1 Corinthians 7:17-19
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.
Paul gets to one of his guiding principles. God has placed us in unique situations in this world and we cannot know the reason always. But, we can do our best to serve God in the place where we are. The old saying fits well: blossom where you are planted.
Paul uses provides several illustrations of his point. The first example is circumcision. He was writing to a mixed church that had a lot of Gentiles in it. In other locations, such as the churches in Galatia (see his letter to the Galatians), Jewish teachers were compelling the Gentiles to become circumcised in order to be Christians. They were placing a burden on the Gentiles to be Jewish. Paul believed the gospel to be inclusive and beyond human divisions of race, gender, and economic status (Galatians 3:28).
What really matters in our Christian walk is obedience to God’s commands. These commands are not burdensome, unless people try to live by them on their own effort. But God has given us His Holy Spirit to write His laws on our hearts through the new covenant of Christ’s blood (see Jeremiah 31:31-34). The Spirit will teach us the mind of Christ and help us live out the law of love in obedience, not under the burden of legalism but in the freedom of hearts on fire through love. Again, we see the crucial link between holiness (obedience) and love (relationship).
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