1 Corinthians 7:12-14
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 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.
Marriage is very important. Paul here gives his personal opinion on a scenario where an believer is married to an unbeliever. Our faith is important but it should not be used as a weapon in marriage to get our own way or to “lord it over” the unbelieving spouse. Paul is optimistic that the believing spouse will be a catalyst for holiness within the family.
There is a possible example of this in Acts 16. Timothy came from a mixed home, with a Jewish Christian mother and a Greek father. We don’t know if his father was a believer or not but it is possible he was not. Timothy grew up learning the Bible and was significantly influenced by his godly mother (see 2 Timothy 1).
We cannot underestimate the influence of a godly wife or husband on a marriage. We can assume that one of the spouses became a Christian after the marriage. Paul directs early Christians in other places not to marry unbelievers (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1). It is best that two believers marry because they have the advantage of knowing what love is about by looking at Jesus. However, this is not an ideal world, and often couples fall in love without knowing well what true love is. Paul hopes that marriages will become strong because one person gives totally to the other in selfless love. Having a Christian spouse will not save a person, but the person should learn what holiness is all about by how the spouse treats him or her. Paul is always thinking evangelistically, and these verses are no different.
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