19. NOW CONCERNING ... YOUR CALLING - 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

 

At first glance Paul appears ‘to head off the beaten track’ in the passage under consideration today. There appears to be no real reason for these verses in the context of what Paul has been speaking about and will continue to speak about. But is this really the case?

 

Read 1 Corinthians 7:17-24

 

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: What is Paul teaching slaves in verses 17-24 of 1 Corinthians? Why does he bring this teaching up here?

 

Verse 17: The connection between verse 17 and the previous section of 1 Corinthians 7 is seen in the first phrase of verse 17. There is a definite connection here. Whereas believers are to remain married to an unbeliever in a mixed marriage situation, others are to let their unbelieving partner separate from them should they choose to do so. Verse 17 confirms the principle that believing partners are not to seek separation from their unbelieving partners in a mixed marriage situation, but are to live contentedly in the state in which God has saved them. If there is a separation initiated by the unbeliever, then the Christian is to walk contentedly within that situation, as unto the Lord.

What Paul now does is to broaden the principle to every legitimate situation in which a believer may find himself/herself. Whatever social or economic situation (to name but two possibilities) a person may be in when called to Christ, the believer is to serve the Lord in that unique situation. If the Christian’s situation is one that is not against the Law of God or is a matter of indifference, then he/she is to live for Christ in his/her situation.

QUESTIONS: Does this mean that a believer must always remain in the employment or social circumstance in which he was found at the time of his conversion? Explain.

 

What does this all have to do with mixed marriages and singleness? Explain.

 

Paul concludes the verse by laying down the principle as a general rule throughout the churches of Christ by way of his apostolic authority. This is a rule that is to be observed throughout all churches throughout all the ages.

Verses 18,19: In these two verses Paul takes as an example a circumstance which many in his day could personally relate to and applies his rule for Christian living to it. By taking the example of circumcision and uncircumcision, Paul is pointing out that as far as Christianity is concerned, the issue of circumcision/uncircumcision is a non-event. A person can be a Christian and be either circumcised or uncircumcised, for this is irrelevant as far as Christianity is concerned. There is no need for a person in either situation to seek to be the other. What does count in Christianity is obedience to the Lord and this is the chief thing.

QUESTION: Would it be wrong for a gentile to be circumcised? Explain your answer.

 

Verses 20,21: Verse 20 is really just another way of Paul saying what he has already said in verse 17. He simply lays down this general principle of Christian living again. The calling referred to in verse 20 is simply the life situation in which the person was found when he/she became a Christian. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you have to submit to a list of external rules regarding matters of no spiritual importance. Pressure should not be brought to bear upon a believer for his/her life situation if it is a matter of indifference.

To be called is the process by which God brings a sinner out of darkness into life and is a spiritual work of the Holy Spirit (note the initiative is taken by God). The important thing is to obey God in the place in which you find yourself.

Paul now gives yet another illustration of his general principle, that of slavery. Here Paul indicates that a person who was actually a slave when he was saved can still be a slave as a Christian. As far as Christianity is concerned it matters not if someone is a slave or a king, as long as the believer obeys the Lord.

The final part of verse 21 answers an earlier question for us, that you don’t have to stay in the life situation you were in when you became a Christian. In Paul’s example the slave should grasp the opportunity of freedom should it come Therefore the balanced understanding of Paul’s general rule for Christian living is that you should obey the Lord in whatever situation you are in and if your life situation is not opposed to the claims of Christ, you are able to serve the Lord in it without any qualms of conscience about it.

Verse 22: This verse again highlights the general principle that in whatever life situation you are in you are to serve the Lord, whatever your circumstances might be. The believer who is a slave is in fact free in Christ (Jn 8:36), while the believer who is not a slave is in fact a slave to Christ. The emphasis is upon recognition of who you are in Christ as being of primary importance.

QUESTION: What does it mean in practical terms to be Christ’s freeman and Christ’s slave?

 

Verse 23: In this verse Paul is not condemning those believers who are enslaved by a tyrannical government, but those that are enslaved by the overbearing opinions of men (Gal 5:1; Col 2:20) as to how a believer is to live. Rather, believers are to remember that they actually belong to Christ, having been bought by His blood (1 Pet 1:18,19) and are therefore to live as He dictates. We are to live in accordance to what the Lord says, seeking to please Him above all else.

Verse 24: Once again Paul repeats the general principle he has been outlining in this section, that the believer is to live to the Lord in whatever life situation he/she finds themselves in. Paul is saying that these external things which are indifferent to being in the Kingdom of God are of no account as far as Christianity is concerned, only live in them as unto the Lord. There is no need to find a more ‘spiritual’ life situation, etc.

QUESTION: What in practical terms does Paul mean by remaining ‘with God in that calling?’

 

Individual Discovery

What does Paul mean in verse 25 when he says he ‘has no commandment from the Lord?’

 

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17/10/2006

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