If everything on the inside is new, should we then completely get rid of every aspect of the outside life and start over? And then, Paul went on to give us another illustrationthis one having to do with social structures. This calling is the Holy Spirit's pull into fellowship with Christ. We dont need to be so concerned with what we are getting out of life. Caleb Greggsen pastors an English-speaking church in Central Asia. What do we mean by this? There is no new prophecy, no new words from the Lord, they are already given to us. God used Pauls place of calling mightily. We say, white is beautiful, black is beautiful, red is beautiful, yellow is beautiful; therefore, don't try to switch cultures. Literally the verse says, "Let each one remain in the "calling" (not state) in which he was called." And so I direct in all the churches. Romans 4:1-5 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? b. Paul has already used this word a few times and its good to look back and see them. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lords freedman. There were some Jewish Christians who insisted on that, however. 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. That is when he invites us to trust in the Lord Jesus through faith. Spit-Shine Tomorrow's Sermon Before You Go To Bed Tonight By Rick Malm on March 2, 2023 7 Ways To Keep From Killing Your Message By Carey Nieuwhof on March 1, 2023 People Listen In Different Wayscan You Reach All Of Them? He applies it like this: if you were converted as a Gentile, don't try to become a Jew. As a Jewish man, he would never have been indifferent to the covenant sign that God gave to his ancestor Abraham. No matter how difficult his circumstances was, no matter how menials the assignments he was given, what a joy to abide in the presence with God. Verse 17 says, "Let everyone lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him." That place that we were in when He called us was no accident. Instead what we need to do is to ask for illumination. You can't be white if you want to be accepted." Look at that word remain in verse twenty. 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. The early church lifted up the single lifestyle. Father make us steeped in the scriptures, not so we can just spit out the right answers without thinking to complicated questions, but so that you can frame the way that we are thinking and wrestling with you in prayer. Second, I suggest that we should always be flexible to change. The most important thing is your faith and obedience and keeping the commandments of God. Before we can move onto anything else, respond to the call of God in Jesus Christ. What does that mean? Paul is saying that in the new covenant the separation of people groups by national entities is no longer important. While on his third missionary journey, the apostle Paul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians to a fractioned church in the city of Corinth in Ancient Greece around A.D. 54. Understand that this is the glorious gospel of salvation in Christ. We begin to treat our daily responsibilities and duties more seriously. Let's read 1 Corinthians 7:1724. Putting the two applications of Paul's principle together, the teaching seems to be this: Obeying the commands of God (v. 19) and enjoying his presence (v. 24) are so vastly more important than what your culture or your job is that you should feel no compulsion to change your position. I have to think about the specifics of that in relation to who I am and who she is. He says in verse twenty-two, They were called into a relationship with Jesus Christ from the midst of a sinful culture. John Piper Dec 9, 1984. They are made brand new on the inside. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called (vv. Genesis 5:22-24 I have a responsibility to my wife that no one in heaven or earth shares. 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. He wrote; But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. He may call us to Himself while we are in a place of sin; but He then leads us to live for Him outside that place of sin. In verse 18, he wrote Was anyone called while circumcised? The question isn,t am I at the right job or church? 1) God put us here. In light of the glorious heavenly calling that we have received, our earthly circumstances are in fact rather unimportant. 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. You should not be driven from one by fear or despair, nor allured to the other by wealth or pride. You have heard this morning about how He transforms the lives of all those who trust Him. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. Even in there God made a way that he powerfully calls us out of ourselves and open our eyes to see Jesus and how good and glorious and radiant he is. Please place your trust in Him. Sermon . For holy Scripture causes a hard knot in this matter, in that the Apostle says, that, by commandment of the Lord, the wife ought not to depart from . 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. He makes them new creations from their inner-most being, and calls them to walk faithfully with Him in the outer life. Between the top two pieces are verses 18 and 19 where the principle is applied to the issue of circumcision and uncircumcision. 