There is a tendency for those who experience the inner change of becoming a Christian to want to change everything else in their lives. There may be some things that need to be changed, but Paul sounds a note of caution here for new believers with the instruction: “Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.” A new-found hope in God may make us want to leave our worldly situation, and indeed we will. But not yet. The hope that makes us anticipate our extrication from this world is good. But, as Paul says in Romans 8:25: “If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” So, a new Christian should not leave their marriage, their culture or even their slavery. It seems like harsh instructions for slaves, but it is consistent with the nature of this present age as Paul recognises. This is the age of ‘not yet’. We have “the firstfruits of the Spirit” and a taste of heavenly peace and joy now, but the fulness is yet to come. In fact, as Paul says in Romans 8:23, the present taste of that future reality even amplifies our present pain. But this fuels the hope that keeps our heads looking up to what God is bringing about. Our hedonistic culture is always urging us to find total happiness in this life. And while we can indeed find joy with God now, our ultimate freedom and fulfilment lies in the next life. For now, we must serve God where we are until he calls us out.
Ask God how he wants you to serve him in your present situation.
Read 1 Corinthians 7:10-24
