It’s Not On The Outside
1 Corinthians 7:17-19 NKJV
17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. 18 Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. 9 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
Evidently, Paul was having some trouble in the church with people looking for an advantage. It seems as if people looking to become more spiritual were looking to outward things to propel them forward. It must have been widespread enough for Paul to address the situation. I am a bit surprised at all the correction Paul directs toward this Corinthian church. No other church receives this much clear directive as to how to respond to a significant number of internal problems.
In light of all Paul has dealt with concerning husband-wife relations and divorce, our topic for today seems a bit tame. The message was to stay with what you were when you received Christ. Of course, I am not talking about staying with the same behavior but rather staying with who you were outwardly. Changing the outside factors of your life is not the answer. If you were called as a Gentile don’t switch teams and become circumcised and act Jewish. And if you came to the Lord as a Jew, don’t now identify with being a Gentile. After all, circumcision or uncircumcision means nothing in God’s kingdom. No spiritual advantage is gained by changing outward identity. What matters is keeping God’s Word. What matters is identifying with Christ and what He has done to the spirit of man. So if you want a spiritual advantage, here is the secret. Do what God says in His Word. Be the person who hears and obeys.
Another reason to stay with the same calling has to do with reaching people. If someone is Jewish and suddenly started living like a Gentile, it would be harder to reach the Jewish people they came out of. And the same thing applies to those who are saved as Gentiles and start living Jewish. We want people to come to Christ, and complete changes in identity is not a good way to reach the people in our world. Christianity is an inside-out way of living. We change how we think. We identify with who we are in Christ, and the light we shine is effective in reaching the people in our sphere of influence.