THE KING’S BUSINESS
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itself is,a wholly indifferent matter: “cir cumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing.” But while circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, keeping God’s commandments is everything, therefore circumcision was much to those for whom it was commanded. What God’s commandments are in the present dispen sation is seen in 1 John 3 :23, viz., “that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another” (cf. Gal. 5:6; 6:15). This is the will of God for us but is includes other laws as well. Tuesday, October 23 . 1 Corinthians 7 : 21 - 24 . Some of the Corinthian saints were not only servants, but bond-servants (v. 21 R. V., i. e. slaves). The fact that they were slaves was a matter of no moment, they need not care for that. Let them continue in that calling and do a slave’s work, but do it in a Christian spirit. But if the door of freedom was opened to them they should use it, but there was not great dif ference after all; for if one were a Chris tian, though outwardly they were slaves of man, in reality they were the Lord’s freed- men. The Lord Himself had made them free (cf. John 8:36). On the other hand if one were a Christian and were free as far as his relation to man was concerned, still he was Christ’s bond-servant. So after all there was no essential difference between a Christian slave and a Christian free man, they were both free and they were both slaves. Let us never forget that whatever our social position is, if we are in Christ we are free, and, on the other hand, whatever our social position is we are bond-servants; but, thank God! not bond- servants' of men, but of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the highest kind of lib erty. Whether bond or free we “were bought” by Christ “with a price” (cf. 1 Peter 1:18, 19) and we must not become servants of men. Outwardly we may be a servant of men, but inwardly and in real ity we must own no master but the Lord who bought us (Eph. 6:6-8). How many there are who call themselves Christians
If a man had an unbelieving wife and she was pleased to dwell with him, he should not leave her. The same principle held true with the wife who had an unbelieving husband. The unbelieving husband was “sanctified” (i. e., separated unto God, in a special relation to God) in the wife (i. e., on account of his union with her). He was not saved unless brought to a personal acceptance of Christ (John 3 :36) but his position was different from that of the unbelieving husband of an unbelieving wife. A certain sanctity attached to him as mar ried to and one with a believing woman (cf. Eph. 5:31). This is a glorious truth and Christian wives who have unbelieving husbands should make the most of this truth and claim them for God. The chil dren of a believing parent, even when the other is an unbeliever, are “holy” i, e., they stand in a different relation to God from the children of unbelieving parents (cf. Acts 16:32). But if the unbelieving one would not abide with the believing one they should be left to depart, and the. believing one was under no bondage in such a case. This, of course, does not mean that they were at liberty to marry someone else, but they were not under bondage to live with the unbeliever who wished to depart. But even in this case we are called as “to peace” and the believing wife should seek to maintain peace with the unbelieving hus band and thus win him to Christ and save him. But each 'one must walk in the path the Lord marks out for him. Monday, October 22 .: I Corinthians 7 : 18 - 20 . Every man who is called into the Chris tian life should continue right on in that calling in which he is when called. The context clearly shows that the “calling” here is not limited to one’s business occu pation, but covers one’s position in general —Jew or Greek, bondman or freeman, etc. For example, if one who is called has been circumcised as a Jew he should not seek to be uncircumcised, and the one who is called and is uncircumcised, should not seek to be circumcised. Circumcision in
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