SERIES: Christ Is the Answer When the Church Is in Crisis
Stay Where You Are!
SCRIPTURE: 1 Cor. 7:17-40
Introduction: Nearly all of you are familiar with 2 Cor. 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” This verse tells us that old habits, attitudes, priorities, and relationships become new, or at least should, when a person meets Christ and receives the new birth. In fact, so crucial is this concept that Christian theology has always questioned whether a genuine conversion has even taken place if there is no evidence of a changed life.
Suppose a person makes a profession of faith in Christ but still swears like a rapper, still cheats on his income tax, still hangs around bars and strip joints, still treats his or her spouse and kids like dirt. Is this person a genuine Christian? I don’t think he has the right to claim so, no matter what he believes.
But many of you probably memorized 2 Cor. 5:17 years ago from the KJV. If so, you are aware of a difference in wording from the NIV which I quoted. The KJV reads, “All things are become new.” The word “all” is not in the original Greek, and its addition to the text has the potential of creating a significant misunderstanding. While it is true that many aspects of life become new when Christ becomes Lord of our life, it is not true that all things become new. Some things, as we shall see in today’s text, stay the same, or should stay the same, even after one becomes a Christian. Sometimes the watchword for the believer should be contentment, not change.
Our Scripture text today is 1 Cor. 7:17-40:
17Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18Was 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. 19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22For 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. 23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
25Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world–how he can please his wife— 34and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better.
39A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
First General Principle: Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God saved him. (17, 20, 24)
Allow me to re-read three verses from our text and please note the repetition:
Verse 17: “Each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.”
Verse 20: “Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.”
Verse 24: “Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.”
When God says something three times within such close proximity, I assume He wants us to get it. Each time this principle is stated, it comes at the conclusion of a set of instructions. From verses 10-16, as we noted last Lord’s Day, Paul discusses several categories of marital status; then he concludes with the general exhortation to stay where you are. In verses 18-19 he discusses the religious rite of circumcision. This topic, too, he concludes with the same basic principle. Finally, in verses 21-23 he discusses the issue of slavery, and once again he concludes with the same exhortation.
What does Paul mean when he says, “Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him?” He means there are aspects of a person’s condition which do not automatically change when he becomes a Christian. The new convert should not immediately bail out of his marriage, his job, his neighborhood, his church, or his friendships. He should grow, not go.
Now of course, there are exceptions to the principle of remaining in the situation you were in when God called you, and that is why I have called this principle a general one, not a universal one. If a man is separated from his wife and living with his girlfriend when he gets saved, Paul isn’t saying he should remain where he is. If he is a bartender or if she is a call girl when saved, the Apostle isn’t suggesting they remain in those vocations. If a person is a member of a cult or attends a church that doesn’t preach the Gospel, I don’t think God would want him to stay there after conversion.
You see, Paul has in mind a limited aspect of a person’s life. When it comes to one’s outward condition, his station in life, or his marital status, he should not assume that Christianity demands revolutionary change, unless those external circumstances are illegal or immoral or dangerous. Inward change, always. Outward change, not necessarily.
Now the first of Paul’s three applications of this principle is the one I talked about extensively in our last two sermons, so I will only do a very brief review.
1. Application to marriage and family life (8-17). In verses 8-16 the Apostle addressed the rights and responsibilities of three different categories of believers in the context of marriage. First, those divorced before they became Christians, and those who are widowed, are better off remaining as they are at conversion, namely single (8-9). But while the single life is good for these individuals, Paul doesn’t demand it.
Second, the believing married couple is to remain married (10-12). In fact, if they divorce for reasons other than sexual immorality, their only option is to remain single or be reconciled to one another.
Third, the believer in a mixed marriage should also try to stay married. If his or her unbelieving spouse decides he or she doesn’t want to be married to a Christian, that is another matter, but the believer should not initiate a divorce.
In each of these cases, the basic principle applies, namely, “each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.”
