1 Corinthians 10:23, commentary and pictures

Lawful permission alone does not make an act wise or helpful, and every lawful act must be judged by whether it helps or obstructs the good being sought and by which course best advances the work of God. A person may have a perfect right to work on Sunday, yet that lawful work must be left undone when it is inexpedient for the saving of souls. There is no right to do anything that hinders the saving of the world, and nothing is gained by cutting loose from the people to be helped and breaking with those to be reached.

Imprudent use of lawful liberty hinders the work of truth, lessens usefulness, creates prejudice against the truth, blocks the way for presenting it, and closes minds against it. It obstructs the light shining from heaven, imperils the work, and closes the door God has opened for the entrance of present truth. By such a wrong course the final crisis over the Sabbath question can be brought on before the time.

Where refraining from Sunday labor advances the cause it should be done, with Sunday spent instead in visiting and missionary work that gives no cause for fault. Believers must not work as though prejudice does not exist, but must be wise and harmless in recognition of it. That means never working on Sunday out of the way to make a display, especially in fields where there is strong prejudice over Sunday and the Sabbath. Sabbath truth must not be flashed upon people all at once, but must be presented by degrees with the wisdom of serpents and the harmlessness of doves.

What is lawful must still be tested by what is helpful and what builds up, and in diet this calls for common sense studied broadly and deeply. No unvarying rule can regulate everyone's habits, no one person is the criterion for all, and no one should criticize others because their practice is not in all things in harmony with his own. Not all can eat the same things, since foods palatable and wholesome to one may be distasteful and even harmful to another. Some thrive on milk while others cannot use it, some find peas and beans wholesome while others cannot digest them, and some do well on the coarser grain preparations while others cannot use them.