Are Children Holy?

Paul Begins with Marriage, Not Children

One of the easiest mistakes we can make is starting with verse 14 instead of Paul’s entire argument.

Paul isn’t writing a chapter about infant salvation.

He’s answering a question about marriage.

Some believers in Corinth had come to faith after they were already married. Now they found themselves married to someone who did not believe in Christ. Naturally, they wondered whether they should leave the marriage. Paul’s answer is surprisingly simple. If the unbelieving husband or wife is willing to remain in the marriage, don’t seek a divorce.

Because God is still at work in that home.

That brings us to verse 14, where Paul says that the unbelieving spouse is made “holy” through the believing spouse, and that otherwise the children would be unclean, but now they are holy. That’s the statement that raises so many questions. But before asking what holy means for the children, notice something else. Paul also says the unbelieving husband or wife is made holy.

That immediately helps us narrow the possibilities. Whatever Paul means by holy, he cannot be saying the unbelieving spouse has automatically become a Christian. The rest of the passage makes that impossible, because only two verses later Paul asks,

How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
1 Corinthians 7:16 ESV

The unbelieving spouse is still described as someone who may yet come to faith. So if holy does not automatically mean saved for the husband or wife, should we immediately assume it means saved for the children? That’s a question worth slowing down and considering carefully.

What Does “Holy” Mean?

When we hear the word holy, it’s easy to think of salvation. But Scripture uses the word in more than one way. Sometimes it describes someone who belongs to God through faith. Other times it simply means set apart for a special purpose. Before deciding what Paul means here, let’s stay with Paul.

Paul says three people are affected by the believing spouse:

• the unbelieving husband,
• the unbelieving wife,
• and the children.

That should make us pause. If we say the children are automatically saved because they are called holy, we would also have to ask whether the unbelieving husband or wife is automatically saved for the very same reason. Yet Paul continues speaking of the unbelieving spouse as someone who may still come to faith. That tells us something important.

Paul often uses this same language throughout his letters when describing believers. We explore this further in Apostle Paul Didn’t Write to Sinners (Romans 1:1–7) as we consider why Paul consistently addresses believers as saints rather than sinners. So what is he describing? At the very least, he’s describing a home that has been set apart in a unique way because Christ is present in the life of one of the parents.

That doesn’t make the unbelieving spouse a believer. It doesn’t remove the need for faith. And it doesn’t settle every question we might have about the children. But it does keep us from asking Paul to say more than he says.

A Home Touched by Grace

Think about the picture Paul is painting. One parent belongs to Christ. Every day that husband or wife has the opportunity to love, forgive, encourage, pray, and quietly demonstrate the grace they have received. The unbelieving spouse lives in that atmosphere.

The children grow up in that atmosphere. Paul doesn’t describe the home as spiritually empty. He describes it as holy. That doesn’t mean every member of the family has believed.

It means the presence of Christ in one believer reaches farther than we often imagine. Grace has a way of touching the people around us. Not because salvation is contagious, but because the life of Christ is never lived in isolation. Perhaps that’s why Paul encourages the believing husband or wife to remain in the marriage whenever possible.

The Christian isn’t trapped in an unclean home. Instead, God is pleased to work through that believer for the blessing of everyone under that roof. That is a beautiful picture of grace. And it fits everything Paul has been saying from the beginning of the chapter.

Looking Back Before Moving Forward

Whenever we come across a difficult passage, it helps to ask another question. Has God ever described children this way before? Paul was a Jewish believer. He knew the Scriptures well, and he often drew from themes that had been present from the beginning. That doesn’t mean he was repeating the Old Covenant.

It does mean he understood the story that led to the New Covenant. If the New Covenant is still a new idea for you, we explore it more fully in What Is the New Covenant?, where we look at how it changes the way we read Scripture and understand the finished work of Christ. Under the Old Covenant, God’s people regularly set apart their children for Him.

Baby boys were circumcised on the eighth day as the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. Parents were instructed to teach their children the ways of the Lord. His Word was to be spoken about in the home, remembered throughout the day, and passed from one generation to the next. Children born into Israel grew up surrounded by the things of God. That didn’t mean every child believed. Sadly, Israel’s history makes that clear.

Many who belonged to the covenant people never trusted the Lord. So even under the Old Covenant, being part of God’s covenant people was not the same as belonging to Him through faith. That distinction is important. It helps us slow down before assuming that holy automatically means saved in 1 Corinthians 7.

Set Apart from the Beginning

As we continue following Paul’s words, it’s worth asking another question. Has God always set His people apart? From the beginning of Scripture, the answer is yes. When God established His covenant with Abraham, He gave circumcision as its sign. Every male child was circumcised on the eighth day as a visible reminder that Israel belonged to the Lord.

It marked God’s covenant people. It reminded each generation that they were different because of God’s promise, not because of their own goodness. Parents also carried a sacred responsibility. They were to teach their children about the Lord.

