I think we have a great example of this from the Bible. (a member of the Sanhedrin would have 4 For the Then he looks to the noble free man and says, "Do not become proud, for in Christ you are a slave. There is no clear objective rule on this. Let me suggest a few things. There are times where opportunities present themselves to make something different of our circumstances. As one commentator, Lenski, writes, Paul is taking the minor idea of these assignments that we have, and he is including them with the major blessing to the call to faith in Jesus Christ.. The hope of glory when he returns. (2) If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast aboutbut not before God. 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. 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. We dont need to be so concerned with what we are getting out of life. Do not be concerned about it Paul didnt mean, of course, that it was a matter of indifference that someone was a slave. Paul gives a resounding no in verse 3. Now if we read the word called as it is translated there it almost sounds like what Paul is saying is that we are called to these assignments. Second, as we have seen, the command to stay in the calling in which you were when converted is not absolute. First, God is very much more concerned with the way you do the job that you now have than he is with whether you get a new job. Again, Gods calling intersects whatever people groups you were born into so that you dont have to join a new one. Let no man enslave your soul. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Live as You Are Called 17 Only let each person lead the life3 lthat the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. Verse 19 says literally, "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God (is everything)." in which God called him," and when he says in verse 24, "In whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God," he is referring to a divine call by which we were drawn to believe in Christ. This is a very important principle. Praise God for the total transformation that comes from being a new creation in Christ. He says in verse twenty-two, Even though he or she may claim to be a Christian, but does he or she really love Jesus? You have heard this morning about how He transforms the lives of all those who trust Him. 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. So, we bring in these ideas of following the will of the Lord. The main point of my message this morning can be stated as a declaration and as a prayer. Likewise he who is called while free is Christs slave. Now that they were made new on the inside, did their condition as married people also need to change? Playing To Win - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Yet he realized that was the greatest joy that he had. How you fulfill the demands of that job is just as essential in life as what you do here on Sunday. Its a fundamental principle for us here today, dear brothers and sisters. We do have assignments from the Lord, but the important thing is that call. What if its not just me, what if Im disobedient not to go? 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. You would not work whenever you please, but you would work at the pleasure of the president, every moment of your life. 17-24). The calling is the call to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Fourth, and finally, this text implies that the job you now have, as long as you are there, is God's assignment to you. Other times slavery provided opportunities for upward social mobility that poor people wouldnt normally have. No new uncircumcised believer in Christ was required to become circumcised or to hold to the traditions passed on by Moses. He has sovereignly called us as He did for a purpose. He had betrayed his own Jewish kinsmen; and he was collecting taxes from them for the Roman government. Your job is your ministerial assignment, just as much as mine is. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.1 Corinthians 7:23, ESV GOD says, I called you in the middle of an assignment that I had given you, you just werent aware of my presence in that. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.1 Corinthians 7:24, ESV. Here begins our text in 1 Corinthians 7:17. This is my rule in all the churches. God left them to remain in that very situation so that they might also have a godly influence upon their children. And if we understand its broad cultural application, it offends all of us. Am I perhaps seeing signs, I got this parking spot here, I got a phone call there, is God speaking to me by his providence? Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Most Popular. 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. 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. Seek to follow the Lords leading but remember this number one priority. Sunday services at 10:30 am. In Corinth, there was a grave danger facing a girl who had reached the age of marriage. 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. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.1 Corinthians 7:17-24, ESV Let me give you an illustration of what this might look like. Part 1: Is He the Christ? You have to look at what the scriptures teach, and you have to ask for Gods illumination to see how that relates to what is in front of me. Gods Calling Transcends Horizontal Assignments Paul says you are missing the point, you dont have to worry about the ethnic or national boundaries that existed in the old covenant because the call of Jesus Christ comes to all kinds of people in all kinds of cultures and the call says, follow Jesus where you are. Respond to Gods effectual call through faith in Jesus. 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). This idea of effectual calling when we are drawn out of our sin to Jesus Christ, that is included in the assignments in which the calling finds us. Then and only then may circumcision (as Paul implies in Romans 2:25) and other cultural distinctives become beautiful, in a very secondary and derivative way as expressions of the obedience of faith. That was about the most offensive thing Paul could say to a Jew: Circumcision is nothing. He wrote; For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God (Romans 2:28-29). You have a master, its the Lord Jesus Christ. You are where you are by divine assignment, even if you got there by fraud. If you were converted as a Jew, don't try to become a Gentile. The people group that God assigned you by your birth is in no way a hinderance to believing the gospel and following after the call of Jesus Christ to believe in him. In other words, coming to faith in Christ does not make a person want to abandon relationships appointed by God, but to sanctify them. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Bloom Where You're Planted. This may be correct, but I find it hard to accept since the principle he is illustrating is expressed in v. 20 as "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called," and in verse 24 as "In whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God." Therefore, when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:17, 20, and 24 that we should remain and live with God in the state in which we were called, he means: Remain in the state you were in when you were converted, when you were drawn by God into believing, loving fellowship with his Son. Pray with me. Sermons on 1 Corinthians 7:17-24: showing 1-15 of 94 Sort By Scripture Clear Scripture Filters Rating 5 stars 4 stars or more 3 stars or more Any Rating Date Last Week Last Month Last 3 Months Last 6 Months Last Year Any Time Denominations Adventist (1) Anglican (1) Assembly Of God (4) Baptist (30) Calvary Chapel (2) Show more Language English (93) 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. Our new Preaching Suite solution makes it easy to prepare, preach and archive your sermons. The Bible tells us that there are two elements of this. Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. Here now the word of the Lord from 1 Corinthians 7:1-9. Bible Study & Sermon Videos; 1 corinthians 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 16:17-18. What do the scriptures teach about how God leads and directs the various circumstances in our lives? We should seek to serve God in whatever situation He places useither now or later. They are new creations. So the principle that the apostle follows is: stay in your God-ordained relationships; do not seek to abandon them or destroy them. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity" (RSV). (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 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. Its important to remember that when someone comes to faith in Jesus, it wasnt only thenat that momentthat God had begun to work in their lives. There were some who had forsaken that sign and who had become uncircumcised. Part 2: The Truth from God, John 7:37-39 Study Guide: What's the Deal with Jesus? Then Paul turns in verses 2123 to apply his principle to the issue of whether one is a slave or a freedman. Then verse 20, "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called." What matters in life and in eternal life is staying close to God and enjoying his presence. 28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.1 John 2:28, ESV 44:54. How to Survive the Last Days, Part 3 - 1 Corinthians 16:17-24. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Romans 4:1-5 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?