Now before we move on to Paul’s second application of this general principle, I want to make one more comment about divorce. Suppose you are a Christian who has violated God’s commands, say, you have divorced your spouse for some unbiblical reason like incompatibility, and you have remarried. What are you supposed to do now? You should do the same thing all of us should do–commit ourselves to making our current marriage as good as possible.
The goal Paul has in warning against divorce is not to put a bunch of people on a royal guilt trip; rather it’s to help us not make mistakes that will create unnecessary pain in our lives or in our children’s lives. But if we’ve already made that mistake, then we should accept God’s forgiveness and make the best of our current situation.
2. Application to religious life (18-20) Let’s read verses 18-21 again: “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.”
Let’s first of all attempt to understand the historical background here. To a Jew circumcision was of paramount importance. To a Gentile circumcision was despicable. When a Gentile became a Christian in a church that was predominantly Jewish, he sometimes felt that to be accepted he had to submit to circumcision. On the other hand, when a Jewish person became a Christian in a predominantly Gentile church, he sometimes felt pressure to conform to Gentile ways, even to the point of undergoing a painful operation to reverse his circumcision. Paul says both are wrong because circumcision is relatively unimportant, certainly in comparison to the keeping of the commandments of God. The ethnic Jew should remain an ethnic Jew; the ethnic Gentile should remain an ethnic Gentile. Both can be genuine Christians.
Now let me stop for a moment and run down a rabbit trail. How can Paul say that “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts,” when circumcision itself was a clear command of God in the OT? Good question, I’m glad you asked. The answer is that not every command of God is universal and eternal. The basic moral law of God is universal and eternal, but not the ceremonial and dietary and religious regulations God gave to Israel to help them survive in the desert. Those laws were nailed to the Cross (Col. 2:14) and no longer have authority over us.
3. Application of the principle to vocational life (21-23). Verse 21 says, “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 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. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.”
I wonder how many of you have heard the term “Liberation Theology.” Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Obama’s pastor in Chicago for 20 years, is probably the best-known advocate of liberation theology today, but it has had a tremendous impact in virtually all liberal seminaries. It teaches that the Gospel includes in its very essence the inherent right to break free from all political, economic, social, and racial oppression. It teaches that being a Christian entails even the inherent right to revolution in order to free people from their oppressors.
Liberation theology is a significant factor in much of the social and political unrest in Central America and South Africa, and it has served as a theological basis for labor activism and violence, the Women’s Liberation Movement, the pro-abortion movement, the gay and lesbian lobby, and even the Occupy Wall Street movement.
And although, like most heresies, there is a grain of truth in Liberation Theology– for Christ does set us free and God does not condone oppression–this movement radically contradicts the general tone of Scripture, as well as the clear teaching of the passage before us today. Immediately following his discussion of slavery, Paul says for the third time: “Each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.”
Now before you even ask, let me verbalize a question that is undoubtedly in many of your minds: Is God not concerned about slavery? Of course, He is. But friends, we must be careful or we will miss the whole point of Paul’s instructions. His purpose is to impress upon his readers that one’s standing with God is not determined by economic, social or vocational standing. It is possible to be just as good a Christian as a slave as it is as a master. The Gospel is as well suited to those who find themselves in one position as in the other.
In fact, some of the most beautiful testimonies of faith and hope and courage, and some of the most beautiful Christian music ever, came out of slavery. That shouldn’t surprise us, for persecution always has a purifying effect on the Church. If you want to see what Christianity at its best today, don’t look at the American Church, where a large percentage of believers sit and soak and sour, but look at the church in Uganda and China and Korea and Sudan. That’s where the greatest heroes of the faith today live and serve and die.
Now does that justify human slavery? Absolutely not. But please notice that Paul is not pro-slavery, nor is he opposed to emancipation. He states clearly, “If you can gain your freedom, do so.” But Paul knows he’s not going to be able to eliminate the institution of slavery from the Roman empire during his lifetime (scholars have suggested that up to 40% of the population were slaves!), so he tells the slave to keep his focus on what can change, namely his heart. He is trying to help his readers keep first things first; and freedom from oppression and slavery is not the most important thing for any Christian. His walk with Christ and his standing with God are far more important. Perhaps that is why Paul himself refused freedom when the jail in Philippi was opened by an earthquake (Acts 16). To him it was more important to lead the jailer to Christ than to gain his freedom.
