SERMON: “Walking Difficult Roads” (1 Cor. 7:17–24)
“Walking Difficult Roads” (1 Cor. 7:17–24)
Series: “1 Cor: Holiness from Messes” #25 Text: 1
Corinthians 7:17–24
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: April 19, 2026
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
Introduction
I remember being a bit nervous a few years back when our
then-teenaged son was about to go hiking on the Appalachian trail. People get lost in those mountain forests. Yet, he and I had been camping with his Trail
Life troop, so I knew he could handle himself and that he’d be surrounded by
good people. Of course, he returned a
few days later, exhausted, but having conquered the experience.
There are hard roads that many people walk. The context here is singleness and marriage,
and there were some seeking to be free from where they found themselves. Some longed for companionship, like many do
today. Maybe they were being pressured
by others. Perhaps they thought that was
what would ultimately bring them joy.
Others thought it was best to leave their marriages. Some had spiritualized reasons for this that
were based on bad theology. Others,
however, may have been in difficult marriages with unbelievers. Whatever the case, they were not content
where they were.
It is easy to focus on the hardships of our lives. However, the Lord tells us something here
that is good news; we just don’t want to always hear it. He is with us and had a reason to place us
where He did, and we can hike these hard trails with His strength. We just need to learn that we have everything
we need in Him and that He has us where we are for a reason, and He will get us
to where we need to be.
This morning, we’ll see that we can walk difficult roads
with Christ in two ways. First, we can walk
difficult roads by not seeking spiritual advantages (vv. 17–20). Second, we can walk difficult roads by not
idolizing changes of circumstances (vv. 21–24).
First, Walk Difficult Roads by Not Seeking Spiritual Advantages (vv. 17–20)
Only, as the Lord
has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him
walk. And so I direct in all the
churches. Was any man called when he was
already circumcised? He is not to become
uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in
uncircumcision? He is not to be
circumcised. Circumcision is nothing,
and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the
commandments of God. Each man must
remain in that condition in which he was called.
Paul begins here by contrasting a bit with the previous
verses. We noted in vv. 15–16 that Paul
said some marriages will cease, and abandonment is the cause. He begins v. 17 with the word “only” as a way
of balancing that thought, lest anyone think they can use permission for
divorce as a license to somehow prompt abandonment of marriages so they can
remarry.[1]
So, Paul turns now to an important principle to battle
discontentment and sinful choices based on the sovereignty of God. As Christians, we affirm that God is in
control of nature and world events, but we sometimes struggle with the thought
that He also rules our lives. In fact,
some teachers even deemphasize God’s will and purposes in favor of our
own. Even so, all Christians sometimes
live and act as though God is not overseeing our lives, and left unchecked,
that attitude leads us down some dark paths.
So, let’s note the language here. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself has “assigned”
each believer his or her place in life, just as God might apportion spiritual
gifts.[2]
Now, we don’t need some mystical
journey through which we discover our assignment or purpose through signs and
feelings. Rather, Christ’s assignment for
us is right in front of us — our current marital status, our job, our social
situation.
Think about how a high view of God’s sovereignty changes
your perspective. Some worry they
married the wrong person or missed God’s “best” will for their singleness;
through making free choices, you might have ignored “the small voice” inside
you or some sign that God had a different direction for you. Yet, if you’re married, for instance, that
spouse is God’s current assignment for you. Similarly, if you’re single, that’s where the
Lord has you for this season. His
sovereign hand placed you there, and Romans 12:3 reminds us that God allots to
each a measure of faith and responsibility.
We also read that God has “called” each one of us to
salvation while we were in that place.[3] It wasn’t a mistake for someone to come to
faith in the middle of an unbelieving relationship. Rather, you responded when God placed that
conviction in your heart that caused you to realize your need for Him. In other words, you responded when God wanted
you to respond, meaning that He wanted you to become a Christian with the
situation you have as He demonstrates His grace in all circumstances.
