2022_05_23 Insight Post- Kim Feld

  -   May 23, 2022

This week’s reading- 1 Corinthians 7-8

Paul continues his letter to the Corinthians, switching gears to answer questions they had written to him. Chapters 7 and 8 offer Paul’s instructions on various topics, from married life to single life to eating food sacrificed to idols.

In 1 Corinthians 7:17 NIV, Paul says, “Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.” The “situations” Paul refers to was the status or position that people lived within. He mentions “the present crisis” in verse 26. The commentaries I read said it’s unclear exactly what was meant, but he could have been referring to increasing persecution and hardship for the church at Corinth. He encouraged them not to make dramatic changes in their status but to live as believers. Even though years had passed since His resurrection, the early church was still looking for Christ’s imminent return. Only God knows when that day will occur.

Although Paul’s words were meant for the believers in Corinth, there’s an underlying principle in verse 17 for us as well. We who call ourselves followers of Christ should live as believers in whatever situation God has given us. We are to be people who look like Jesus, living out the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control) no matter our circumstances. Easy? No, actually impossible without surrendering ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Luke 9:23 NIV says, “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” That’s it. That’s the answer to what it means to live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to us. It’s a million opportunities a day to decide, will I deny myself and follow or not. Picking up my cross is a sign of death. Death to doing it my way instead of Jesus’ way. It’s a choice, believing that what He offers me is better than anything I could ever find on my own. And in the end, losing my life is the only way to save it.

^“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”  Luke 9:24-25 NIV