1 Corinthians 7: 12-16 -- sanctification by association

[friend of]

1 Corinthians 7: 12-16

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.

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.

15 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.

16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?


Q: 1 Cor 7:14 speaks of sanctification for the unbelieving member in the union (be it husband or wife). Would this sanctification apply if, say, unbelieving parents fostered believing children? Believing parents fostered unbelieving children? Or does this sanctification by association only occur because God considers the marriage union to be one body?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

It is not by association , first of all.

It is only in marriage, if one spouse (opposite sex spouse, btw) is a believer,
exactly
as YHWH says.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

1 Corinthians 7: 12-16

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.

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.

15 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.

16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?


Q: 1 Cor 7:14 speaks of sanctification for the unbelieving member in the union (be it husband or wife). Would this sanctification apply if, say, unbelieving parents fostered believing children? Believing parents fostered unbelieving children? Or does this sanctification by association only occur because God considers the marriage union to be one body?

You have posed quite a difficult question which may require guesswork to try and answer it. It is one of those areas where if Paul were around today, I would go to him and ask him, "What do you mean by that?" and he would explain it more fully. I am sure that those in the early church who read his letters would have either understood what he meant, or they would have replied asking him to elaborate. We don't have that option, and so we have to make guesses.

I would find it difficult to believe that an unbelieving spouse would be saved because of a believing wife.
The scriptures, in talking about the Rapture says, "Where there are two in one bed, one will be taken." What this suggests to me that an unbelieving husband is in bed with a believing wife, and the rapture happens and the believing wife will be taken and the unbelieving husband will be left behind.

I am tempted to think that in such a marriage where the children are sanctified, it may relate to those children who have not reached the age of accountability where they can make their own decision whether to receive Christ or reject Him. In that sense, those children would get to heaven, but the ones who had reached the age of accountability would be expected to make their own decision for Christ in order to be saved.

This is a contentious issue and I will be interested in further responses.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

You have posed quite a difficult question which may require guesswork to try and answer it. It is one of those areas where if Paul were around today, I would go to him and ask him, "What do you mean by that?" and he would explain it more fully.

We have someone far higher than Paul to ask,
the same someone who inspired/ breathed all Scripture :

" Then opened HE their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,"

so there is no doubt.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

We have someone far higher than Paul to ask,
the same someone who inspired/ breathed all Scripture :

" Then opened HE their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,"

so there is no doubt.

So, if you believe that the Holy Spirit has shown you the true meaning of the passage, how can you prove that what you have received is correct?

Anyone can say that they have received information from the Holy Spirit, but without objective and empirical proof that what they have heard is correct, they cannot say that what they have is nothing more than just their own opinion and interpretation of the passage.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

So, if you believe that the Holy Spirit has shown you the true meaning of the passage, how can you prove that what you have received is correct?

Some other religions often ask this.

How did Jesus, Stephen, Mary, Martha, Peter, Paul, James, John, Jude, etc
"prove" what they received is correct ?

 

[friend of]

It is not by association , first of all.

I tend to agree. Perhaps Paul is banking on the potential for the believing spouse to impart the faith unto her husband eventually throughout the duration of the marriage. There's no guarantee of this happening, though.

 

[PKFox]

So, if you believe that the Holy Spirit has shown you the true meaning of the passage, how can you prove that what you have received is correct?

Anyone can say that they have received information from the Holy Spirit, but without objective and empirical proof that what they have heard is correct, they cannot say that what they have is nothing more than just their own opinion and interpretation of the passage.

While they can't prove it to anyone else, maybe the Spirit is proving it to themselves. Just a thought.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Some other religions often ask this.

How did Jesus, Stephen, Mary, Martha, Peter, Paul, James, John, Jude, etc
"prove" what they received is correct ?

That is a good question. The books of the New Testament are the ones that the universal Christian Church in the 2nd to 4th Centuries believed to contain genuine and correct doctrine concerning the Christian faith. Their standard for choice was that the books had to be authored by an Apostle or someone who witnessed the Resurrection. Paul was included because he met the risen Christ on the Damascus Road.

But it remains that the written Word has authority only because the universal Church of the time when the canon of the New Testament was established decided it. Besides that, there is no objective proof that what is written is totally correct.

This is not a problem, because our walk with God is based on faith, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us on a personal level. This is why we have the Spirit AND the Word to guide us in the Christian life. This is the way it seems that the Holy Spirit has set it up. One without the other is incomplete. But this is for our own personal guidance, and not as definitive interpretations to control others.

 

[PKFox]

1 Cor 7:14 speaks of sanctification for the unbelieving member in the union (be it husband or wife). Would this sanctification apply if, say, unbelieving parents fostered believing children? Believing parents fostered unbelieving children? Or does this sanctification by association only occur because God considers the marriage union to be one body?

Personally, I think that one's personal faith and beliefs is what determines whether or not they make it into Heaven.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

But it remains that the written Word has authority only because the universal Church of the time when the canon of the New Testament was established decided it.

This is a very common mis-conception.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

This is a very common mis-conception.

What other theory do you have to offer?

 

[AJTruth]

The context of 1 Corinthians 7 isn't salvation

1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

Point 1: sanctified & saved are not the same thing; nor are they interchangeable.

God sanctified (set apart) the whole Nation of Israel. This does not mean every person was automatically saved.

The context of 1 Cor 7:14 is about marriage, divorce, the children & their sanctification ""NOT SALVATON"".

Many of the Believers Paul is speaking to here in 1 cor 7:14 were Jewish converts, deeply steeped in Mosaic Law.

OT covenant laws were clear. Don't intermarry with the heathen/gentiles. Your offspring would be bastards outside covenant seals. (Deut 7:3-4)

The main context is the children of a believer & unbeliever. The Apostle is explaining to the Jewish converts.

That the New Covenant believers Faith supersedes the unbelievers lack there of.

Chapter context key: """Else were your children unclean""" (1 Cor 7:14)

The unbelieving husband or wife IS NOT SAVED through the Believing partner. However, the children are sanctified and covered by/through the Believing parents Faith. The covering is dissolved when the child is old enough to choose for themselves.

At this point the child like everyone else (including the unsaved spouse) are saved only by:

Placing their FAITH in the Sin Atoning Death, Burial & Resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

Additional scripture support:

Ephesians 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
(Also see Gen 2:24, 1 Cor 6:16, Matt 19:5, Mark 10:8)

Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

Matt 10:5 Messiah sent forth the 12 & commanded them. To not go the Gentiles or into any city of the Samaritans
(Message DON'T go to SAMARITANS or GENTILES!)

The Samaritans were Jews that had inter-married. This was forbidden under Mosaic law. They were seen a half-breeds, outside covenant seals & considered unclean same as gentiles.

The 2nd message here is: The marriage relation, through the BELIEVING spouse is sanctified so that there is no need of a divorce. If either husband or wife is a believer and the other agrees to remain, the marriage (not the unbeliever) is sanctified and need not be set aside.

A great scripture example is Timothy:

Acts 16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:

Timothy's mother was Jewish his father a Greek/gentile.

Unbelievers Are Condemned
John 3:18 But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
(Unbelievers in the son are & will be condemed)

Believers Have Eternal Life
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son "hath" everlasting life & he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.