Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ 1 Corinthians

[John]

If my wife and I are joined as one in the eyes of God, is my salvation tied to hers?

[jimwalton]

No, your salvation is not tied to hers. The context of 1 Cor. 7.14 is divorce. The "for" at the beginning of the verse indicates that Paul is giving the reason for his previous statements, especially v. 13. What Paul is saying is that the marriage is sanctified so that there is no need of a divorce in the case where one partner is not saved. If either the husband or wife is a believer, and the other partner chooses to stay in the marriage, then the marriage is considered "holy" and divorce shouldn't happen on the basis of the one partner's faith. He is assuring the Christian that he or she is not spiritually "contaminated" by staying in the marriage with the unbeliever. The Bible tries to keep marriages together. Paul is not claiming that the unbelieving partner is saved by the faith of the believing partner.