1st Corinthians 7:17-24

Contentment. It seems that this is a foreign concept in our day. The average American changes jobs every 4.2 years. In 2023, a study showed that nearly 60% of Americans believe that money can buy happiness, and that number begins at having 1.2 million dollars in their bank account. They will not be satisfied until they attain that. Social media hasn’t helped. In fact, it negatively affects contentment. It fosters comparison and anxiety, and has even created a very real emotional reaction called FOMO, or “fear of missing out.” It’s been proven to lead to a decreased sense of well being. It’s like we’ve lost the art of living in the place where the Lord has placed us, and we are always looking outward for what’s next, the next best thing, the next vacation…contentment, is not found in any of those things, but can only be fully experienced in a relationship with God. 

Big Idea: True contentment can only be found in Jesus.

Read 1st Corinthians 7:17-24

Let’s not forget the context of this book. The church that Paul is writing to is new. These believers were confused and needed counsel. The culture had begun to take hold of them, and it was starting to infect many different areas of their lives.  Previously in this chapter, Paul addressed asceticism in marriage, complete abstinence from anything sexual for the sake of purity and holiness. He addressed singleness, and stressed how important and beautiful, how much of a gift it was and is. He gave counsel to a believing spouse who needed to know what to do with their unbelieving spouse. “How does this work, Paul?” With all this confusion, finally Paul just says, “alright listen, no matter where you find yourself, whether married or single, find your contentment in the Lord.” 

And we can expand this to everyone who calls themselves a Christian. And we can expand this to every area of life. Paul does! 

“This is my rule in all the churches.” This is my rule for everyone who is a part of the church. This is a universal rule. “Lead the life the Lord has assigned to you.” Assigned. Given for a purpose. “Lead the life the Lord has called you to.” Called. This word appears 9 times in the Greek in these 8 verses. Every time it’s used it refers to the upward call of Christ, a vertical call in which the Lord draws us into relationship with Him, except for 1 time here in verse 17, where Paul is referring to a horizontal call. A station in life. This could be heritage, occupation, relationship status, socio-economic position, and more. Don’t try to be someone else. Don’t go searching for other things besides what the Lord has called you to. No matter who you are, where you come from, or where you currently find yourself, find your contentment in Christ. 

After he lays this out, he uses 2 different life situations to illustrate:

1. Jew / Gentile (18-19)

Paul had already addressed this in Acts 15 before the Jerusalem Council. God had confirmed the inclusion of Gentiles in His plan of salvation, but some Judaizers had started to teach that circumcision was a necessary step. It was Jesus “and.” Some Pharisees who had become Christians were still holding tightly to the Law of Moses. In that debate, Paul stood up and said this: “God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith…we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 

Now, in our passage in 1st Corinthians, we see an interesting addition to this. Not only were some Gentile believers wanting to be circumcised, but it would seem that some of the Jewish believers were wanting to reverse their circumcision. The Greeks looked down on the procedure as a mark of the lower class. Josephus, the Jewish historian wrote that “during the Greek rule of the eastern Mediterranean several centuries before Christ, some Jewish men who wanted to be accepted into Greek society had surgery performed to make themselves appear uncircumcised when they bathed or exercised at the gymnasiums. They literally became uncircumcised surgically.” 

So Paul is like, “guys, it doesn’t matter! Circumcised or not, it doesn’t make you any more or any less! All that matters is your obedience to the Lord. All that matters is that you pursue the Lord and proclaim the gospel wherever He has called you!” Samuel, when he is confronting Saul for his unlawful sacrifice says, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” That’s what matters to the Lord. 

2. Slave / Free (20-23)

One of the arguments that many skeptics have against the Bible is that it condones slavery. Before we break down this section, I think it’s important that we have a firm grasp on what the Bible actually says, as well as the differences between slavery then, and slavery that has left a stain on our country, and still exists around the world today. 

