The Possible Saving of Your Unbelieving Spouse 1 Corinthians 7:16

Paul the apostle told the married church members if their “unbelieving” spouses desired to “depart”, they were to let them “depart”, and he added that they were “not under bondage in such cases”. Paul told them “God has called us to peace”, and in chapter seven and verse sixteen of First Corinthians, Paul asked the married church members how they knew “whether you shall save your” “husband or wife” where we read:

For what do you know, O wife, whether you shall save your husband?

or how do you know, O man, whether you shalt save your wife?

The verse begins, “For what do you know, O wife, whether you shall save your husband?” Paul began with the word, “For” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, verily and therefore” “what do you know” which means “what do perceive, notice, discern or discover”, “O wife” or “married woman” “whether” which means “it perhaps” “you shall save” or “the wife will rescue from danger or destruction and deliver him from the penalties of the Messianic judgment” “your husband” which refers to “the wife's married man”. Paul questioned as to whether the “wife” knew that she might be able to “preserve” her husband from eternal “judgment” to come by staying with him.

The verse continues, “or how do you know, O man, whether you shall save your wife?” Paul continued with the words, “or how do you know” or “what do you perceive, notice, discern or discover”, “O man” which refers to “the husband” “whether” or “if or perhaps” “you shall save” which means “the husband will rescue from danger or destruction and deliver him from the penalties of the Messianic judgment” “your wife” or “the husband's married woman”. Paul also questioned whether the “husband” knew that he might be able to “preserve” his “wife” from eternal “judgment” to come by staying with her.

When we think through these words from Paul, we see the possibility of the “salvation” of “unbelieving” “husbands and wives” through the “believing” spouse continuing to live with them. Though they do not believe in Jesus Christ as their “Savior and Lord”, these “unbelieving” spouses may be influenced toward a personal relationship with Jesus by the behavior, attitude and words of the “believing” spouse. God desires for people to be “saved”, and if this requires “believing” spouses staying with “unbelieving” spouses, God may use their commitment to persuade the “unbelievers” toward “salvation”.

Next time Paul tells the church members, “as God has distributed to every man, as the Lord has called every one, so let him walk”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.