I Corinthians 6:13 contains the fourth use of "but God." The number four refers to the material creation and pertains to the earth and things terrestrial. This occurrence deals with some of the more mundane things of the material creation: meats and the belly

I Corinthians 6:12,13a:
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
¹³ Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them… Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the lord for the body.

  God made our bodies with hunger and thirst. Our bodies need food and water. Food is both necessary and pleasurable. When the belly signals hunger it should be satisfied. However, the Corinthians were taking the "meats for the belly and the belly for meats" principle to the extreme. The Corinthians further reasoned that since sex was pleasurable and necessary, it too should be satisfied when sexual desire signaled a need. That is true within the natural order that God established. God set up needs or drives so that we would be spurred to take proper action. God provides for meeting our need according to His riches in glory.

  "Destroy" is in the Greek, katargeo. It means "to render inactive or idle" or "to deprive of force, influence, power." When normal desire goes to excess, lust results. Lust is one of the things which is not profitable to the believer. It is never profitable for the believer to be brought under the power of anything other than the Word. The believer must not let anything else rule him. The doctrine of Romans instructs one to yield oneself to God and not to the lust of sin. The believer should never serve anything but God, for the wages of doing so is death, and death is the ultimate in unprofitability.

  The body was designed for food to be ingested and digested. This natural and necessary function is profitable. Though it is profitable, it must be kept within the framework for which it was designed. It was never designed to be given preeminence over the Word. All appetites must be controlled.

  Job had his priorities in order. He esteemed the Word more than his necessary food. In a positive declaration of his walk before God he said:

Job 23:11,12:
My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
¹² Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

  Jesus Christ walked with great sharpness in this area of life. As Jesus traveled from Judea into Galilee he came to the city of Sychar. There he met and conversed with a Samaritan woman at the well. At the beginning of the account of this in John chapter four, there is a parenthesis that sets the stage for the whole incident.

John 4:8:
(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

  The disciples' hunger prompted them to leave the Master alone, and go in search of food. They went into the city to get meat. Therefore they missed one of the great moments in their Master's ministry. Jesus had such a profound effect on the life of this woman that she left her water pot (which was never done in their culture) and went into the city and immediately witnessed, saying:

John 4:29,30:
Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
³⁰ Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

  In verse thirty-one the account continues with the return of the disciples.

John 4:31-33:
In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
³² But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
³³ Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

  The disciples had missed the principle. They chose the physical food and not the spiritual food. For Jesus, the hunger to do the will of God was more pressing than his hunger for physical food.

John 4:34, 35:
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
³⁵ Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

  Now was the time to harvest, not to eat. Jesus chose to do the will of God. He stayed there two more days and many Samaritans believed (verse 39-41).

  Jesus also instructed Mary and Martha regarding the same subject.

Luke 10:38-42:
Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
⁴⁰ But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
⁴² But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

  Romans chapter fourteen gives the right teaching. The believer must serve Christ in every facet of his life. Meat and drink must be subjugated to the Word and will of God.

Romans 14:1-20:
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
¹⁸ For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
¹⁹ Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
²⁰ For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

  All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. It is profitable to follow after things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another. We ought not allow meat to hinder the work of God. Therefore, meat and drink must be subordinate to the Word. Thereby we will be serving Christ being acceptable to God and approved of men.