1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (NIV)
17 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. 18 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. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 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. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
Circumstance: (Some definitions)
a condition, detail, part, or attribute, with respect to time, place, manner, agent, etc., that accompanies, determines, or modifies a fact or event; a modifying or influencing factor:
Usually, circumstances. the existing conditions or state of affairs surrounding and affecting an agent:
We all live within the context of circumstances that affect our lives, whether we like them or not. There are a million things that can make up the circumstances of your life… your family, your job, your geographical location, your socio-economic status, your race, the political climate of your country, etc., etc.
Some things regarding our circumstances we have the power to change. Some things we do not. I have seen Paul’s words in his first letter to the Corinthian church taken out of context, and used to argue all sorts of things wrongly. This is done with Scripture a lot. In order to really understand Paul, or any other writer for that matter, you have to read what he is writing in its entirity and first get a general feel for the purpose of his writing. It is only after this has been done that you can zero in on specific points and understand them rightly.
Paul is writing to a new church with a lot of enthusiastic, but immature believers, and he is addressing a lot of problems within the church that have been communicated to him. For my purposes here, I want to focus on this particular set of verses regarding circumstances.
Let’s talk about life circumstances, and our attitudes towards them. Many people view life’s circumstances as the things that are holding them back and keeping them from fulfilling their life’s purposes. There is an element of truth to this thought process, but it is not the total truth. Some things that exist within each of our characters are issues that need to be addressed and resolved, which the mere changing of circumstances will not resolve. I remember the words of an old preacher friend of mine from years ago that have always stuck in my mind: “If you put a jack-ass on a train and move him from Maine to Washington state, when he gets to Washington, he will still be a jack-ass.” In other words, changing his circumstances has not changed him. Another way of saying this is that we always take ourselves with us. If our problems are internal, changing all our life’s circumstances is not going to solve the internal problems. If you are a cantankerous individual that always argues with his co-workers, changing jobs is not going to solve the problem. You will only find yourself with a new set of people to argue with.
If you are the type of person that does not communicate well with his spouse, and keeps secrets from her, finding a new wife is not going to solve the problem. If you are the type of employee that thinks it is okay to steal from your employer, or not abide by their policies, changing jobs is not going to solve your problem.
Paul says, “Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.” “Nevertheless” means there is something that has preceded that, to which it is referring. You can’t understand anything that starts off with “nevertheless” unless you first understand what the “nevertheless” is referring to. In this case, Paul is addressing the advantages and disadvantages of being married, and issues of sexual immorality.
Does Paul mean, by these words following his “nevertheless” that we should never seek to change our life circumstances for the better? Absolutely not, and he gets to that later. But what he is getting at is that we should not see changing circumstances as an escape. Looking for an escape from circumstances is the best way to abort the good work God can do to change your character for the better as you work through, not escape, difficult circumstances. It is a bit comical to try and figure out how a man who is circumcised can become uncircumcised. (It seems easier the other way around!) Perhaps a potential plastic surgery I would not wish to endure! Maybe, logistically, not the best example to make his point, but let’s not get hung up on that. Moving right along……
Again, he says, “Each man should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.” “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you– although if you can gain your freedom, do so.” Let me state right here, in no uncertain terms, that Paul was never advocating slavery. Many people have taken Paul’s comments here, and in certain other places, out of context, and tried to prove that Paul condoned slavery. This is absolutely untrue. Paul has a higher vision, and a higher purpose in mind. The same thing can be said of Paul’s words regarding marriage and celibacy. Some people will take these words out of context and build a doctrine to try and prove that the only way to holiness is to live a life of celibacy and abstinence. Again, this is bad theology.
“For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord, is the Lord’s freedman, similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.” The higher calling is to see God’s purposes in whatever our lives circumstances involve, and rather than making escape from these circumstances our top priority, we should rather, first ask, “Can God use these circumstances to make me a better man, and use them to be a witness to truth for those around me?” That is the first, and most important thing. Then, if God permits, and negative circumstances can be changed for the better, so be it.
The problem with many of us is that we tend to want to reverse the order. We think like this. “This is an awful place to work! If God would just provide me with a better job, then life would change for me for the better.” or, “My wife (or husband) is really getting on my nerves and holding me back. If I could just find my “soul-mate” life would be better, and I could be a better person.” (News-flash: If you are buying into the eHarmony idea that finding the perfect mate will make all your dreams come true, you are listening to a lie.) The idea seems to run something like this: If you are a man, the ideal mate will be a person who is exactly like you, only a female version. If you think about that for a moment, that is a very narcissistic philosophy. The truth is, that you probably need someone who is different from you, to bring you out of your own ego! A man (or woman) trapped in their own ego is in prison. You grow the most spiritually when you are challenged, not stroked.
Again, Paul says, “Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.” Again, you have to understand the context of Paul’s words. Paul is addressing a new, inexperienced, and immature body of believers, with lots of internal problems. What he is, in essence, saying is, “Before you get all gung-ho about running ahead into spiritual matters that you are not qualified to address, you need to mind your own souls and work through difficult circumstances in a more mature manner. In so doing, you will mature in the process. Then you will be qualified to move forward, and make the circumstantial changes in the right way, not in a knee-jerk response stemming from a desire for an easy escape.
Let that sink in.
Danny's Stump 