“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24).
I hear a lot of people within the church justifying their decision to abuse animals by saying “God permits it” while ignoring the many passages that exhort us to be merciful (Luke 6:36) and even passages telling us explicitly not to eat animals (1 Corinthians 8:13, Romans 14:21). As this passage indicates, we shouldn’t base our conduct on what is permissible but rather on what is good. And God has told us from the beginning what is “very good” (Genesis 1:29-31).
Swords to Plowshares 