This is the beef I have with many of the leading preachers in the black community, including Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, even Martin Luther King. Virtually their entire focus has been on changing the outward status of their constituency, not on inward spiritual change. But of course, the same is true of most spiritual leaders of the white liberal church, and even those who advocate health/wealth theology.
Suppose a slave in South Carolina in 1850 would go up to his master and say, “I just wanted to say ‘good-bye.’ I got saved last week and I’m free in Christ, so I’m not your slave any longer.” Chances are that slave would end up in an even worse condition. What would be right is for that same slave to say to his master,
“I have become a new person in Christ. I want to know if there is anything I can do to gain my freedom. In the meantime, I am saying “good-bye” to the slavery of sin and temptation and I’m going to be a better worker than ever before, for now I can work as unto the Lord, not as a clock watcher or a man-pleaser.”
And, of course, the slave owner of the same era who came to genuine faith in Christ would not only be a better master but would actually free his slaves, just as Paul encouraged his friend Philemon to do.
Friends, the institution of slavery was, and is, an abomination, and it is absolutely unjustifiable. But having said that, slavery to another human being is not nearly as awful as slavery to sin, and that’s what God wants us to hate with all our heart. There is a beautiful paradox in verse 22. The one who is a slave in the world’s economy can focus on the fact that he is free in Christ, while the one who is free in the world’s economy should focus on the fact that he is Christ’s slave. The rationale is then offered in verse 23: “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men,” i.e., do not become slaves to human temptations and influences and traditions. What an amazing thought, that the One who created us in the first place was willing to go into the marketplace of sin and re-purchase us at a price infinitely greater than we are worth!
For the third time, our general principle is offered in verse 24: “Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.” Let me add a broader rationale for this principle. Any cult or religion can take people out of circulation, put them in cloisters or monasteries, and thereby keep them faithful to that group’s moral and theological beliefs. But what Christianity has above all other religions is the ability to change people for the better while they are in the world, while they are living in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, while they are married to an unbeliever.
God really cares about that, you know. If every new convert were to abandon his or her unbelieving spouse, how would that spouse ever find Jesus? If all believers today decide to quit their secular jobs, break their relationships with non-Christians, pull their kids out of public school, retreat from their unsaved neighbors, and quit engaging their pagan fellow-employees at work, how would unbelievers ever learn that God loves them and Jesus died for them so that they can have abundant life and everlasting life?
How about you? As you sit here today, are you content with where God has put you–your station in life, your vocation, your home, your spouse? Or are you striving and scheming to get out of your circumstances, thinking, “If I could only get a better job, or a new relationship, or a nicer house, or a new ministry, then I’d be so much more effective as a believer”? No, says Paul. Bloom where you’re planted.
There is a second principle in our text today that I want us to examine, and it’s closely related to our message of two weeks ago.
Second general principle: One is a lovely number. (25-40)
A pop song of a bygone era goes like this, “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever see….” But God says there are some remarkable benefits to the single life which make “one” a lovely number, not a lonely number. Unfortunately, singles are sometimes made to feel like the proverbial fifth wheel in the church. So many church activities focus on couples and families that we sometimes unwittingly give the impression to singles that they aren’t even on the radar screen. One of the purposes of this passage, I believe, is to affirm singles as a very important and essential part of the church.
In verses 7:25-35 Paul informs us that …
1. The single life, assuming celibacy, has some distinct advantages. (25-35)
First Advantage: Singles are better able to cope with the pressures from a hostile world. (26-27) What is the “present crisis” Paul is talking about in verse 26? Nero had just become emperor of Rome, and his terrible persecutions were just beginning. Persecution is difficult enough for a single person, but the problems and pain are multiplied for one who is married, the reason being that the married person is worried about his wife and children. Pain is bad enough for oneself; it is almost unbearable when one’s children are suffering.
