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What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation?

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What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation? The concept of household salvation, which suggests that entire families or households are saved at once, is a topic that has been discussed and debated among Christians. The idea is that if the leader of the family, typically the father or the head of the home, declares himself to be a Christian, then the entire family is considered Christian by default. However, it is important to have a proper understanding of the Bible’s teaching on salvation in general before delving into the concept of household salvation.

What the Bible Says About Household Salvation

From a Biblical Perspective

Salvation Through Personal Faith

The Bible is clear that there is only one way of salvation, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. Numerous passages emphasize the personal nature of salvation, where an individual must personally believe in Christ to be saved (Matthew 7:13-14; John 6:67-68; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8). Believing in Christ is not something that can be done on behalf of someone else. The decision to believe and accept Jesus as Savior is a personal action and cannot be transferred from one person to another.

Division Within Families

Jesus Himself acknowledged that the gospel often divides families. In Matthew 10:34-36, He states, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” These words undermine the concept of household salvation, as they indicate that individuals are saved as individuals and not as part of a family unit.

Specific Promises in the Bible

Despite the emphasis on individual faith, there are passages in the Bible that seem to suggest a promise of household salvation. One such example is found in Acts 11:14, where Cornelius is promised that his household will be saved. However, it is important to consider the genre of the book in which this passage occurs. Acts is an historical narrative, and while it records actual events, not every event can be automatically assumed to apply universally to all households across all time. The promise made to Cornelius was specific to him and his household at that particular point in time.

How God Fulfills His Promises

Examining how God fulfilled His promise to Cornelius provides further insight. In Acts 10, Cornelius welcomes Peter into his home, and his entire household gathers to hear the message preached by Peter. All members of the household hear the gospel and respond in faith. The salvation of Cornelius’ household was not due to his belief, but rather because each individual in the household believed the gospel for themselves.

A similar pattern is seen in Acts 16:31, where the Philippian jailer asks Paul and Silas how to be saved. They respond, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Again, this promise is given to a specific individual in a specific context. However, the promise of salvation is universal and applies to all who believe in Jesus. The salvation of the jailer’s household came as a result of them hearing the Word of God and individually responding in faith.

Understanding 1 Corinthians 7:14

Another passage that is often cited in discussions of household salvation is 1 Corinthians 7:14. This verse seems to suggest that an unbelieving spouse can be sanctified or set apart through the faith of their believing spouse. It also appears to imply that their children will be considered holy before the Lord. However, it is important to note that in this context, the word “sanctified” does not refer to salvation or being made holy before God. It refers to the sanctity of the marriage relationship itself. Paul’s teaching in this passage emphasizes that believers who are already married to unbelievers should not seek a divorce. The marriage relationship is considered sanctified or set apart in God’s eyes based on the faith of the believing spouse. The children from that union are legitimate in the sight of God.

To further clarify that 1 Corinthians 7:14 does not speak of household salvation, Paul asks in verse 16, “How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” If household salvation were true, there would be no need for Paul to refer to a future time of salvation for the unbelieving spouse.

The Absence of a Promise of Household Salvation

In light of the various passages discussed, it becomes apparent that the Bible does not explicitly promise household salvation. Each individual is responsible for their own personal faith and relationship with God. However, this does not negate the influence that a godly father or mother can have on their family. The leader of a household, through their example and spiritual guidance, can set the course for the family in many ways, including spiritually. While salvation is a personal decision, there are instances where God uses one individual in a family to draw others to Himself. Charles Spurgeon eloquently captured this idea, stating, “Though grace does not run in the blood, and regeneration is not of blood nor of birth, yet it very frequently… happens that God, by means of one of a household, draws the rest to himself.“

Conclusion

In conclusion, the concept of household salvation suggests that entire families or households are saved at once through the faith of the leader of the family. However, a thorough examination of the Bible’s teaching on salvation reveals that salvation is a personal decision that requires individual faith in Jesus Christ. While there are passages that seem to contain promises of household salvation, it is important to consider the historical and contextual factors surrounding these promises. The Bible does not explicitly promise household salvation, but it does acknowledge the influence that a godly parent can have on their family. Ultimately, each person must personally choose to believe in Jesus for themselves. As we approach this topic and draw conclusions, let’s do so with Biblical discernment as led by the Holy Spirit knowing that all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26).

What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation?

Acts 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 11:14 He will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 16:15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

1 Corinthians 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.

Acts 16:31-34 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Genesis 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.

Acts 16:34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Acts 10:2 A devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.

Acts 16:32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

1 Corinthians 1:16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Acts 16:1-40 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. …

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Romans 10:9 Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 2:38-39 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Joshua 6:23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.

Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 16:31-33 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Ephesians 3:14-15 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

Ephesians 5:22-23 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 103:17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,

1 Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

1 Peter 2:1-25 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. …

Ephesians 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Hebrews 9:2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place.

1 Timothy 3:4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,

1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Ephesians 2:2 In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Acts 2:39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

1 Peter 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Ephesians 5:33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Acts 10:7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

1 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:9 Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

1 Timothy 1:9 Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Proverbs 15:20 A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 11:29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.

Genesis 6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Titus 2:2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Romans 5:7-8 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Mark 16:1-20 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. …

Acts 2:1-47 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

James 4:12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Hebrews 9:28 So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Revelation 11:1-19 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. …

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,

Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 5:1-9:28 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; …

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Galatians 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Romans 10:10-12 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

Romans 10:1-13:14 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. …

Group 17 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

Romans 5:19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Acts 16:31-32 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

Acts 10:6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

Romans 1:1-16:27 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, …

Group 18 – What Does the Bible Say About Household Salvation

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Acts 4:2 Greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

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