Paul says that, in whatever station God has sovereignly
called us, we should walk in it. The
word “walk” is the familiar New Testament picture of our daily conduct — we
“walk the talk.” This isn’t true just in
Corinth, of course; Paul says, “I direct [this] in all the churches.” This is a
military term;[4]
all Christians should be marching in line with this, as soldiers of
Christ.
God’s sovereignty in this verse is already giving us
something we need to hear. As one
commentary notes, “There is no need to
change to improve yourself in relation to God.
God does not reckon one condition better than another in terms of
serving him. In fact, God placed the
Corinthians in these circumstances.”[5] We don’t need to seek spiritual advantages
when God has already placed us where we need to be.
We see a clear illustration of this in the following verses,
and we see here that this contentment in Christ applies far beyond issues of
marital issues.[6] In the first-century world, circumcision was
the great religious divider. Jews wore
it as the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, and males were literally siring
covenant children through the mark of the covenant. It was a signal that God set the Jewish
people apart in the world from the other nations.
The problem is that the other nations, the Gentiles,
typically saw circumcision as mutilation[7]
(many still think this way today), and they would mock Jewish young men when
they saw them naked at the gymnasium or bathhouses. Circumcision was somewhat reversible, so some
Jews underwent a painful procedure called epispasm during puberty or
earlier to participate in athletics without bearing the stigma of circumcision.[8] This practice began, according to Josephus,
when Antiochus IV tried to force Greek customs upon the Jews; some responded
positively, even requesting a Greek Gymnasium be build in Jerusalem — “And when
he had given them leave they also hid the circumcision of their genitals, that
even when they were naked they might appear to be Greeks.”[9] The apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees also notes
that people “removed the marks of circumcision” at this time (1 Maccabees
1:15–16). Avoiding persecution and being
able to better assimilate seemed like good reasons to become
uncircumcised.
Of course, this was symbolically disassociating oneself from
the Mosaic Covenant. Yet, those coming
to Christ from the Jewish faith would know that they were becoming members of a
New Covenant community in the Messiah. We
can imagine that there was a new temptation for Jewish converts to Christ,
those who wouldn’t have considered capitulation beforehand, to consider
reversing their circumcisions. In a move
that shows Paul wasn’t himself disdaining his own Jewish heritage, he says it’s
unnecessary and no Jewish convert should seek it. If you were circumcised when Christ called
you, stay that way, and don’t seek uncircumcision.
Similarly, Gentiles (those of the “uncircumcision”) need not
seek circumcision. There were false
teachers traveling around known as the Judaizers, demanding all Jewish
Christians to be circumcised to show their continuity with Moses.[10] No one needs circumcision for salvation. This was the contentious subject of the
Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), and Paul corrected this notion in the Book of
Galatians (Gal. 5:2–3), as the Judaizers were urging Gentiles to receive
circumcision for Christ.
Neither the state of circumcision nor uncircumcision gives
you a spiritual advantage. Paul drives
the point home in v. 19, saying, “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision
is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.” This would have been a stunning statement for
the Jewish community, but they needed to hear this. There are Gentile Christians today who need
to hear it, too, because they think of Jewish believers in the Messiah as
“super Christians.” Some non-Jewish
Christians join groups like the Hebrew Roots movement that want to show their
Old Testament bona fides through eating kosher and other acts reserved
for the Old Covenant. There are no
spiritual advantages to be gained, though; we must simply trust in the
sovereignty of God.
If a Christian wants to seek something, it’s simply “keeping
of the commandments of God.” Some see
this as a contradiction since the Law commands circumcision; how does Paul see
the Law? The best way to understand this
is understanding that Paul is bringing forward the moral aspects of the Law.
[11] He knows that Jesus has fulfilled the
ceremonial aspects of the Law and ushered in a New Covenant through His blood,
and that the Gentiles wouldn’t fall under the civil aspects of the Law, living
outside Israel. Yet, as he’ll say later
in this letter “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were
written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have arrived” (1
Cor. 10:11). He sees that there’s a
moral law still in place.
