A good paraphrase is “All things are permissible to me but I will not be enslaved by any.” The Apostle Paul testifies how needful it is for the believer to exercise their God-given power to say “no” to any temptation to sin and anything that robs him of his devotion to the Lord. He will not be a slave to sin but fears God and will not be brought under its subjection. He uses the first person “I” to encourage the Corinthian Christians that he himself takes steps not to be brought under any bondage of sin, exercising his liberty in Christ. Setting the example, he urges the believers to heed his exhortation.