A Called Life

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.

1 Corinthians 7:12-24

Paul now answers questions from the church. This answer has to do with where a husband would believe in Christ but not the wife and vice versa. Given the importance and intimacy of the marriage relationship: Is it appropriate for a Christian to remain married to a non-Christian, or does the non-Christian spouse somehow render the believer unholy? Paul addressed the case of a married couple who were both believers in verses 10-11. Jesus offered no teaching during His earthly ministry on the matter of an unbeliever who is married to a believer. So, Paul clarifies that what he is about to say on the subject is from him by virtue of Divine inspiration and his Apostolic authority as given Paul by Christ. What Paul has to say is equally authoritative because the Apostles were commissioned to speak on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that if a believer is married to an unbeliever and the unbeliever is willing to remain married, then the believer is not to seek a divorce. The idea here is that the unbelieving husband or wife remains committed to the marriage and is willing to allow the believing wife or husband to practice the Christian faith. As long as a non-Christian spouse tolerates the Christian faith of the other spouse, the Christian is to remain married to the unbeliever. Instead of the unbeliever’s defiling the believer in a mixed-faith marriage, Paul notes, the believer sanctifies the unbeliever and the children of the union as holy, but not in a state of salvation. Children and the unbelieving spouse are not automatically saved by being married to a Christian or a product of that marriage. Here, holiness involves being set apart unto God for a special use. For instance, the old covenant priests’ garments were holy (Exodus 28:4) because they were used in the worship of God and not because they were granted eternal life. Similarly, the unbelieving spouse is set apart to God. The unbelieving spouse will not be saved without trusting in Christ, yet the non-Christian husband or wife is brought under God’s special care as part of the Lord’s concern for the believing spouse and what is dear to that child of His. Since children of at least one believing spouse are holy, such children are regarded as holy by God, set apart to Him, by virtue of their parentage. These children will not be saved unless they personally trust Christ, but being a part of a Christian home puts them under the umbrella of God’s special concern.

Source: S C Ball October 30, 2023