God's Calling for Christians (1 Corinthians 7: 14-7:26) | Pastor Phil Wohr

Paul reminds the saved husband or wife not to give up too quickly on an unsaved partner. God has set that home apart through the presence of the believer, and Paul says the children are holy in that sense too. The saved parent cannot control every court ruling, every hostile ex-spouse, or every hard heart, but God calls that parent to keep putting the gospel in front of the children and keep them before the throne of grace. The bigger goal in a mixed home is not merely winning the spouse, though that matters, but seeing the children come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Paul also warns that Satan deceives both lost people and saved people. The lost can drift toward eternity without Christ thinking everything is fine, while believers can drop out of church, quit obeying God, and convince themselves that they are okay. God’s blessings are being cheated away when Christians refuse to live by the principles of God’s Word.

Paul then gives the basic principle: “as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk.” God saves people out of all kinds of backgrounds, and God can use an ex-con, a carpenter, an electrician, a lawyer, a fireman, or a bricklayer. The calling of Christ does not normally mean that every saved person must disrupt everything, quit a job, go to Bible college, or become a foreign missionary. Christ ordinarily tells believers to get right with God, get some Bible into their system, grow, and let the Lord lead step by step.

Paul also guards the liberty of Jew and Gentile in the church. Circumcision and uncircumcision are nothing beside keeping God’s commandments. God does not require Gentiles to become Judaized, and God does not require Jews to throw away every cultural distinction. Christ can use people from Ghana, Long Island, or anywhere else without making everybody look alike.

Paul brings the whole matter back to ownership: “Ye are bought with a price.” Christ’s blood paid for the believer in full, so no employer, master, culture, or corporation has the final word over obedience to Christ. The free man is Christ’s servant, and the servant is the Lord’s free man. Paul finally applies that same principle to singleness and marriage. Christ dictates whether a person is married, single, or remarried, and present distress may sometimes make singleness the wiser path. Christ must come first when life is easy and when life gets hard.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Keep the children before God’s throne God sets apart the children in a home touched by a saved parent, not because salvation is inherited, but because the gospel is being brought near. The saved parent may have limited opportunities, especially in broken homes, but no hostile circumstance can stop prayer, godly example, and faithful witness in the moments God provides. The aim is to stay with it until God brings salvation. [07:45]
• 2. Do not mistake deception for liberty Satan can persuade a lost person that sin has no eternal consequence, and he can persuade a believer that disobedience is somehow acceptable. A Christian who abandons fellowship and obedience is not living in freedom but is cheating himself out of God’s blessing. God’s Word, not personal comfort, tells the truth about spiritual condition. [09:13]
• 3. Abide faithfully in God’s calling God does not usually save people in order to erase every skill, trade, culture, and life circumstance they already possess. A carpenter can be God’s carpenter, an electrician can be God’s electrician, and a bricklayer can be God’s bricklayer. Faithfulness begins with surrendering the present life to Christ rather than chasing a man-made formula for spirituality. [21:42]
• 4. Freedom belongs under Christ’s lordship Paul turns worldly status upside down: the servant is the Lord’s free man, while the free man is Christ’s servant. Christ’s blood establishes a deeper ownership than any employer, social pressure, or cultural demand can claim. A believer must not let human authority require what Christ forbids or forbid what Christ requires. [27:24]
• 5. Let Christ dictate life’s relationships Marriage is good, singleness can be good, and neither condition establishes greater spirituality by itself. Paul recognizes that hardship and persecution can make marriage more complicated, especially when spouses and children bear the consequences of faithful witness. Christ, not fear, romantic expectation, or social pressure, directs these decisions.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:15] - Sanctified Homes and Holy Children
• [02:50] - The First Goal: Winning the Children
• [05:01] - Grandparents and Persistent Witness
• [08:12] - Satan’s Deception of Believers
• [09:46] - Walk in the Calling God Gave
• [13:01] - Jews, Gentiles, and Christian Liberty
• [17:04] - Culture and Calling in the Church
• [18:29] - God Uses Ordinary Work
• [21:42] - Servants, Freedom, and Christ’s Ownership
• [26:50] - Bought With Christ’s Blood
• [27:53] - Obeying Christ Above Human Pressure
• [34:43] - Singleness in Times of Distress
• [40:10] - Christ Directs Marriage and Singleness

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 7:14
“For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” [00:11]

1 Corinthians 7:20
“Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” [09:48]

1 Corinthians 7:22-23
“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.” [22:58]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Corinthians 7:14, what does Paul say happens to an unbelieving spouse and to the children when one parent is a believer? [01:43]
2. According to 1 Corinthians 7:20, what is the repeated instruction concerning the calling or condition in which a person came to Christ? [18:29]
3. What contrast does Paul make between the believer who is a servant and the believer who is free in 1 Corinthians 7:22? [22:55]
4. In 1 Corinthians 7:23, what reason does Paul give for refusing to let human authority have the final word in a believer’s obedience? [26:44]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul says that children in a home touched by a believing parent are “holy,” or set apart. Why should this be understood as gospel opportunity rather than inherited salvation? [02:50]
2. How does Paul’s instruction to remain in one’s calling protect believers from thinking that faithfulness requires abandoning every part of their work, background, or culture? [21:04]
3. Paul says that the free believer is Christ’s servant and the servant is the Lord’s free man. How does this change the way a Christian should view success, personal freedom, and daily responsibilities? [23:37]
4. Why might present hardship make singleness a wise choice for some believers without making marriage seem less good or less spiritual? [35:09]

Application questions

1. Is there a child, grandchild, or younger person in your life who needs a steady gospel witness? What specific opportunities do you have to pray for them, speak truth to them, or show them Christlike love this week? [07:30]
2. Satan can deceive believers into treating disobedience, isolation from church, or neglect of God’s Word as acceptable. Are there any areas where comfort or habit may be convincing you that you are “okay” while you are avoiding obedience? [08:22]
3. What work, skill, responsibility, or life background has God already placed in your hands? How could you be Christ’s servant more faithfully in that place rather than assuming you need a different life before God can use you? [21:33]
4. When work, family, friends, or the surrounding culture pressure you to compromise biblical convictions, what would it look like to obey Christ firmly while still treating people with honesty and respect? [27:19]
5. In what decisions about marriage, singleness, dating, remarriage, career, or family responsibilities do you most need to let Christ—not fear, loneliness, expectations, or pressure—direct your next step? [41:09]