The Bible tells us that there are two elements of this. The most important thing is your faith and obedience and keeping the commandments of God. There were people that were preaching that in order to be a Christian you had to first be circumcised. There is no new prophecy, no new words from the Lord, they are already given to us. So, Paul then gives a principle. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) He found it to be exhausting and difficult and almost impossible to keep. | Download (0.2KB), Worship Time Childcare provided for children ages 0-7, Revival Prayer Meeting, 6:00 pm at the church, Church Prayer Group, 7:00 pm at the church, Men's Breakfast, 7:30 am at the 185th Shari's. We begin to treat our daily responsibilities and duties more seriously. We dont need to find an island that we can settle in and populate that is just for Christians, sealed off from the rest of the world. And likewise, the Bible tells us that we are not our own, but that we have been purchased at the cost of the blood of Jesuseven if, culturally speaking, we are now in a state of freedom. Part 3: Sending the Spirit, John 8:12-30 Study Guide: I am the Light of the World, John 8:31-47 Study Guide: The Truth Will Set You Free, John 8:48-59 Study Guide: Before Abraham Was, \"I am\", John 10:1-21 Study Guide: The Good Shepherd, John 10:22-42 Study Guide: Safe in the Father\'s Hand, Jonah 1 Study Guide: Defiance and Discipline, Jonah 2 Study Guide: Salvation Belongs to the Lord, Jonah 3 Study Guide: The God of Second Chances. Now, notice that later on in verse twenty-one, God doesnt prohibit slaves from leaving their circumstances. "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established" (Proverbs 19:21). We are to walk as faithful followers of Jesus in whatever place of life it is that God has called us to Himself. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. Amen. Rather, he meant that ones place in the social structure as a slave didnt affect whether or not someone was able to be a follower of Jesus. In other words, whatever assignment you have been given, the calling of God comes to you at a specific time in the middle of an assignment. Or to put it another way: How you do your job is a big part of your obedience to Jesus. And to a certain degree, that new inner life also has an impact on the outer life. I believe this is the word of God for us today, and I would like to unfold it for a few minutes from 1 Corinthians 7:1724. Now, dear brothers and sisters; how do we apply this principle? . How do we discern the Lords word in our lives? 21 Were you a bondservant when called? 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. God looked upon us when we were dead in our sins and trespasses, when we were nonresponsive to God. This wasnt meant just for the believers in Corinth. We will have confidence when Jesus Christ returns. 1. In other words, coming to faith in Christ does not make a person want to abandon relationships appointed by God, but to sanctify them. I have to think, do those things line up? The upshot of this is that whether a person is a slave or a freedman, it ought not be the cause of his despair or his pride. Are you single, married? The old legalism said, "You must be circumcised in order to be saved (Acts 15:1). Paul has already made that case in marriage and singleness, then in circumcision and uncircumcision. 29. Praise God for the total transformation that comes from being a new creation in Christ. He used circumcision and slavery as illustrations to describe God's sovereignty over the social and religious barriers of his day. We are to live in the same family with God. You would work gruelingly long hour. In chapter 1, verse 9, Paul says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." All of us are prone to asking whether or not the grass may be greener somewhere than where we are living our lives right now. There were some who had forsaken that sign and who had become uncircumcised. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? This is my rule in all the churches. Literally verse twenty says, each one in the calling in which he was called, in this let him remain. Here is the closest place that Paul uses calling in the way that we usually mean it, our responsibilities, our vocation, the assignments that we have in life. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Podcast: Play in new window These are our assignments, the relationships that God has given us to live in. You should be able to say to your position, "Never mind. Now obviously, staying in that place in which He called us assumes that it is not an inherently sinful place. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 A Sermon By Scott Lindsay We are continuing this morning in our study of Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, picking up at verse 17 of chapter 7 and working through to verse 24 of that same chapter. Am I in the will of God? That is when he invites us to trust in the Lord Jesus through faith. God left them to remain in that very situation so that they might also have a godly influence upon their children. Heaven is open, as St. Stephen saw it open (Acts 7:55); and we hear God when He addresses us in Baptism, in Holy Communion, in confession, and in His Word as it proceeds from the mouth of the men who proclaim His message to the people." --Martin Luther (1/19/1538 [LW 22:202])-- Send Pastor Mark Schlamann an email. We should stay where our Lord has called usso long as He has us therebecause thats the place where He wants us to serve