…in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain.
~ 1 Corinthians 7:24
In 2013, when I was in a transitory period between two pastoral ministries, I began working at small Christian school in San Jose. Given that I had been a vocational pastor and didn’t know much about Christian education in a classroom setting (I had never attended an evangelical Christian school as a child), it was fair to say that the first year came with many surprises.
But one surprise I was not prepared for was the number of questions I received about whether or not I would stay at the school. Within the first few months of the job, people began asking me if or when I was thinking about moving schools. After the first year, other Christian schools (with the push of certain parents) began inquiring if I was interested in teaching for them. Throughout my time as a teacher there (from 2013 to 2021 with an 18-month hiatus when my church first hired me as a full-time minister), I fielded numerous inquiries from different parents about whether or not I’d be interested in moving to schools where their children were attending. Even after I moved to Hawaii and began teaching at the school I’m currently at, I am still asked by parents and administrators if I would be interested in changing schools.
Such questions were by no means malicious, nor were they culturally inappropriate, so I was never offended. But that’s the issue. It wasn’t just culturally appropriate—it was almost expected. In this day and age, at least in the regions of the United States where I’ve lived and amongst my generation, transience is the modus operandi.
It’s just not a biblical one.
To be clear, it is not always wrong to pursue a change in one’s circumstances, particularly one related to (but not confined to) occupational endeavors. A person hasn’t necessarily sinned by switching jobs or even careers. The apostles, after all, did this (see Mark 1:14-20). A person is not wrong for moving to a different home, city, state, or even country. There are many biblical examples of people doing this. Not only is it permissible, but, at times, it is good. And not only may it be good, but sometimes it may be commanded (see Gen 12:1). The Bible gives no prohibition against seeking a change in our circumstances.
What the Scriptures do instruct against, however, is developing a character of transience due to discontentment, grumbling, or the envy of others. What the Scriptures do warn us about is having a default mode of seeking circumstantial change without giving one’s current circumstances their due time. And that’s precisely what’s happening with the culture today.
Transience on the Job Front
It’s happening on the job front. The fact that people asked me about moving schools wasn’t because of I was in a toxic work environment. Rather, it was because moving jobs is simply the thing to do these days. People commit to their job for only a short period before seeking greener pastures. Whether it’s for “growth opportunities,” a higher salary package for the same amount of (or reduced) hours, or other reasons, more and more people are leaving their jobs, not due to a lack of grass. They just want grass that’s potentially greener. They’re not suffering. They’re just not satisfied.
Transience on the Home Front
It’s happening on the home front as well. You have families that are constantly moving into new homes—sometimes at a rate of one move a year. People are relocating from one city to the next, one state to the next, under the assumption that change is the better option. And it’s not because they’re suffering or are being persecuted. For many today, it’s simply because they aren’t satisfied. The majority of the people who ask me for counseling about whether or not they should seek a change in their circumstances are far from suffering.
And don’t even get me started on what’s happening in the church front.
The Bible’s Answer to Transience
Again, Scripture is not against the simple act of moving. It’s rather a pattern of transience that God does not desire in His people. Paul makes this point explicit in 1 Corinthians 7:21-24:
Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God (ESV, emphasis added).
In his instruction to this error-filled but true church, Paul addresses the question about how one should think about his or her current circumstances in relation to their walk with Christ. With respect to socio-economic status, there were several bondservants in the church. In Paul’s day, a bondservant (Greek: doulos) was the member of society who relinquished all of their rights in exchange for the promise of full provision in service to a human master. In terms of social status, there was more esteem in being a lord, freeman, or even a diakonos (a laborer who served for wages but still had freedom) than a doulos. To be a doulos was to be on the lowest tier of the socio-economic hierarchy, and nothing about which to boast.
Yet, to those Christians in Corinth who were slaves when they were saved, Paul instructs, “Do not be concerned about it.” In other words, don’t be consumed with what others may perceive to be a lack of status or opportunity. Let not the doulos worry about the fact that there are many privileges that he cannot presently enjoy because he’s not higher on the social ladder. Let him not worry about his lack of opportunity. Let him not continue to search in dissatisfaction. In other words, “Don’t make a big fuss over the fact that you are considered the lowest of the low by the world.”
Paul does not deny that being free is indeed better than being a doulos. He says, “If you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.” But the reason for this is not rooted in the potential for more material gain, but rather, the Christian’s identity and status in Christ. If possible, and when able, choose to be a freeman rather than a bondservant—not because it gains you the world, but because it more fittingly reflects the freedom that one has in Christ and the lordship of Christ in one’s life.
Remain Where You Are
This motivation is different than being obsessed with the non-ideal conditions that accompanies being a bondservant. If a Christian, for instance, has the opportunity to move to a region where he is allowed to live out his faith freely and preach the Word of God without hindrance, let him do so. But should the opportunity not avail itself, do not worry about it, Paul says. Why? Because one’s socio-economic standing in the world does not change one’s standing before the Lord. Before Christ, every person is a freeman with respect to the world, whether bondservant or free. And before Christ, everyone is a bondservant, whether a bondservant or free. Thus, a Christian should never seek his value or identity from his vocation, because before Christ each saint carries equal status. What kind of esteem one gets from the world is irrelevant when it comes to one’s relationship with Christ and one’s status in the future and promised kingdom.
And thus, Paul gives the pointed instruction in verse 24: “In whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.” Whatever set of circumstances you are currently in is more than accidental or coincidental. It’s a calling. What a tectonic shift this would create if more Christians realized that their set of circumstances are one to which God has, in His perfect sovereign wisdom, called them. This is true for both bondservants and freemen. This is true for both architects and construction workers. This is true for both city planners and city cleaners. This is true for both soldiers and security guards. This is true for both schools principals and school pre-school workers. This is true for both entry-level employees and CEOs. Where has the Lord called a person? It is to whatever set of circumstances he is in.
While there are legitimate reasons to seek change, a persistent desire for greener pastures due to a constant dissatisfaction with where God has placed you currently isn’t one of them (see Eccl 1:8). And thus, the imperative is to remain—to stay put rather than seek change, and to engage our duties with all our might (Col 3:23; see also Eccl 9:10). The Christian is to be, when it comes to vocational endeavors especially, characteristically steady and faithful. Transition is necessary and even good at times, but it shouldn’t be the norm or pattern.
Conclusion: Don’t Be Quick to Look Elsewhere
When a Christian finds himself in a set of circumstances where he is able to fulfill his duties to God, his family, and community with a clear conscience, his default mode should not be to look for other opportunities. His aim should not be to “find something better.” His assumption must be that he is where God has called him to be. When he encounters friction in his circumstances, his must not be quick to conclude that God wants him to be elsewhere. The opposite is true. His habit must be one of resilience, loyalty, and longevity. When it comes to vocational and occupational endeavors especially, the Christian must be a man of faithfulness and reasonable consistency.
Such a habit is not for mere self-help, but rather one that is rooted in the very gospel itself. The salvation that we have in Jesus Christ relieves our anxiety about occupational and vocational optimization (which often drives transience) because we are so much more than our earthly occupation. We are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and heirs to the future kingdom. We need not to get the most of this world, because this world is passing away (1 Corinthians 7:31). After all, a better country is in the horizon, where nothing short of perfection awaits.
