The Most Important Thing by David Jeremiah

Friday, September 15

The Most Important Thing 

. . . keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 
1 Corinthians 7:19b 

Recommended Reading 1 Corinthians 7:19-20

The Early Church was birthed in a Gentile, pagan world. Many new Christians suddenly found themselves in unique situations: slaves and slaveholders became Christians; new Christians found themselves married to a non-Christian spouse. Besides those personal situations, the culture itself was stressful, dominated by the heavy hand of Rome. Finally, the Church lived with the expectation of Christ’s Second Coming. What were new Christians to do?

Paul said, “Nothing—stay where you are.” There is no command in Scripture to be married or single, to be a slave or to be free. So remaining single, as Paul himself was (1 Corinthians 7:7), was completely acceptable. In light of a troubled world (1 Corinthians 7:26) and the hope of the returning Christ (1 Corinthians 7:29), Paul gave no new commands except this: Keep the commandments of God; live a holy and righteous life; be content in the place to which God has called you.

Whether you are single or married, as you serve Christ in anticipation of His return, is not as important as serving Him faithfully—being a witness to Him in this world.

The essence of chastity is not the suppression of lust, but the total orientation of one’s life towards a goal. 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer