“Is any man called being circumcised? Is any called in uncircumcision?”
The full verse · 1 Corinthians 7:18 · KJV
any being ? let become . ? let be .
Asked by
Paul: the apostle writing to the church of God at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:1-2), answering the things they had written to him about marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1)
Asked to
Corinthians: any believer in the church at Corinth whom God called to faith while circumcised (a Jew) or uncircumcised (a Gentile)
The Scene
Paul has just given a rule he ordains "in all churches": "as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk" (1 Corinthians 7:17), and now he applies it beyond marriage.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPaul uses circumcision as a clear test case for his rule. The two questions are not asking for information; they sort the reader into one of two groups, Jew or Gentile, and speak a word to each. Barnes explains that the first addresses a Jewish believer, and mentions "certain efforts which were made to remove the marks of circumcision." The second addresses a Gentile believer, and Barnes says plainly, "The Jewish rites are not binding." Gill likewise teaches that circumcision lost its religious force through Christ, so neither group needs to change its outward state. Paul asks so that each believer can see that coming to Christ does not require undoing or adding this mark.
The Response
What Scripture recordsPaul answers each question at once: "let him not become uncircumcised" and "let him not be circumcised" (1 Corinthians 7:18). Then he gives the reason: "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God" (1 Corinthians 7:19). He sums up: "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called" (1 Corinthians 7:20).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsCircumcision was the sign God gave Abraham: "it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you" (Genesis 17:11). In the early church, some taught Gentile believers, "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1). Paul speaks to both sides of that debate here. The Greek verb behind "become uncircumcised" (epispaomai) means to draw over, and Barnes notes that some Jews tried to remove the marks of circumcision; he chooses not to describe how. "Called" here means God's call to faith, the moment a person became a Christian.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyGod's call reaches people as they are. A Jew did not have to stop being a Jew, and a Gentile did not have to become one, in order to belong to Christ. Barnes puts the point simply: "the heart is all; and that is what God demands."
Paul is not saying obedience no longer matters. He sets "the keeping of the commandments of God" against outward marks (1 Corinthians 7:19). Matthew Henry writes, "It is practical religion, sincere obedience to the commands of God, on which the gospel lays stress." Paul makes the same point to the Galatians: in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, "but faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6).
Look Closer
What does Paul tell a Gentile believer to do about circumcision?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, You called me as I was; is there anything in my background I am trying to erase or prove that You never asked me to change?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Have you ever felt you had to add something, or hide something, to really belong among God's people? Where do you think that feeling comes from?
- Tell about a time you saw believers from very different backgrounds stand on equal ground in Christ.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Your background, culture, and the life you had when God called you do not have to be erased or upgraded to make you acceptable to Him. Paul's rule is to walk faithfully where God called you (1 Corinthians 7:17, 20). The same is true for how you treat others: don't require fellow believers to become like you before you accept them.
This doesn't mean nothing in your life should change. Paul is speaking about outward conditions like circumcision, not about sin. Obedience to God's commandments still matters most (1 Corinthians 7:19). Scripture's own application: Galatians 5:6
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Art thou called being a servant?”
“Art thou bound unto a wife? Art thou loosed from a wife?”
“What knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?”