Passage
All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawfull for me, but all things edifie not.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (GNV)
Nearby Context
1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye can not drinke the cup of the Lord, and the cup of the deuils. Ye can not be partakers of the Lords table, and of the table of the deuils.
1 Corinthians 10:22 Doe we prouoke the Lord to anger? are we stronger then he?
1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawfull for me, but all things edifie not.
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seeke his owne, but euery man anothers wealth.
1 Corinthians 10:25 Whatsoeuer is solde in the shambles, eate ye, and aske no question for conscience sake.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "all things", "lawfull", "expedient", and "edifie". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "lawfull", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Doe we prouoke the Lord to anger..." into verse 24's "Let no man seeke his owne but...", so "all things" and "lawfull" 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 "lawfull" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.