Passage
All things are lawful for me: but all things do not edify.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (DRB)
Nearby Context
1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord and the chalice of devils: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils.
1 Corinthians 10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? All things are lawful for me: but all things are not expedient.
1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me: but all things do not edify.
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but that which is another's.
1 Corinthians 10:25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat: asking no question for conscience' sake.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "all things", "lawful", and "edify". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "lawful", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy..." into verse 24's "Let no man seek his own but...", so "all things" and "lawful" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "lawful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.