For instance, Paul quotes the command for children to honor
their parents (Eph. 6:1–3). Yet, when it
comes to certain ceremonial commands, Paul says elsewhere that we “not under
the law” but “led by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:18).
So, in Galatians 5:6, he says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love,” going on to
explain that these don’t count because we’re a “new creation” (Gal. 6:15). This filter allows him to apply the commands
of God in a missionary context, and it allows us to see how God wants us to
apply His law.
Paul sums it up in v. 20:
“Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called,” giving
us a repeated “remain-as-you-are” principle.[12] This frees us from the exhausting chase for
“spiritual upgrades.” For instance, your
singleness is not a defect that needs fixing before God can use you — God
prepares and uses us through our circumstances.
Similarly, your difficult marriage is not a disqualification from
fruitful service. Your ordinary job is
not a holding pattern until something “more spiritual” opens up. God has assigned you this road, so walk it
faithfully, keeping His commandments right where you are.
Second, Walk Difficult Roads by Not Idolizing Changes of Circumstances (vv.
21–24)
Were you called
while a slave? Do not worry about
it. But if you are able also to become
free, rather do that. For he who was
called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who was
called while free, is Christ’s slave.
You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each one is to remain with God in
that condition in which he was called.
Here’s the problem many of us face. We think we need change so much that we can’t
function where we are. We develop what
God calls covetousness, where we begin desiring some other situation
with sinful intent. We make an idol from
the thought that the grass is greener on the other side, meaning we give our
hearts in worship of some new circumstance.
Being single, some start to idolize the thought of marriage, and some
who are married idolize the thought of singleness or marriage to another
person.
Paul uses a surprising image for us to understand this
problematic thinking: slavery. There may
be some spouses that feel like they are slaves to a marriage;[13]
as we saw in v. 11, a spouse divorcing for the wrong reasons must not get
remarried, and that the “enslavement” only ends in cases like abandonment (v.
15). Later, in v. 39, Paul says, “A wife
is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband has fallen asleep,
she is free.” This might not be the most
positive view of marriage that you’ve heard, but some Christians become
self-centered and need to hear that they don’t have certain freedoms — marriage
is supposed to be permanent.
Now, we must say from the outset that Roman slavery was not like
the chattel slavery system of the American South. Slaves could be highly educated, earn wages,
own property, own slaves of their own, and even purchase their freedom. In fact, many entered slavery voluntarily to
pay debts or gain social connections. Estimates
vary, but in Corinth, “approximately one third were slaves, one third were
emancipated slaves, and one third freeborn citizens.”[14] So, two-thirds of the population had either
been slaves or were currently enslaved.
Yet it was still bondage, and Paul does not romanticize it. For instance, the New Testament says slavery
involving human trafficking is wrong (1 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 18:11–13).[15] Abuses did take place in many places, and
sometimes, those abuses included some of the things he discusses in this
chapter. As one commentary notes, “[I]t mattered less that someone was a slave
than whose slave one was.”[16] So, in a moment, he says that it is
okay for slaves to seek freedom if it can be done without sinning.
Yet, he also tells the slave, “Do not let your condition
consume you with worry.” Why? Because many Christians thought slavery
inhibited their ability to serve God.[17] They may have begun idolizing a freeborn
status, thinking that only those who were freedmen could serve God. Paul pushes back on that, saying that their ultimate
identity isn’t defined by social status.
His reason comes in verse 22 — “For he who was called in the
Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who was called while free, is
Christ’s slave.” What glorious reversal!
The slave in Christ is actually the
Lord’s freedman — the truth has truly liberated him from sin and death. There’s no self-effort involved here; this is
something that Jesus has already won.
