living commensurate with who you are.
- He reminds her: she is a new creature in Christ, a child of the living God [0:06:24–0:06:32].
- Then gives an analogy:
  - If you have a medical degree but are selling drugs on the street, you’re not living commensurate with your identity and training [0:06:31–0:07:00].
- Applying that spiritually:
  - To live in drunkenness, drugs, or immorality is to live below your true identity as a child of God.

8. “All things are permissible, but not all things are profitable”

Bob uses a classic Pauline principle:

“All things are permissible, but not all things are profitable.” [0:07:20–0:07:20]

He applies it very practically:

Is it consistent with being a child of God to get drunk?
- No, it is not.
Is it permissible (in the sense that God won’t “un-save” you)?
- Yes, it is.
Is it profitable?
- No, it is not [0:07:00–0:07:20].

He repeats with other examples:

Getting smashed drunk – “the dumbest thing I could ever do.”
Picking up a marijuana cigarette and smoking it – “the dumbest thing that I could ever do.”
Going out “to have affairs” – “dumbest thing you could ever do.” [0:07:20–0:07:54]

Why?

Because they destroy you and destroy others [0:07:20–0:07:54].

So Bob’s framework:

Security of salvation: you remain God’s child; sin doesn’t undo the cross.
Seriousness of sin: sin is profoundly unprofitable and destructive.
Discernment grid: The believer evaluates actions not just by “is this allowed?” but “is this profitable?”

This aligns closely with the very point Laurie was trying to make in her group: these behaviors are hurtful and relationally damaging.

9. Validating Laurie’s emphasis on Scripture

Laurie then reiterates her broader concern:

It’s not just about sex; “anything you’re not sure of… anything you want to know, it’s in God’s word, is it not?” [0:07:54–0:08:07]

Bob answers clearly:

“Yes, absolutely, absolutely.” [0:08:07–0:08:11]

He distinctly affirms her instinct to:

Go back to “what does God say about this?”
Treat Scripture as sufficient and authoritative for life questions.

When she asks if she should “shut her mouth” when she hears contrary attitudes [0:08:07–0:08:15], Bob’s answer is:

He acknowledges he doesn’t know exactly what others were saying.
But he makes a crucial distinction:
- What he says about it doesn’t ultimately matter.
- What the Word of God says about it is what matters [0:08:30–0:08:44].
Then he tells her:

“You speak truth. You never want to [deny it].” [paraphrased from 0:08:44–0:09:09]
“Keep proclaiming truth.” [0:09:30–0:09:47]

So Bob’s guidance:

Do not silence biblical truth to be socially comfortable.
Do not claim you’ll be sinless (“if you claim to be without sin, you deceive yourself” [0:08:44–0:09:13]).
Do walk by faith in:
- The fact that your sins were taken away at the cross.
- The reality that you are a new creation called to walk in newness of life [0:09:13–0:09:47].

He frames the full gospel as two halves:

Cross – sins taken away once for all.
Resurrection – you’ve been made a new creation with new life to walk in.

Laurie’s calling, then, is:

Not to police everyone’s behavior in a self-righteous way,
But to live and speak from that new-creation identity, honestly about sin but centered on Christ’s life and grace.

10. Putting it together: Laurie’s situation + Bob’s counsel

Laurie:

Is experiencing real repentance and transformation, letting go of long-standing sinful patterns.
Feels lonely and misunderstood—rejected by old friends, and somewhat out of sync even with some church folks.
Has a strong conviction about holiness and reliance on Scripture.
Is unsure if she’s overdoing it or should stay silent.

Bob:

Affirms her seriousness about sin and her emphasis on Scripture.
Clarifies that:
- Sin matters deeply, but
- Sin has been judicially dealt with at the cross.
Reorients her focus:
- From being preoccupied with sin to being preoccupied with Christ’s resurrected life and her identity in Him.
Gives her a discernment framework:
- Ask: “Is this profitable?”
  - Many things that are “permissible” are still utterly foolish and destructive.
Encourages her to:
- Keep speaking biblical truth.
- Recognize she will still sin, but live in ongoing trust that:
  - Her sins are forgiven,
  - She is a new creation, and
  - God calls her to live consistent with who she now is.

In short: Bob validates Laurie’s zeal for holiness and Scripture-based convictions, while grounding her in grace, identity in Christ, and the finished work of the cross, so she doesn’t slide into guilt-driven or sin-obsessed Christianity.

John 6:28,29

28 Therefore they said to Him, “What must we do, that we may be doing the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you should believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God Who Took Away the Sins of the World and the World

Lord Jesus, teach me the TRUTH of the world we live in today and the Truth of You

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Announcer 0:00
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George today, we are pleased to present a special radio show featuring call in listeners from Bob’s original people to people, daily radio program that was on the air for over 30 years, offering real answers for real life problems, as he addresses common questions, as well as the tough issues of today, directing callers to the centrality of Christ in you, your only hope of glory, we want to remind our listeners that Bob George Ministries needs your financial support to continue to have Classic Christianity Radio on the air. Please visit bobgeorge.net to find out how you can help support us financially. Let’s now join Bob as he presents practical biblical insights, as he helps people experience a life of faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ.

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Announcer 27:01
Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord. Find more information online at bobgeorge.net there, you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs and Bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ until next time, walk in faith be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.

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Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George today. We are pleased to present a special Radio Show featuring callin listeners from Bob’s original People-to-People daily radio program that was on the air for over 30 years offering real answers for real life problems as he addresses common questions as well as the tough issues of today directing callers to the centrality of Christ in you, your only hope of glory. We want to remind our listeners that Bob George Ministries needs your financial support to continue to have Classic Christianity Radio on the air. Please visit BobGeorge.net to find out how you can help support us financially. Let’s now join Bob as he presents practical, biblical insights as he helps people experience a life of faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ.

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JESUS DIED…
1. For all (1st Timothy 2:6; Isaiah 53:6).
2. For every man (Hebrews 2:9).
3. For the world (John 3:16).
4. For the sins of the whole world (1st John 2:2).
5. For the ungodly (Romans 5:6).
6. For false teachers (2nd Peter 2:1).
7. For many (Matthew 20:28).

For Me:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ^{Galatians 2:20}

Thank you for listening to Classic Christianity Radio, with Bob George. We are a listener funded program in which your financial support is greatly appreciated. Your generous gifts keep us on the air and they helped so many people find hope in Jesus Christ. Go to BobGeorge.net online for more information about how to purchase helpful books and bible study materials to guide you and help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. Thank you again for listening. We look forward to our next Classic Christianity Radio broadcast with you. In the meantime, remember to always put Jesus first in your life.