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.1 Corinthians 7:11, ESV The reason a person can say, "Never mind," even though he is a slave, is this: verse 22, "For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord." Fourth, and finally, this text implies that the job you now have, as long as you are there, is God's assignment to you. Then verse 20, "Everyone should remain in the state in which he was called." Your job is your ministerial assignment, just as much as mine is. Specifically, Paul talks about the divisions between the Jews and the Gentiles. Amen. View all of our resources on the biblical book of 1 Corinthians. That was a very important question that was being asked by the Christians in the ancient city of Corinth. mThis is my rule in nall the churches. In the last analysis, nothing else will matter but that. God can save you and make you clean. Yet he realized that was the greatest joy that he had. The Bible tells us that. Devote yourself to that with all your heart, and take whatever job you want. 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." If we translated this really literally, it would go like this, Only to each as God assigned, in the situation in which God has called each thus let him walk.. Paul says you dont have to worry about different groups of people, the horizontal assignments you have. Notice, for example, how he illustrated this to us in terms of outward traditions. I love to watch Paul put his theology to work like this. And now, as we continue our study in 1 Corinthians 7, we find that this was not just a principle meant only for marriage. Then Paul turns in verses 2123 to apply his principle to the issue of whether one is a slave or a freedman. If instead we are looking to serve, theres always opportunity. Paul talks about this in terms of "living as you are called." This calling is not talking about your vocation, it is talking about your identity in Christ and how you live your life in response to that. Playing To Win - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. It doesnt give you a point system; its not one of those teen magazines where you can fill out the quiz and get a point score answer to find out who your perfect mate is. Prepare your messages on God's Word in 1 Corinthians with sermon outlines or an . Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Not for an answer, but for the wisdom that other believers, who are further along in the faith perhaps, have gained through the Holy Spirits illumination in their lives as they have been faced with similar questions. What wonderful news that is! It was to be a follower of the traditions of the Jewish people. You were bought with a price. 8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.1 Corinthians 7:8, ESV In verse 21, he wrote, Were you called while a slave? So, Paul then gives a principle. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.1 Corinthians 7:17-24, ESV They had clearly been transformed on the inside; and there were many changes that were happening on the outside too. In other words, coming to faith in Christ does not make a person want to abandon relationships appointed by God, but to sanctify them. When Paul says in verse 17, "Let everyone lead the life . 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.1 Corinthians 7:23, ESV Paul had planted the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey ( Acts 17:16-18:17 ). Stay in the relationship you were in when God called you to faith. Now, dear brothers and sisters; how do we apply this principle? Do not be concerned about it. Any date. Imagine you had an opportunity to work as a low-level staffer at the White House of, pick your president I dont want to get into politics, whichever president you would most like to work for past or present, think about that person and lets not get into politics. Notice verse 17, "Let everyone lead the life which the Lord assigned to him, and in which God has called him." 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. What if its not just me, what if Im disobedient not to go? 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. There was a monk whose name was Brother Lawrence who wrote a booked called, Practicing the Presence of God. Let him not seek circumcision. 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. The principle that Paul had already taught in relation to marriage is here mentioned clearly three times. 1 Corinthians 7:17,20 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. Paul intended this to be a fundamental principle for all people who have put their faith in Jesus Christ and have become new creations in Him. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 67 But Paul was urging that this was not at all necessary for a believing Jewish person to do. With these other questions since you can take a different job or you can go to a different church, we have to ask harder questions. But the apostles and church leaders met together, and prayed together, and declared from the Lord that this was not necessary. . He had betrayed his own Jewish kinsmen; and he was collecting taxes from them for the Roman government. Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. He has sovereignly called us as He did for a purpose. It does not condemn all job changes. During dinner, he stood up and said. Denomination: Salvation Army. 1 Corinthians. Were not automatically required to move out of our neighborhoods. Its not that we have a different Bible and the infallible word of God is just open to interpretation. 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.. March 17, 1904. But before we can understand either of these applications, we need to clarify a key word in the principle itself. When you serve your master, you are not serving him, but the Lord. Repent from your sins and ask God to forgive you for what you have done in rebellion against him. The first word is assignments, I see this in verse seventeen. Encourage my heart when I tend to despair, and humble me when I tend to boast. When you are called to Christ, even as a bondservant you dont belong to your master but to the Lord. Thats the call, our assignments are ultimately irrelevant. This is my rule in all the churches. To make a decision in light of your effectual calling. Paul has already made that case in marriage and singleness, then in circumcision and uncircumcision. Even here thats not quite what Paul is saying. . When I read in Ephesians five that I need to lay down my life for my wife, I have to think about my conversations with her. A life that is lived in faith to Jesus and the way the he appoints for believers to live in. It is, in fact, a principle for all those who believe on Jesusand in all the churches that belong to Him. Confirming the Witness of Christ. If we are faithful in the place where He has called us, then He is better able to lead us to another place of calling if He so chooses. You dont need to change your social status, just respond right now and repent in faith. So; thats what this principle looks like in relation to outward traditions. 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? What Paul was doing was showing that obedience to the commands of God is so much more important than any cultural distinctives, that the mere changing of these distinctives should be of no importance whatever to the Christian. Paul says that its good, if you can, to remain in the situation that you are in. (1 Corinthians 7:17-24) . This has far-reaching cultural implications: if you are black, don't try to become white; if you are white, don't try to become black. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. If you are Mexican, don't try to become American; if you are American, don't try to become Mexican. 24 and are . Were you circumcised? Its not quite what Paul is dealing with, but we might as well address it since Paul comes close to the topic. This is my rule in all the churches. If so, the application is clear, respond. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. 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). 4 For the 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Please answer His call. He didnt have to be circumcised, and become a devoted follower of the Jewish religious traditions. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) Paul is not saying that a professional thief or a Corinthian cult prostitute should stay in the calling in which they were called. You have the same objective passages to look at, but you need to look at how that will be applied in your situation. Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; January 27, 2019 from 1 Corinthians 7:17-24. He showed Zacchaeuas love and mercy; and He even went to Zacchaeus house for dinner. 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). Now we need to see how Paul applied this principle in his day, and what it means for us today. If that is true, then we need to think through our opportunities and our assignments with that lens. You dont have to join a new people group. He could have said, "For being a slave is nothing, and being a freedman is nothing, but keeping the commands of God is everything." 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. Let Him make you into a new creation. To every person. 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. . Or am in I the right marriage, the answer to that is yes if you are married. Sometimes we think of calling in the sense of vocation, but the word calling as Paul uses it has to do with Gods effectual calling. Many of them demanded that the Gentiles who were coming to Christ now needed to become circumcised and to follow the traditions passed on by Moses. Its a fundamental principle for us here today, dear brothers and sisters. It means to remain or endure in a situation, specifically with the idea of awaiting something else. The hope of glory when he returns. The universal default principle is that you should stay where you are. My life is to obey God and enjoy his presence.". We are to live in the same family with God. Are you single, married? There is one who has authority over you, and you must be humble and submissive.". Then Paul expands that principle to show us that its a general principle that should affect all of our lives. Dont put yourself in slavery because you were brought with a price. In 1 Corinthians 7:8, Your job is to search the scriptures and ask how this speaks into the general principles as you are praying for illumination. He also gives us some illustrations of what this principle should look like in some specific cases. Look carefully at that phrase as God has distributed to each one. Jesus said, Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things will be added to you. He was talking about food and clothing, but we get anxious about our life situations too. Let him not seek circumcision. This is actually a remarkable thing, if you were a Jew, one of the primary things you were called to do was to be circumcised. And note one more thing. He repented of his sinful practices. Even though he or she may claim to be a Christian, but does he or she really love Jesus? 