Devotional 17 November 2025

November 17, 2025 • Steve Torres

1 Corinthians 7:24.jpg

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.” (1 Corinthians 7:17–24, ESV)

Paul dismantles a very common assumption: that holiness requires a change of environment. The wisdom of the world says, “If you want to be spiritual, get to a better situation.” But Paul writes, “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (v. 17). Holiness is not discovered by escaping our circumstances but by remaining with God in them.

The Corinthians believed spirituality was found in altered conditions: different marriages, different identities, different social positions. But Paul points them to a deeper truth: Christ is sufficient for every circumstance. Whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, married or unmarried, the call of God does not demand a new environment; it demands a new allegiance. So Paul says, “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called” (v. 20), not because circumstances are sacred, but because Christ is.

Paul’s first example is circumcision. Some in Corinth thought becoming circumcised would make them more spiritual, while others thought removing any trace of Jewish identity would do the same. Paul says both miss the point: “Neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God” (v. 19). Obedience is not ceremonial; it flows from gratitude toward the One who redeemed us (cf. Deut. 10:12–13; Mic. 6:8).

His second example is slavery. A slave might envy the freedom of others; the free might boast in their status. But Paul reframes both groups in light of Christ’s redemption: “He who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord,” and “he who was free… is a slave of Christ” (v. 22). The gospel dignifies the lowly and humbles the exalted. No circumstance determines our worth. Christ does.

Paul is not advocating fatalism. He says plainly, “If you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity” (v. 21). External improvement is good when possible. But he destroys the lie that such change makes someone more spiritual. Freedom in Christ, not social status, is what truly liberates (John 8:36; Rom. 6:18–22).

Finally, Paul gives the summary: “So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God” (v. 24). We don’t need the “perfect situation” to serve God; we need the perfect Savior who meets us where we are. Our calling is simple: serve God in the place He has placed you, trusting that His grace is enough for today.