Some have been confused by 1 Corinthians 7: 14. It says the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.

To those confused, the thinking is that the passage bestows salvation upon the unbelieving spouse. But we know that can’t be right because of two things.

First, there is only one avenue to salvation. That road, of course, leads right into Jesus. Secondly, if marriage automatically equaled salvation, then that would nullify the free will of the unbeliever. In other words, the unbeliever would be forced into salvation. We know it doesn’t work that way.

The word “sanctification” is the cause of the confusion. The word does not mean one is saved. It means one is “set aside.” In the context of the passage, the unbelieving spouse is set aside or set apart from the un-holiness of the world, and placed within the holy (also meaning set aside) institution of marriage.

Within that holy institution, there is certainly more of an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to present divine grace to the unbeliever.

Moreover, the apostle Paul, writer of 1 Corinthians, makes it clear that he is not equating sanctification with salvation. For in verse 16, he states that if the unbelieving spouse leaves the marriage; let him or her do so.

And on top of that, paraphrasing, he goes on to say that there ought to be peace in the mind when letting the unbelieving spouse go; knowing that there can be no certainty, for marriage is not a guarantee of salvation.