as His faithful missionaries to others that are in our life. When Jesus said in Matthew 22:14, "Many are called, but few are chosen," he referred to the world-wide call of the gospel which many people hear and reject to their own doom. Prepare your messages on God's Word in 1 Corinthians with sermon outlines or an . Regardless of your circumstances. In verses 17-24, we see that Paul applies this principle to all of life. In the assignment in which the call of God came to you, walk in that. It seems wholly out of place between these to say, "If you can gain your freedom, do it." If you were converted as a Jew, don't try to become a Gentile. In both of those cases, Paul is saying remain in your assignments, whatever they may be as you await the hope of glory when Christ returns. Your job is not to close your eyes, open the Bible, point to a word and then see what this has to say to me. It is no accident that you are where you are. These questions plague us.This passage doesnt establish our circumstances as unalterable. Zacchaeus became a new creation by faith in Jesus. If you took that job you would functionally be a slave. We dont need to be so concerned with what we are getting out of life. What matters in life and in eternal life is staying close to God and enjoying his presence. Paul has already used this word a few times and its good to look back and see them. Thats why Paul said that circumcision is nothing, uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? I have a responsibility to my wife that no one in heaven or earth shares. Specifically, the definition that we are going to get about what this calling is toward is in verse twenty-four. Paul himself was a devoted Jewish man; and becoming a follower of Jesus didnt mean that he had to abandon the traditions of his fathers. The opportunities may arise and if so, you are free to take them as long as its to a good thing. There was a monk whose name was Brother Lawrence who wrote a booked called, Practicing the Presence of God. He is not to become uncircumcised. 1 Corinthians 7:22, ESV Follow Desiring God on Facebook . Again, there is no point system. Theme: We are to walk as a faithful Christian in the place of life where God has called us to Himself. 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. The question isn,t am I at the right job or church? . So I command in all the churches. So, these are the horizontal assignments, the boundaries, the people Gods. Paul is not pronouncing a blanket condemnation upon all those who adopt aspects of other cultures and give up aspects of their own. So, the first thing that Paul talks about are these honorable assignments between different people groups. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Study Guide: Such Were Some of You, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Study Guide: Bought With a Price, 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 Study Guide: The Beauty of Marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:8-16 Study Guide: Approaching Difficulties in Marriage, 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Study Guide: Living the Life God has Given, 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 Study Guide: Christian Singleness, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Study Guide: When You're 100% Right and 100% Wrong, 1 Corinthians 9:1-23 Study Guide: Surrendering Your Rights, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Study Guide: Run to Win the Race, 1 Corinthians 10:1-14 Study Guide: A Way Out of Temptation, John 17 Study Guide 2: Sharing in Community, John 17 Study Guide 3: Sharing in Mission, John 17 Study Guide Part 4: Growing in Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1 Study Guide: Glory to God in All Things, 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 Study Guide: Because of the Angels, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Study Guide: The Lord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Study Guide: Spiritual Gifts for the Common Good, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Study Guide: One Body, Many Members, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 Study Guide: Love Never Ceases, 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Study Guide: When the Perfect Comes, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 Study Guide: Pursuing Love and Desiring the Gifts, 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 Study Guide: Orderly Worship, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Study Guide: Gospel Centered Faith. They may look the same on the outside, but their inner beingtheir spiritis completely transformed. He makes me lie down in green pastures. We are thankful for this. But that is not the way Paul has used it eight out of the nine times it occurs in this paragraph. And it assumes that God had been sovereignly working in our lifeall the way up to that point in time at which He called us into a relationship with Himself through the gospel. It was a sovereign on purpose; and was guided and arranged by Him for the manifestation of His glory in and through us. Preach on topics including unity among believers, immorality, spiritual gifts, the meaning of love, and the certainty of the resurrection. Bible > 1 Corinthians > Chapter 7 > Verse 17 Library Free Downloads eBibles 1 Corinthians 7:17 Here begins our text in 1 Corinthians 7:17. Thats the call, our assignments are ultimately irrelevant. John 7:14-24 Study Guide What's the Deal with Jesus? Its a good question. Likewise he who is called while free is Christs slave. He was considered a traitor to the covenant promises of Israel, and a robber of his own people. This is my rule in all the churches. In a word, the application of Paul's principle to cultural distinctives is this: Don't fret and don't boast about your present state of cultural distinctives; they are of little importance to God compared to whether you are devoting yourself, soul and mind and body, to obeying his commandments, which are all fulfilled in this: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Romans 13:810; Galatians 5:14). Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. What if its not just me, what if Im disobedient not to go? That's basically what uncircumcision and circumcision stood for. We need to think long and hard about whether what we communicate to our children about success is biblical or just American. Paul is saying that circumcision has nothing to do with this. Now, in actual fact, the whole section - from verse 17 through to the end of the chapter, at vs40, really ought to be . We dont follow the law in order to be saved, we arent saved by keeping the law, but what the scriptures tell us we are saved for keeping the law. I have no doubt that, if all our young people are bending every effort to stay close to God and to obey the commands of Scripture, God will distribute them in the world exactly where he wants their influence for him. Let me give you an illustration of what this might look like. by Alistair Begg. Either way, we belong completely to Jesus as His new creations. It may be helpful to think of these as three pieces of bread in a double-decker sandwich (like a Big Mac). We should learn to accept His calling, and to be confident in it, and to even thank Him for it. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Gods joy gives us perseverance in the midst of sorrow. If the Bible tells you something directly and you were planning on going in a different direction, you are objectively sinning.The Bible says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. In verse twenty-four Paul tells us what is means to abide with God. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. This is true. Most Popular. "So brethren," Paul concludes in verse 24, "In whatever state each was called, let him remain with God." How you fulfill the demands of that job is just as essential in life as what you do here on Sunday. Understand that this is the glorious gospel of salvation in Christ. If everything on the inside is new, should we then completely get rid of every aspect of the outside life and start over? Thats because its a manifestation of Gods providential work in our lives. The third word is calling or called, and we see this all over this passage. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.1 Corinthians 7:17-19, ESV My life is to obey God and enjoy his presence.". The things we used to love to do, we no longer want to do. Dont put yourself in slavery because you were brought with a price. Its in that context that you can serve your master, because you arent serving your master suddenly you are in an assignment where the calling of Jesus Christ is intersected. He ought to be able to say, "Never mind." The Bible doesnt say yes it will or no it wont. Imagine you had the opportunity to work for that person as a low-level staffer at the White House. Devote yourself to that with all your heart, and take whatever job you want. Its not that we have a different Bible and the infallible word of God is just open to interpretation. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. They are different from circumstance to circumstance and person to person. The word of God for all us "success seekers" is this: Take all that ambition and drive that you are pouring into your upward mobility and pour it instead into a spiritual zeal to cultivate an enjoyment of God's presence and obedience to his revealed will in Scripture. Still, we might ask the question why Paul doesnt seek that the institution of slavery be abolished all together? He is author of. He had betrayed his own Jewish kinsmen; and he was collecting taxes from them for the Roman government. Its in almost every verse. Paul had planted the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey ( Acts 17:16-18:17 ). Amen. The main point of my message this morning can be stated as a declaration and as a prayer. So; thats what this principle looks like in relation to outward traditions. What Paul is talking about here, hes not laying out the gospel message about what Jesus Christ has done for us. Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. Never mind. Was anyone called while circumcised? Luke 1:26-45 Study Guide: What did Mary Know? View all of our resources on the biblical book of 1 Corinthians. We dont pray for an answer but for an illumination. This was meant for all of Gods people in Christ. There are times when we should avail ourselves of opportunities. John 5:1-18 Study Guide: Do You Want to be Healed? And Paul's answer is: You don't need to abandon your vocation if you can stay in it with God. This is absolutely imperative to grasp lest we create a new legalism. Sermon Central Share a Sermon; Try PRO Free; Help; Sign In; Sermon . Their sins are completely forgivencast into the sea of Gods pardoning grace. Use it to obey Christ and thus "adorn the doctrine of our great God and Savior" (Titus 2:10). When Paul says in verse 17, "Let everyone lead the life . They were called into a relationship with Jesus Christ from the midst of a sinful culture. Literally the verse says, "Let each one remain in the "calling" (not state) in which he was called." Those are the vertical, the authority, differentials. Then we ask am I obeying? Paul went on to tell them that, if their unbelieving husband or unbelieving wife resented their new life in Christif they hated their faith so much that they did not want to stay with them any longerthen the believer should allow that unbelieving spouse to go. We begin to read the Bible with new passion and understanding. