I Corinthians 7:16
“For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?”
Paul is talking about the salvation of family members. A few verses earlier he brought up a point in which I called “The Godly Canopy”. Verse 14 says, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.”
If the unbelieving spouse consents to live with a believer they are to some degree agreeing with the rule of God’s kingdom. The verse says, “the unbelieving husband is sanctified through the wife”. I wouldn’t say that the person is saved, but going in that direction. As the unbeliever is in that setting, the Holy Spirit is active in that house, the believer is demonstrating God’s love. The believer is praying for him. The unbeliever probably attends church from time to time. God is doing a work in them. The chances that the unbeliever comes to Christ are strong.
Paul puts things in perspective with today’s verse. We don’t know that our unbelieving family member will come to Christ. Yes, chances are good, but they may not. We keep praying, loving and witnessing, but we don’t know.
We practice endurance in prayer. We faithfully continue in prayer. I’ve heard people say that they’ve prayed for decades for a particular family member. Often times the person did say yes to God.
Unfortunately I know some that haven’t. A close friend’s parents lived and died as atheists. That being said, God may have spoken to them in their unconsciousness and they bowed the knee to Christ without our knowledge.
Thank You, Lord, that You use us to cause family members and others to Christ. In the end, You know, Lord. Thank You for using us.