This doesn’t mean that they are free to fulfill any passion
of the flesh, however, for those who were manumitted (set free) from slavery
were still obligated to the former master, for “the master could dictate the
terms of the former slave’s future obligations and responsibilities in the
manumission document.”[18] Similarly, Christ has redeemed us from former
slavery, but He does not grant the freedman permission to live without regard
to Christ’s will. There may be unique
opportunities that a slave, bound to a household, might have for continued
evangelism and discipleship that a freeborn citizen would lack, and that’s why
God called many slaves to Christ in the midst of their bondage.
In fact, the free person should see himself as Christ’s
slave. We are free from sin, but not
from serving God’s will in Christ (Eph 6:6; Col 3:24; 1 Pet 2:16). We joyfully bound to the best Master
imaginable. In the ways that matter
most, no one is freer than the Christian, and no one is more securely owned
than the believer. This paradox levels
every social distinction in the church. Whether
slave or free, we belong to Christ.
Verse 23 seals it with the gospel, reminding us that we have
been “bought with a price” by the Lord.
Remember 1 Corinthians 6:20? The
same truth there appears there with a different application. Christ purchased us — not with silver or gold,
but with His own precious blood. This
means we are His and not our own.
That means we dare not sell ourselves back into any form of
slavery that would pull us from wholehearted devotion to Him. Paul’s command to not be slaves is both
literal and spiritual.[19]
Literally, free believers should not
sell themselves into slavery for financial or social gain if it would hinder
their service to Christ. Spiritually, we
must not become enslaved to the doctrines of men or worldly values.
Some in Corinth were letting cultural pressure about
marriage or singleness dictate their decisions. So, in v. 24, Paul brings his readers full circle. He says, “Brothers, each one is to remain
with God in that condition in which he was called.” Consider that: It’s not merely “stay where
you are,” but “stay where you are with God at your side.”
Even the lowliest slave can walk through life in the
conscious presence of his heavenly Father. The same is true for you: Your difficult road
is not walked alone. The One who bought
you with His blood walks it with you.
Conclusion
So what does all this mean for us this morning?
First, it means we can stop obsessing over what we wish our
circumstances were. We can then start
glorifying God exactly where we are. Rather than thinking of singleness as a curse
to be escaped, we can see it as an assignment to be stewarded. A challenging marriage isn’t a mistake to be
undone (unless there is biblical ground for separation); it is a place to
display Christ’s covenant love. Whatever your station — slave or free, Jew or
Gentile, married or single — Christ has called you there for a reason.
Serve God where you are, then. Pray that He give you wisdom in how to handle
your circumstances, keeping His commandments. And trust that the same Lord who assigned your
path will give you everything you need to walk it.
This isn’t lazy resignation! If God opens a different path in front of you
to a better situation that honors Him, obviously, walk it. But never let the pursuit of change become an
idol. Our contentment is not in improved
circumstances; it is in Christ, who bought us with a price and now walks every
difficult road beside us.
[1] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament,
(Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 1 Co 7:17.
[2] Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter
to the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand
Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010),
308.
[3] John MacArthur Jr., Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible,
electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1739.
[4] Robertson.
[5] Ciampa and Rosner, 309.
[6] Ibid., 310.
[7] John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael
S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R.
Grigoni, and David Bomar, Faithlife Study Bible, (Bellingham, WA:
Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Co 7:18.
[8] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1988,
1, 463.
[9] Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of
Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987),
323.
[10] MacArthur.
[11] Barry, et. al., 1 Co 7:19.
[12] F. Alan Tomlinson, CSB
Study Bible: Notes, 2017, 1822.
[13] Ciampa and Rosner, 322.
[14] Ibid., 316.
[15] J. I. Packer, Wayne Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, Eds., ESV Global Study
Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 1614.
[16] Ciampa and Rosner, 317.
[17] Barry, et. al., 1 Co 7:21.
[18] Ciampa and Rosner, 323.
[19] Ibid., 326–327.