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Where we are in our life is not by accident. 1 corinthians 7 17 24, Sermon series on 1 corinthians 7 17 24, Sermon series about 1 corinthians 7 17 24. Let him not become uncircumcised. To be circumcised, of course, was to bear upon ones self the covenant sign of Israel. We are to go to the same job or the same schoolbut were to now do it all as before God, and as His servants, and with trust in Him, and as unto His glory. Never mind. And so, He had His loving eye upon us, and His sovereign hand upon our lives, from the very beginning. You are where you are by divine assignment, even if you got there by fraud. John Piper Jun 14, 1981. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Paul gave the same principle again in verse 20; Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Do you notice that Paul referred to that place in which God calls us as a calling? Genesis 5:22-24 This is all made clear in 1 Corinthians 1. If that is true, then we need to think through our opportunities and our assignments with that lens. Lets have enough confidence in Gods call upon us to trust Him in it, and to let Him use it, and to even thank Him for it. I think that the greatest explanation of what Paul meant is found in Romans 2. In the minds of most Jewish people, he was something close to a gangster. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Then Paul turns in verses 2123 to apply his principle to the issue of whether one is a slave or a freedman. He also gives us some illustrations of what this principle should look like in some specific cases. Or am in I the right marriage, the answer to that is yes if you are married. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Paul says, white is nothing, black is nothing, red is nothing, yellow is nothing, but keeping God's commandments is everything; therefore, don't try to switch cultures. You dont have to leave what you are doing; you dont have to quit your job and enter full time vocational ministry. So, as a church we are not separated as this holy huddle that is kept away from all peoples everywhere. Its the principle that, when God the Father calls us into a relationship with Himself through faith in Jesus and we become new creations in Christ, we should not take this to mean that everything about our outward life now needs to be abandoned, or that we must now start life over again from scratch. Rather, the Jewish follower of the Jewish traditions who came to Christ was encouraged to remain in the cultural traditions in which he was called, and to live faithfully for Jesus in it. As theyve had to search the scriptures and see the various principles and how the light of Gods word shone into their lives by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What matters is not whether our job is high or low in man's eyes. There are times where opportunities present themselves to make something different of our circumstances. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. We're the "church on the hill. And thirdly, I believe we should always strivewherever He has usto be a faithful witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Understand that ancient slavery, the kind that Paul was familiar with at this time, was very different than the kind of slavery that was practiced in the United States until the Civil War. As a Jewish man, he would never have been indifferent to the covenant sign that God gave to his ancestor Abraham. Am I living my best life now? By Leslie Holmes on February 28, 2023 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching No, Paul says this is my rule in all the churches. Many of them had lived very sinful lifestyles. Paul is saying that change, as good as it is and as much as you should pursue it if you can, that change is unnecessary in light of what we are called to in Christ. Stay Where You're Called (1 Corinthians 7:17-24) In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. Up to this point Paul has been talking about remaining in the situations that we find ourselves in in our marriages. How do I bloom where Christ has put me? Now; if you have never placed your faith in Jesus and trusted Him as your Savior, I believe He is offering a call to you right now. One of the most amazing and encouraging verses in the Bible is 2 Corinthians 5:17. In other words, in communion with God this would secure their contentment and happiness. He showed Zacchaeuas love and mercy; and He even went to Zacchaeus house for dinner. If instead we are looking to serve, theres always opportunity. The call of God which puts us into believing, loving fellowship with Jesus is a powerful, effective call that draws us to the Son (John 6:44, 65). 