One of the major differences between biblical slavery and modern day slavery is that a majority of the slaves back then were actually indentured servants. This means that they made the decision to sell themselves to pay off a debt. In fact, in the Old Testament, we see that Hebrews who owed a debt could work for 6 years to pay it off, but in the 7th year, according to the Law, they were to be set free. During that time, according to Scripture, they were to be treated as “hired workers” and “temporary residents.” At the end of their tenure, they were to be sent away with livestock, food and wine. At that point, the servant could decide, if he/she wanted to, to work with that family for life. 

In the case of Jews enslaving Gentiles, which God allowed in certain situations, even so they were to be treated as family. They could be married, had rights that prevented them from being sold again, could actually marry into the family that they worked for and become one of them, and could go shopping, buying clothing and food for themselves. The Law also prohibited uses of corporal punishment against them. They were to be treated fairly with dignity and respect.

Jumping ahead to Paul’s day, where slavery still existed, a majority of situations were still indentured servitude. While there were instances, culturally, where slavery existed in the wrong ways, for example forced labor and harsh treatment, this form of enslavement was not OK for a follower of Christ.

WIth all of that in mind, let’s look at the 2nd illustration that Paul uses here (Re-read vs. 21). Are you a servant? Listen, you’ve been set free in Christ, don’t worry about worldly freedom right now. Continue to work hard with a new energy, for the glory of God! But look at what Paul says though, “if you are able to gain your freedom, then absolutely do that, but until then, serve and work hard to pay of your debt with integrity and as a testimony to the life you now have in Christ.” 

Just know that your identity is not found in your situation! Your identity is found in Christ! I mean think about it, if you are a slave, you are considered free in Christ. If you are a freedman, you are considered a slave to Christ. We are all free and all slaves at the same time! You may be working to pay off a debt, but just know that the ultimate price has already been paid for your life. You don’t belong to men, you belong to God! The blood of Jesus, Jesus in your place, providing a way to freedom. 

So brothers and sisters, in whatever condition you were in before Jesus, whether married or single, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, find contentment in the Lord and proclaim the goodness of God no matter what. 

Application

Here in these verses we find such a pastoral heart from Paul, if we just dig in a little bit. There were issues within the church that had begun to boil over, causing division amongst the believers. There was confusion around what to do now that this new thing called Christianity, or back then “the Way,” had begun to take root. Well this changes things! What about my marriage? What about my singleness? What about cultural norms? What about my enslavement? What about my cultural heritage? Paul, what do we do? And Paul’s like, “guys, just chill. Take a breath. Your life has been radically changed by the gospel, and I need you to understand something. Your identity is found in Christ, and Christ alone. He has called you into a relationship with Him. Think about that, you broken and sinful human being, called by God. It only matters what He says about you. And He says that you are enough, that you are somehow worth dying for. It doesn’t matter what culture tells you about your Jewishness or not. It doesn’t matter what the world tells you about being single. It doesn’t matter who preached to you, or who baptized you, or which teacher you resonate with the most, all that matters is your relationship with Christ! 

And this becomes so applicable for us when we consider the pressures of the world that we live in! The cultural norms that are bearing down on us. The pressure to pursue wealth and comfort. The pressure to stretch my Christian freedoms. The pressure to follow my feelings. The pressure to want to be someone that I wasn’t created to be. Social media telling me I need this car, or that house, or that vacation, or that husband, or that wife, and in all of that diverting my attention away from Jesus, away from the cross. 

Listen, Jesus is sufficient. Jesus is enough. Jesus is everything. And so often we can become unhappy with our lives. “God, why am I still single? God, why this rebellious child? God, why this job? Why not that one?” And apart from that, always wanting the next best thing, not content with what we have right in front of us. 

Philippians 4:11-13 - “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” 

Paul knew what it was to suffer. Paul knew what it was to succeed. And the secret to his contentment is no secret to us. It’s an understanding of the gospel, of the power of Jesus in our lives.

Is there anywhere in your life where you feel a sense of discontent?