The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Corinthians 7:14,
"For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."
Here is a verse that has confused many, myself included. The notion that an unbelieving spouse can be "sanctified" through the believing spouse in a mixed marriage, and that their children are holy because of that believing parent seems out of line with all that we read in Paul's letters (all Scripture!). The issue is what Paul means here by "sanctified" and "holy". We understand from the rest of Scripture, outside this verse, that we become sanctified and made holy by embracing Jesus Christ in faith - our own faith as an individual, not someone else's like a spouse or parent.
1 Corinthians is not the first letter Paul wrote to this fellowship. We know this from 1 Corinthians 5:9 where he responds to the church in Corinth after they had received an earlier letter from him, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people". In the earlier letter Paul had told them not to associate with sinful people ("sexually immoral people"). We know they misunderstood Paul in the previous letter because he corrects them. They thought he was saying to stay away from all sinners. In his correction to them he said he only meant anyone who claimed to be a believer but openly sinful, "not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people." 1 Corinthians 5:10-11.
Along these lines, apparently the discussion among the Corinthian believers included questions about the fellowship distancing themselves from outsiders. No intermingling with outsiders. Naturally, the closest outsider to a believer would be their spouse, if the spouse was not saved. And, how about the children of the marriage who had not yet embraced Jesus Christ? How to square that with what they thought they understood from Paul?
Additionally, from 7:1, we see in the Corinthian's response to Paul's earlier letter, that they misunderstood him to say a believer should abstain from sexual relations. How much more so if a spouse was an unbeliever. Would having sexual relations with an unbelieving spouse defile the believer?
Paul's answer is that the believing spouse would not be defiled by the unbelieving spouse. It is the other way around, the unbelieving spouse is "sanctified" through the believing spouse so that the marriage and family can stay intact, the children being made "holy" as well.
To understand Paul saying that an unbelieving spouse can be saved through the faith of their partner is precluded in verse 16, where Paul says, "How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"
Here we see Paul's use of "holy" and "sanctified" not referring to salvation, but in the sense of "clean" as opposed to "unclean". He explains how we can live our lives without defilement in a mixed marriage where only one spouse responds to the gospel. Such a status should not necessarily destroy the marriage and family. However, Paul says, "But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace." Verse 15.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."
Here is a verse that has confused many, myself included. The notion that an unbelieving spouse can be "sanctified" through the believing spouse in a mixed marriage, and that their children are holy because of that believing parent seems out of line with all that we read in Paul's letters (all Scripture!). The issue is what Paul means here by "sanctified" and "holy". We understand from the rest of Scripture, outside this verse, that we become sanctified and made holy by embracing Jesus Christ in faith - our own faith as an individual, not someone else's like a spouse or parent.
1 Corinthians is not the first letter Paul wrote to this fellowship. We know this from 1 Corinthians 5:9 where he responds to the church in Corinth after they had received an earlier letter from him, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people". In the earlier letter Paul had told them not to associate with sinful people ("sexually immoral people"). We know they misunderstood Paul in the previous letter because he corrects them. They thought he was saying to stay away from all sinners. In his correction to them he said he only meant anyone who claimed to be a believer but openly sinful, "not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people." 1 Corinthians 5:10-11.
Along these lines, apparently the discussion among the Corinthian believers included questions about the fellowship distancing themselves from outsiders. No intermingling with outsiders. Naturally, the closest outsider to a believer would be their spouse, if the spouse was not saved. And, how about the children of the marriage who had not yet embraced Jesus Christ? How to square that with what they thought they understood from Paul?
Additionally, from 7:1, we see in the Corinthian's response to Paul's earlier letter, that they misunderstood him to say a believer should abstain from sexual relations. How much more so if a spouse was an unbeliever. Would having sexual relations with an unbelieving spouse defile the believer?
Paul's answer is that the believing spouse would not be defiled by the unbelieving spouse. It is the other way around, the unbelieving spouse is "sanctified" through the believing spouse so that the marriage and family can stay intact, the children being made "holy" as well.
To understand Paul saying that an unbelieving spouse can be saved through the faith of their partner is precluded in verse 16, where Paul says, "How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?"
Here we see Paul's use of "holy" and "sanctified" not referring to salvation, but in the sense of "clean" as opposed to "unclean". He explains how we can live our lives without defilement in a mixed marriage where only one spouse responds to the gospel. Such a status should not necessarily destroy the marriage and family. However, Paul says, "But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace." Verse 15.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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