Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 7:22
For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul writes to the Corinthian church, addressing believers who are navigating social and legal statuses at the time of their conversion. He instructs them not to be anxious about their earthly condition but to live faithfully within it.
The words — δοῦλος (doulos) means slave, and ἀπελεύθερος (apeleutheros) means freedman. The text states that a person called while enslaved becomes the Lord’s freedman, while a free person called becomes Christ’s slave.
The thread — The tension between earthly status and spiritual identity appears in 1 Peter 2:16, which commands living as God’s servants while exercising freedom. Philemon 1:16 and Colossians 3:22 further develop the relationship between Christian identity and slavery.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers stop measuring spiritual worth by legal or social status. It requires accepting one’s current condition as a platform for serving Christ rather than a barrier to it.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 2:16 Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
- Philemon 1:16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.
- Colossians 3:22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord.
- Romans 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
- Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
- Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
- Psalms 116:16 Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.
- 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
- Luke 1:74 deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
- John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”