Second Advantage: Singles experience fewer personal pressures. (28) In verse 28 Paul mentions “many troubles” from which he wants to spare the single person. When two people are bound together in marriage, the problems of human nature are multiplied and intensified. In marriage two become one, but they are still two people with their own likes and dislikes, their own characteristics, emotions, temperaments, and wills. It is hard enough for a sinner to live by himself, let alone with another sinner.
Third Advantage: Singles are better prepared for the shortness of time. (29-31) Paul apparently believed Jesus was going to return in his own lifetime. While he was wrong historically, he was right spiritually, for his expectation of Christ’s imminent return caused him to live every day as though it could be his last. While we would all be wise to be ready, Paul observes that as a single person, he was better able to do that. A married person is expected to provide a stable home for his or her family, to set aside quality time for spouse and children, to save for the education of the children, and of course that is just scratching the surface of the responsibilities. A single person isn’t quite so obligated.
Fourth advantage: Singles have fewer things to distract them from devotion to Christ. (32-35) All other things being equal, the single person has the greater potential for single-minded devotion to Christ. It wouldn’t be difficult to list a sizeable number of great men and women of God who, as singles, illustrate this for us. I think of Elijah, Amos, Jonah, John the Baptizer, Jesus, Paul, David Brainerd (the great missionary), Robert Murray McCheyne (the great pastor), Florence Nightingale, Tom Dooley, Mother Teresa, Henrietta Mears, Corrie ten Boom, John Stott, A. Wetherell Johnson (founder of BSF), and John Murray (one of the finest theologians of the 20th century).
That last name is an interesting case in point. Dr. John Murray was once a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, who because of creeping liberalism in that institution, joined with a number of other fine scholars to establish Westminster Theological Seminary. Murray served on the faculty there for decades as Professor of Theology, writing many excellent books that have served the church well. A life-long bachelor, he finally retired at age 75, moved back to his homeland of Scotland, and then got married–to a woman about half his age! Less than two years later they had a child. I think he felt he had given God the best 75 years of his life; now it was time to have a little fun. Unfortunately, his heart couldn’t take all the excitement, and a few years later he died.
Now in verses 36-38 Paul discusses …
2. A special case (36-38). This is a particularly difficult paragraph because the Greek is ambiguous and it’s impossible to know for sure whether he’s talking about a marriage arranged by a parent, or a voluntary one between a man and his fiancée, probably the former. And since we don’t practice arranged marriages today, I’m going to skip this portion in the interest of time. But I will say a brief word about verses 39 and 40 where we are offered …
3. A concluding comment on remarriage and singleness. (39-40)
“A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. {40} In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.”
The Apostle wants to leave us with an emphasis on two important thoughts: namely, that marriage is for life, and Christians should only marry Christians. Married people and singles both need to come to grips with these points. Aside from the two exceptions we discussed last week–unrepentant sexual immorality and desertion by an unbeliever–death is the only thing that frees a person for remarriage. Even then the freedom is not total, for a believer is to marry only another believer, whether it’s a first marriage or a second.
That doesn’t mean simply that one must marry a person who believes in God; rather it means the potential marriage partner must have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, having experienced forgiveness of sins through His sacrifice on the cross. I’m amazed at how many young people talk themselves into believing their fiancé is a believer, only to find out soon after the wedding that there is no spiritual unity in their marriage.
Friends, “one” isn’t a lonely number–it’s a lovely number if you are single, celibate, and sold out to the Lord. Will you join me in affirming our singles, those who are single-again, and those who are widowed? I want to ask all the singles, including our teenagers, to stand as we close in prayer.
Prayer: Father, thank you for each person standing here before us. Some will get married in the future. Give them patience until that time, and help them to marry well and only in the Lord. Some would like to get married but will not, for reasons perhaps beyond their control. Give them confidence that You can fill the void in their lives. And some are satisfied with their singleness. Help them to be sold out to Jesus. Give them a great purpose in life. Raise up among us some who will turn their world upside down for Christ. Amen.
DATE: March 18, 2012
Tags:
Singleness, the benefits of
Marriage
Circumcision
Slavery
Liberation Theology