1 Corinthians 7:14 kjv
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.
1 Corinthians 7:14 nkjv
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
1 Corinthians 7:14 niv
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.
1 Corinthians 7:14 esv
For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
1 Corinthians 7:14 nlt
For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.
1 Corinthians 7 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cor 7:14 | For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. | Direct statement |
| Rom 11:16 | If the root is holy, so are the branches. | Principle of imputed holiness |
| 1 Cor 1:2 | To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—both theirs and ours: | Holiness through Christ |
| 2 Cor 6:14-16 | Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? ... What agreement can there be between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God... | Prohibition against close union |
| Eph 5:25-27 | Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. | Christ's work of sanctification |
| 1 Thess 4:3-4 | For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, | Sanctification as God's will |
| Heb 12:14 | Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. | Necessity of holiness |
| John 17:17 | Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. | Sanctification by God's word |
| 1 Pet 3:1-2 | Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without any word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. | Influence of believing wife |
| 1 Pet 3:7 | Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. | Conduct influencing husband |
| Acts 16:31-33 | And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And that very hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. | Household salvation |
| Matt 1:18-20 | Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, decided to send her away secretly. | Divine plan for impurity |
| Lev 11:44 | For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. | Old Testament holiness |
| Deut 7:6 | For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, out of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth. | Israel as a holy people |
| Mal 2:15 | Did he not make them one with a portion of God's spirit? And what does the one want? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be treacherous in the wife of your youth. | Offspring as God's concern |
| Rom 6:22 | But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you bear is holiness, and the end of that which leads to eternal life. | Fruit of sanctification |
| Eph 4:3 | Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. | Unity and holiness |
| Phil 2:15 | that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, | Children of God as blameless |
| Heb 9:13-14 | For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and of bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. | Sanctification through blood |
| Acts 11:18 | When they heard these things, they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” | God granting repentance to Gentiles |
| Eph 3:14-15 | For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, | Family in heaven and earth |
| Rom 8:32 | He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? | Grace in all things |
1 Corinthians 7 verses
1 Corinthians 7 14 Meaning
The holiness and separation of the unbelieving spouse are established by the believing spouse’s piety. The unbelieving spouse is made holy, not in themselves inherently, but in relation to their believing partner. This consecration makes their association acceptable and sanctifies their union, meaning their marriage remains valid and blessed within God's sight despite one partner’s unbelief.
1 Corinthians 7 14 Context
This verse is situated within 1 Corinthians chapter 7, a chapter dedicated to addressing various questions raised by the Corinthian church regarding marriage, singleness, and relationships. Specifically, verses 10-16 focus on the complex issue of a believer married to an unbeliever. The Corinthian church, being a mix of Jewish and Gentile converts, would have had individuals in these very situations, and likely some were questioning the validity or desirability of remaining in such marriages. Paul addresses this by affirming the sanctity and continuation of these unions.
1 Corinthians 7 14 Word Analysis
- τοῦ (tou): Masculine singular genitive definite article. It specifies "the unbelieving husband."
- ἀπίστου (apistou): Genitive singular adjective meaning "unbelieving," "infidel," "disobedient," "unfaithful." It modifies "husband."
- γιά (gia): Preposition here, "because of" or "for the sake of."
- ἁγιασθήσεται (hagiasthēsetai): Future passive indicative third person singular of ἁγιάζω (hagiazō). Means "will be made holy," "will be sanctified," "will be consecrated." This is the core of the verse’s assertion. The holiness is conferred or imputed.
- γυνὴ (gynē): Nominative singular feminine noun, "wife."
- γυναικὶ (gunaiki): Dative singular feminine noun, "wife." This dative case, governed by the implied preposition in ἁγιασθήσεται, shows the person in relation to whom the holiness is achieved.
- δὲ (de): Conjunction, meaning "but," "and," or "now." It introduces a contrast or continuation.
- ἀπίστῳ (apistō): Dative singular adjective, "unbelieving," "infidel." It modifies "husband."
- ἄλλως (allōs): Adverb meaning "otherwise," "else."
- ἄν (an): Particle that often softens a statement or indicates a condition.
- ἂν (an): Here used with the indicative.
- ἦσαν (ēsan): Imperfect indicative third person plural of εἰμί (eimi), "to be." "they were."
- καὶ (kai): Conjunction, "and."
- τὰ (ta): Neuter plural definite article. "the."
- τέκνα (tekna): Neuter plural noun, "children."
- κοινὰ (koina): Neuter plural adjective, "common," "unclean," "defiled."
- νῦν (nun): Adverb, "now."
- δὲ (de): Conjunction, "but" or "yet."
- ἁγνά (hagna): Neuter plural adjective, "pure," "clean," "holy."
Groups of Words Analysis:
- "For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife": This phrase establishes the passive reception of holiness by the unbeliever through their spouse. The focus is not on an inherent change in the unbeliever, but on their consecrated state within the union.
- "and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband": Reverses the roles, demonstrating that this imputation of holiness applies regardless of which spouse is the believer.
- "Otherwise your children would be unclean": This clause highlights the positive consequence of the believers' faith for their children. If the union were considered defiled due to one spouse’s unbelief, the offspring would also be viewed as tainted.
- "but as it is, they are holy": This contrasts with the "otherwise" scenario, declaring the children of mixed marriages as holy. This sanctity pertains to their inclusion in the covenant community and legitimacy within the believing household.
1 Corinthians 7 14 Bonus Section
The concept of "holiness" (ἁγιασθῆναι - hagiasthēnai) here is not about the unbeliever becoming a regenerated Christian at that moment. Instead, it signifies being set apart, or consecrated, for a specific purpose and standing within the covenant community because of the believing spouse. It means that in the context of the marriage, the unbelieving partner is regarded as belonging to the holy community. This holiness extends to their children, meaning they are not to be ostracized or considered ritually impure. The Old Testament provided laws concerning mixed marriages and defilement (e.g., Ezra 9-10), but here, in the new covenant, the faith of one member consecrates the household. This view resonates with how baptism consecrated the entire household of Cornelius (Acts 16:15) and Lydia (Acts 16:33), though explicit confirmation is needed for each individual. This principle allows believers to remain married to unbelievers, emphasizing grace and the possibility of their salvation through their partner's faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 7 14 Commentary
Paul’s declaration that the unbelieving spouse is made holy through the believing spouse affirms the sanctity of the marital union, even when one partner is not a Christian. This holiness is not a personal conversion of the unbeliever but a divinely recognized purity of the relationship itself. It implies that the marriage covenant remains valid and consecrated. This also has implications for their children, who are deemed "holy" as a result of their parents' union and the faith of one of them. This provides assurance to believers that their children are not outsiders to God’s grace within the covenant community. It encourages believers to remain married and to conduct themselves in a manner that potentially influences their unbelieving spouse toward God, as per 1 Peter 3:1-2.