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.1 Corinthians 7:17-24, ESV NOTE: Paul was separated unto Christ from his mother's womb but not saved until the Damascus Road Galatians 1:15; Acts 9. I have to ask for the illumination to understand the objective teaching of scripture, does that line up with this situation? 2. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 April 21, 2002 Intro: Again Paul seems to be alluding to a series of questions presented to him. This was meant for all of Gods people in Christ. (2) If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast aboutbut not before God. Paul is not pronouncing a blanket condemnation upon all those who adopt aspects of other cultures and give up aspects of their own. The old legalism said, "You must be circumcised in order to be saved (Acts 15:1). Gods Calling Teaches Us to Abide with God. John 5:19-29 Study Guide: Jesus Gives Life, John 5:30-47 Study Guide: The Scriptures Point to Me, John 6:22-40 Study Guide: I am the Bread of Life, John 6:41-59 Study Guide: Jesus Addresses the Skeptics. 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Scripture Sermons 5 Series 1 Live as You Are Called 17Only let each person lead the life 3 that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. How do I sort through my own mixed emotions when Im trying to make decisions on how to live in the various circumstances of my life? These three statements of Paul's principle divide the text into two parts. 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. But it may be, as Jesus predicted in Matthew 10:34ff., that the rebellion and unbelief of the unbelieving spouse will turn Christianity into a sword that severs, instead of a peaceful balm that heals. Thats the most important thing. You have a master, its the Lord Jesus Christ. The idea of abiding in a situation while you are awaiting something bigger, we see most clearly in 1 John 2:28 Picking Your Fights - 1 Corinthians 9:1-23. Community Group Study Guide Living the Life God has Given, John 12:20-26, 44-50 Study Guide: We Wish to See Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20 Study Guide: The Great Comfort of the Great Commission, John 12:12-19 Study Guide: The Triumphal Entry or \"A New Kind of King\", John 11:45-57 Study Guide: Under Pressure, We are a part of the Bay Area chapter of The Gospel Coalition, John 10:31-42 Study Guide: The Works of God, John 11:1-27 Study Guide: I Am the Resurrection and the Life, John 11:28-44 Study Guide: I am the Resurrection and the Life Part 2: The Love of God in the Face of Death, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Study Guide: Being Raised with Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:20-34 Study Guide: Living in Light of the Resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 Study Guide: Resurrection Bodies, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Study Guide: The Death of Death, 1 Corinthians 16:1-24 Study Guide: Growing up in Christ, John 1:14-18 Study Guide: The Word Became Flesh, John 1:19-34 Study Guide: Behold the Lamb of God, John 1:35-51 Study Guide: A Call to the Curious, John 2:1-12 Study Guide: From Water to Wine, Gideon Week 1 Study Guide: Hiding from God, Gideon Week 3 Study Guide: With Great Power, John 2:13-25 Study Guide: Clearing Out the Temple, John 3:14-21 Study Guide: Jesus High and Lifted Up, John 3:22-36 Study Guide: He Must Increase, I Must Decrease, John 4:46-54 Study Guide: In Need of a Miracle. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. Now, Paul is then drawing the application of this point to probably one of the most difficult circumstances to find yourself in, that of a bondservant, a slave. He says if you have an opportunity to gain your freedom, avail yourself of that opportunity. 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. He is not to become uncircumcised. Still, we might ask the question why Paul doesnt seek that the institution of slavery be abolished all together? Our sovereign God makes those of us who trust in Jesus into new creations on the inside; but He then calls us to remain in the place where He has called us on the outsideand to thus let Him show forth His work in us to others who are also in that place. An opportunity we are going to see is a lawful and properly available path where we might change our circumstances. 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. Zacchaeus became a new creation by faith in Jesus. He is radically God-oriented. So, he says in verse eighteen, "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). 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. Let me conclude now with some practical implications. Gods peace gives us comfort in the midst of our tears. And if we understand its broad cultural application, it offends all of us.
