1 Corinthians 7:20-24 (WEL) 20 Everyone should remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21 Are you called while a slave? Don’t worry about it. But if you can be free, do so! 22 For he who is called in the Lord, while a slave, is the Lord’s freeman. In the same way he, who is called, while free, is Christ’s servant. 23 You are bought at great cost. You must not be the slaves of any human. 24 Brethren, let everyone remain close to God regardless of which social condition he was called.
V20 Everyone should remain in the same calling in which he was called.
Vincent wrote: “Not the condition or occupation, a meaning which the word does not have in classical Greek, nor in the New Testament, where it always signifies the call of God into His kingdom through conversion. Paul means: If God’s call was to you as a circumcised man or as an uncircumcised man; as a slave or as a freedman – abide in that condition. Compare 1Co 1:26.”
ISBE under the heading of calling notes: “There is a somewhat peculiar use of the word in 1Co 1:26 and 7:20, namely, that condition of life in which men were when God called them, not many of them wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, some circumcised, some uncircumcised, some bond, some free, some male, some female, some married, some unmarried.”
V21 Are you called while a slave? Don’t worry about it. But if you can be free, do so!
Slavery was a reality in Paul’s day. A slave who is a Christ-follower is free in the Lord’s eyes, that is, they are not a slave to sin and will not experience God’s wrath. If that believer is able to leave slavery to be a freeman, then it is best to do so.
Barclay (beware) has an interesting comment:
“Here there is a picture in Paul’s mind. In the ancient world, it was possible for a slave at great effort to purchase his own freedom. This was how he did it. In the little spare time he had, he took odd jobs and earned a few coppers. His master had the right to claim commission even on these poor earnings. But the slave would deposit every farthing he could earn in the Temple of some god. When, it might be at the end of years, he had his complete purchase price laid up in the Temple, he would take his master there, the priest would hand over the money, and then symbolically the slave became the property of the god and therefore free of all men. That is what Paul is thinking of. The Christian man has been purchased by Christ; therefore, no matter what his human status may be, he is free of all men because he is the property of Christ.”
V22 For he who is called in the Lord, while a slave, is the Lord’s freeman. In the same way, he who is called, while free, is Christ’s servant.
Regardless of our status in society, a slave in this world is considered a freeman by the Lord Jesus, and the freeman in this world is considered a bondservant to Jesus Christ. That is all Christ-followers are equal in God’s sight. Regardless of status, true believers in Jesus are adopted into God’s family and servants of the Lord Jesus.
All of us should be willing bondservants of Jesus Christ, recognizing His lordship over everything in the universe and willing servants wanting and doing God’s will.
V23 You are bought at great cost. You must not be the slaves of [any] human.
The purchase price of redemption is the blood of Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. Compare Job 42:7-9.
Brave AI summarizes propitiation:
Propitiatory Sacrifice Meaning
“A propitiatory sacrifice is a sacrificial act intended to appease or satisfy divine wrath, thereby reconciling humanity with God and enabling forgiveness of sins. In Christian theology, this concept centers on the belief that God’s justice demands punishment for sin, and that only a perfect sacrifice can satisfy this requirement and turn away God’s righteous wrath. The ultimate and definitive propitiatory sacrifice is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, which is viewed as the fulfillment of Old Testament sacrificial systems and the means by which humanity is reconciled to God.
“The term originates from the Greek word hilasterion, used in the New Testament to describe the mercy seat in the Old Testament Tabernacle, which was sprinkled with blood on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) to symbolize the covering of sin. In Romans 3:25, Jesus is presented as the propitiation through His blood, demonstrating God’s righteousness by passing over past sins and providing a way for present forgiveness through faith. Similarly, 1 John 2:2 states that Jesus is the propitiation not only for believers but for the sins of the whole world, emphasizing His universal atoning work.
“Christ’s sacrifice is unique because it was not offered by humanity to appease God, but rather initiated by God Himself, who sent His Son to be the perfect sacrifice. This act is distinct from pagan practices where humans attempt to placate angry deities; in Christianity, God Himself propitiates His own wrath through the atoning death of Christ. The sacrifice satisfies divine justice, removes the barrier of sin, and allows for mercy and reconciliation. While some modern translations use terms like “expiation” or “atonement” instead of “propitiation,” the core idea remains that Christ’s death fully met God’s righteous demands, making forgiveness possible.
“The concept underscores that salvation is not earned by human effort but is a gift received through faith in Jesus Christ, who is both the one who makes propitiation and the sacrifice itself.”
Paul also reminds them not to be slaves of any human. This would be a slavery to ideas, doctrines, beliefs, actions, interpretation, etc.
V24 Brethren, let everyone remain close to God regardless of which social condition he was called.
The Greek word for stay is G3306 μένω ménō, which means (Strong’s): “to stay (in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy).”
Whatever status we have, be content, serve God, show the fruit of the Holy Spirit, show self-control, good temperament, and live in peace as much as is possible. Contentment is a great blessing and can bring peace. Compare Philippians 4:12, 1 Timothy 6:6-8.
Barclay wrote (beware): “Paul lays down one of the first rules of Christianity, ‘Be a Christian where you are.’ It must often have happened that when a man became a Christian, he would have liked to break away from his job and from the circle in which he moved and begin a new life. But Paul insisted that the function of Christianity was not to give a man a new life but to make his old life new. Let the Jew remain a Jew; let the Gentile remain a Gentile; race and the marks of race made no difference. What did make a difference was the kind of life he lived. Long ago, the Cynics had insisted that a true man can never be a slave in nature, although he may be a slave in status; and that a false man can never be a free man in reality but is always a slave. Paul reminds them that slave or free, a man is a slave of Christ because Christ bought him with a price.”
We learn:
- To learn to be content and a good witness for Jesus Christ to the world.
- The cost of our redemption is unfathomable.
Questions:
- Are you content?
- How is your witness to the world?