Paul now applies a general principle, namely that a person should normally remain in the situation they were in when they became a Christian. So if they were married they should remain married, if a slave they should remain a slave, if a free man, then remain free, if uncircumcised, then he should remain uncircumcised. Before looking at this principle in more detail, note that it is a guideline, not a law. We have a terrible habit of turning guidelines into laws and ending up in all sorts of trouble. So if a slave had the chance to gain his freedom he should do so, but he should not spend his life pining for freedom.
When Jesus set people free in various ways He often told them to go back to their home to tell people about it. So the situation we were in when we were first called is probably the one God wants us to be in for the time being at least. God knew He was going to save you long before you thought of the idea of believing in Christ. So even the circumstances of our lives before getting saved were planned by the Lord. We can easily waste a lot of time and emotional effort in wondering and fretting over what we should be doing. More often than not it is to know the Lord, to experience Him, and to serve Him within the circumstances that we find ourselves in. I stress again that this is a guideline, and not a law, and it doesn’t mean we never change anything.
We need to learn to know the Lord in the situation we are in now. Then we will experience true freedom.
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