Paul gives advice today to the believer to use his or her circumstances for the Lord. Whatever situation we may be in when we become Christians, we can work for the Lord.
In yesterday's passage he advised married people to stay married, even if one of them has become a believer and the other one hasn't. He also stated his opinion that it's better for the single person to remain single because the single person can devote more time to the Lord's work. In Paul's day the Christians faced a great deal of persecution. There was even greater persecution to come. The single person could share the gospel without fearing harm would come to his family.
So today Paul says for the believers at Corinth not to seek to change their status in life now that they are Christians. If they are married they should stay married. If they are single it may be wise to remain single. Since they are Gentiles they do not need to adopt Jewish laws now that they are Christians. Even if they are slaves they need not fear they can't do anything for the Lord. In today's world we might word Paul's advice like this, "Bloom where you are planted."
"Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches." (1 Corinthians 7:17) Where were you when you were saved? Were you married? Were you raising children? Being saved doesn't mean you relinquish your responsibilities. It doesn't mean you sever your relationship with your spouse or children. God would not tell you to leave your spouse and children to work in the mission field without them. He would not tell you to divorce your spouse so you can live a celibate life in order to devote more time to Him. A married person and/or a parent can do great things for the Lord. A married person can demonstrate to others how to love and be faithful to a spouse. A parent can show the world how to love children and how to bring them up in the faith. A person with a spouse and children can still share the gospel in their community, can still teach a Sunday school class, can sing or play an instrument in the choir, and can still set a wonderful example for others by the way they live. Paul doesn't want the believers to feel their options are limited because they are married or are raising children. Not everyone is called to a foreign mission field; the mission field is wherever the Christian is----whether that is at home, at work, or in the community.
"Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts." (1 Corinthians 7:18-20) I didn't think it was physically possible for a circumcised man in Paul's day to become uncircumcised again, but I found some information which states that this form of plastic surgery could be done even in ancient Judea. A Jewish man who no longer wanted to serve the Lord or be obligated to keep the law could elect to undergo the procedure. In those days, without sterile surgical instruments and without antibiotics and without skilled plastic surgeons I'm not sure how successful or safe the surgery was, but apparently such procedures were performed from time to time. Paul is telling the Jewish Christians that they do not have to become uncircumcised now that they are under grace and not under the law. He's also telling the Gentile Christians that they don't have to become circumcised in order to be a chosen people of God. Their status in Christ is what makes them a chosen people of God, not their physical condition.
"Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them." (1 Corinthians 7:20) You don't have to leave your job when you become saved unless your job causes you to sin. If you are working in an immoral industry then you need to get out immediately. But if you are working a regular job you should stay there until God tells you otherwise. Maybe you work in a factory where you will be the only Christian in your area of the building, and your words and your way of living will influence them for Christ. Maybe you work in an office where there are unbelievers, and they will be amazed at the transformation Christ has made in you and perhaps want to know more about Him. God does not call everyone to be a missionary or a nun or a priest or a church pastor or a Bible scholar. Most of the time He calls us to bloom where we are planted.
"Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you---although if you can gain your freedom, do so." (1 Corinthians 7:21) In Paul's day a person might become a slave for a set period of time (or what we would call an indentured servant) in order to work off a debt he could not pay. This custom was practiced by both Jews and Gentiles. In addition, slavery was widely used in the Roman Empire. Most of these slaves were from territories Rome had conquered, and they were used for both skilled and unskilled labor. It was permitted in the Roman Empire for a person to purchase his freedom as evidenced by Paul's conversation with the Roman commander in Acts 22:27-28. Under Roman law a slave who was working land for his master could earn a profit on anything the land produced above what his master required of it. Many slaves were highly skilled workers such as doctors, lawyers, textile weavers, and craftsmen, and they were allowed to earn their own money on their own time. For example, the master didn't need his doctor's care or his lawyer's advice every single day, so when not working for his master the doctor could see other patients and the lawyer could see other clients. A slave who purchased his freedom was considered a Roman citizen. So Paul says, "If you are saved while you are a slave, don't feel like you can't do much for the Lord. You can be a godly influence on your own family, on the other slaves and servants you work with, on your master and his family, and on those you interact with in the community. But if the opportunity comes to be free, take it. This will allow you the opportunity to share the gospel with a wider circle of people."
"For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord's freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them." (1 Corinthians 7:22-24) He tells the believers that they are servants of Christ, whether they are slaves or free. They should endeavor not to become indebted to the point of slavery. They should not follow apostles or teachers as if these apostles or teachers are Christ. They should not become legalistic and follow rules or doctrines as though rules or doctrines are Christ. Christ is the ultimate authority. God's truth trumps man's truth every time. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is to be obeyed rather than what the carnal nature says. So whether slave or free, whether responsible for performing a job, whether married to a spouse, whether raising children, or whatever our responsibilities in life may be, we are free in Christ. He paid a high price for us to set us free from slavery to sin. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
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