There were rules on public behavior as well as rules governing the most intimate aspects of relationships. Following the rules were how you maintained your relationship with God. Paul emphasized that because of what God has done in Jesus Christ, we are set free from keeping all those rules and regulations. Our relationship to God, Paul writes, is established by having faith. The first two verses of our text are on the interface between the freedom we have and the obligations that come with freedom.
Freedom is never free.
It brings its own set of problems and responsibilities. The Corinthian Christians once asked Paul if it was acceptable for them to eat the meat from animals sacrificed to pagan idols in the various temples around town. Christians argued that they didn't believe in those pagan gods, and sacrificed animals were the source of the best cuts available at the butcher shops. Paul responded by noting that for the spiritually mature, there was no problem, but that some of the folks in the Corinthian Church were new to the faith. Just a few weeks ago they worshipped those pagan gods, and they might not yet be strong in their faith.