1 Corinthians 7:22

Freeman. Rather, “freedman.” The converted slave is, by his conversion, made free; that is, he is granted liberty from the bondage of sin by the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that this argument is given in order to comfort the slave, who has been exhorted to be content with his lot and not to try to escape from it. The slavery of sin, which formerly held the slave in its awful grip, was much worse than the bodily slavery to an earthly master. But he has been delivered from the slavery of sin. Thus his condition, though still that of a slave, is much better than it was before; he is now truly a freedman, a man made free by the Lord. Others who have not experienced conversion, possibly the slavemaster himself, are in a much worse condition of bondage than the slave. The slave should rejoice, therefore, in deliverance from the greater evil. The greatest blessing that man can receive is freedom from sin; if he has that, he should not be unduly anxious concerning the external circumstances of this life (see Matt. 6:25-31, 33, 34; John 8:32, 34, 36; Rom. 7:14-20, 23, 24; 8:2; Gal. 5:1).

Servant. Gr. doulos, “bond servant,” or “slave,” as in v. 21 and in the first half of this verse. The free citizen who accepts Christ’s invitation to follow Him, and who gives his heart to the Lord without reserve, thereby becomes the “bondslave” of Jesus. There is no such thing as absolute independence. Man is either the miserable slave of sin or the happy, willing bondslave of his Creator and Saviour. All civilized society is governed by laws. There is no degradation in being obedient to the accepted laws of the society in which one lives, provided always that those laws are in harmony with the Word of God. Daniel’s three companions were ready to obey the Chaldean emperor’s order to go out to the plain of Dura, where the great golden image had been erected, but they refused to bow down to it because that was contrary to the plain command of God (Dan. 3:14, 16-18; cf. Ex. 20:4, 5). Obedience to the law of God, whether as slave or freedman, is the highest form of reverence and the test of discipleship, as well as the highest dictate of reason and conscience (see 1 Cor. 7:19; CT 111; SC 60; MB 146, 147; AA 506). The apostle shows that the Christian slave and the freedman are on an equal plane, in that they are both required to live in obedience to the law of God.