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 New International Version Concerning Change of Status 17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. They wrote to the apostle Paul; and they asked him many questions about such things. This is my rule in all the churches. This is the second principle that Paul goes on to say is that what the gospel does is undercut the very foundation upon which chattel-based slavery, possession-based slavery rests. "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). Our sermon ideas on 1 Corinthians will help you preach a powerful message on sound conduct and doctrine within the church. You are not my life. Then verse 24, "So, brethren, in whatever state each of you was called, there let him remain with God." Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Single And Whole Contributed by Rick Gillespie- Mobley on May 30, 2018 | 5,574 views This sermon deals with the reality that every single person is a whole person. Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke 19? But as you see, Zacchaeus didnt remain in that sinful lifestyle any longer. It doesnt work that way. Between the top two pieces are verses 18 and 19 where the principle is applied to the issue of circumcision and uncircumcision. Jesus Is Wounded By The Dividing Of Church Contributed by Lay Man on May 28, 2015 . They are new creations. I think it is true in the final analysis that this is not an absolute prohibition of accepting freedom, anymore that verse 18 was an absolute prohibition of circumcision. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. 2. Are we doing this in response of faith and the obedience to Jesus Christ in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in? Only let everyone lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. Gods Calling Teaches Us to Abide with God. We can paraphrase the verses to show the difference between the general call and the effective call: Paul says, "We call everyone to believe in Christ crucified, but many Jews find this call to be a stumbling block, and many Gentiles find this call to be foolishness, but those who are called (that is, powerfully and effectively drawn to Christ) find the gospel call to be the power and wisdom of God.". Building On The Past - 1 Corinthians 10:1-12. Don't let that be a care to you; but, even if you can become a freedman, rather make use of (your present position)." The first time is in verse 17; where Paul writes, But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk.. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Paul then learned of divisions . 18Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. verse 15), but also because Scripture depicts and approves such changes. It is so important, in fact, that Paul repeats it three times in this short passage. 7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. Any date. Instead, wherever we are, we can be content. NOTE: Paul was separated unto Christ from his mother's womb but not saved until the Damascus Road Galatians 1:15; Acts 9. Someone was just as able to be called to God through Christand to live for Jesus just as faithfullyin a state of slavery as much as in a state of freedom. His concern is not to condemn job changes, but to teach that you can have fulfillment in Christ whatever your job is. John 7:1-13, 40-52 Study Guide: What's the Deal with Jesus? We belong to Him wherever He calls us; For, as Paul tells us in verses 22, he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lords freedman. He says in verse twenty-two, For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy (1 Corinthians 7:12-14). We should seek to serve God in whatever situation He places useither now or later. So the principle that the apostle follows is: stay in your God-ordained relationships; do not seek to abandon them or destroy them. Let him not be circumcised. If a Gentile man became a believer in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, he himself did not have to then become Jewish. Do not be concerned about it Paul didnt mean, of course, that it was a matter of indifference that someone was a slave. Rather, he simply meant that in terms of a saving relationship with God through Christ, those things are not what is important. Paul gives a resounding no in verse 3. . The principle that Paul had already taught in relation to marriage is here mentioned clearly three times. All of those things are, by the providence of God, a part of our callingin the very midst of which He calls us into a relationship with Jesus. Part 2: The Truth from God, John 7:37-39 Study Guide: What's the Deal with Jesus? (2) If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast aboutbut not before God. He makes them new creations from their inner-most being, and calls them to walk faithfully with Him in the outer life. Before we can move onto anything else, respond to the call of God in Jesus Christ. Likewise, Paul also said, Was anyone called while uncircumcised? They were believers who now, suddenly, found themselves married to non-believers. Were not automatically required to leave our families when we come to know Jesus Christ. The point is: when you are called into the fellowship of Christ, you gain a new set of radically Christ-centered priorities; so much so that if you are a slave, it should not cause you to fret. It is, in fact, a principle for all those who believe on Jesusand in all the churches that belong to Him. The calling of God hits you right there and you are no longer dead in your sins and trespasses, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit your eyes are opened to the goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We wonder if life would be greener somewhere else, but Christians have this additional element where we are thankful for the green pastures that our good shepherd has led us.