His faithfulness was to be spoken about in their homes, remembered throughout the day, and passed from one generation to the next. Children grew up surrounded by the things of God. That was a tremendous blessing. But it didn’t mean every child believed.

As we continue reading the Old Testament, we discover that many who belonged outwardly to Israel never trusted the Lord in their hearts. That reminds us of something important. Being surrounded by the things of God and belonging to God through faith are not always the same thing.

From the Sign to the Savior

One of the beautiful patterns we discover throughout Scripture is that God often used visible signs to point toward greater realities. Circumcision pointed beyond itself. It was never meant to be the destination. It pointed forward to the day when God would do something far greater than removing a mark from the body.

He would transform the heart. That is exactly what we find fulfilled in Christ. The New Testament speaks of a circumcision not made with human hands,a work that only God can accomplish. The outward sign pointed toward an inward reality.

The shadow pointed toward its fulfillment. Every promise pointed toward Christ. As we see that pattern unfold, it becomes easier to appreciate why Paul uses the language he does in 1 Corinthians 7. He’s reminding believers that God is still at work in families.

He’s still setting people apart. He’s still drawing men, women, and children to Himself through the gospel of His grace.

What About Jesus and the Little Children?

Whenever the subject of children comes up, many of us immediately think of Jesus welcoming little children. It’s a beautiful scene. Parents were bringing their children to Him so that He might bless them. The disciples tried to send them away, but Jesus stopped them.

Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:14 ESV

It’s one of the most comforting passages in all of Scripture. It’s also one of the most discussed. Some understand these verses to mean that every infant is automatically saved. Others see Jesus simply blessing the children who were brought to Him. Before we decide, let’s stay with the passage.

The parents brought their children to Jesus. Jesus welcomed them. He laid His hands on them. He blessed them.

Those are beautiful truths, and we should rejoice in every one of them. But the passage doesn’t answer every question people sometimes ask of it. Jesus doesn’t explain the eternal destiny of every infant. He doesn’t describe an age of accountability.

He doesn’t tell us what happens in every circumstance. Instead, He reveals something just as precious.

The heart of our Savior.

Far from pushing children away, Jesus welcomed them. Far from seeing them as unimportant, He received them with compassion. That tells us something wonderful about the character of Christ. Whenever we reach a place where Scripture leaves questions unanswered, we don’t have to fill the silence with speculation.

We can rest in the One who said,

Let the little children come to me.

And that’s a wonderful place to rest.

Learning to Let Scripture Speak

Sometimes our desire for certainty becomes stronger than our willingness to listen. We want every question answered. Every mystery explained. Every difficult passage neatly resolved.

But Scripture doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes God tells us exactly what we need to know. Sometimes He invites us to keep searching. And sometimes He simply reminds us who He is.

That’s why it’s important not to build an entire doctrine on a passage that isn’t trying to answer the question we’re asking. First Corinthians 7 is about marriage. Matthew 19 is about Jesus welcoming little children. Both passages teach us something beautiful.

Neither was written as a complete explanation of infant salvation. When we allow each passage to speak for itself, something remarkable happens. Instead of forcing Scripture to support our conclusions, we begin allowing Scripture to shape them. And that’s always the safer place to be.

Holding Our Conclusions with Humility

If you’ve studied this subject before, you’ve probably noticed that sincere believers don’t all arrive at the same conclusion. Some understand this passage one way. Others understand it differently. That shouldn’t surprise us.

There are passages in Scripture that are wonderfully clear. There are also passages that invite careful thought, patient study, and humble conversation. This is one of them. As followers of Christ, our confidence isn’t found in having an answer for every difficult question.

Our confidence is found in the One who gave us the Scriptures. That means we can study carefully… listen respectfully… and even admit when a passage leaves us wanting to know more.

Humility isn’t weakness. It’s one of the marks of someone who trusts the Lord more than their own understanding.

Grace Begins at Home

Perhaps one of the most encouraging truths in this passage has nothing to do with winning an argument. It has everything to do with hope. If you’re the only believer in your home, you may sometimes wonder whether your faith is making any difference. Paul says it is.

Your prayers matter. Your kindness matters. Your forgiveness matters. Your patience matters.

Your example matters. The presence of Christ in your life is not hidden behind the walls of your heart. It quietly touches the lives of those around you every day. That doesn’t replace anyone’s need to trust Christ personally.

But it reminds us that God delights in working through ordinary believers living ordinary lives. Some of the most important ministry we will ever have won’t happen from a platform. It will happen around a dinner table… during bedtime prayers…

through quiet conversations… and by faithfully living out the grace we’ve received. Never underestimate what God can do through a home where Christ is known.

So… Are All Infants Saved?

By now, you may be wondering, “So what do we do with all of this?” It’s an honest question. And it’s one believers have wrestled with for centuries.

As we’ve walked through these passages together, we’ve seen several important truths. We’ve seen that holy does not automatically mean saved in 1 Corinthians 7. We’ve seen that Paul’s purpose was to encourage believing husbands and wives, not to write a complete explanation of infant salvation. We’ve seen that Jesus welcomed little children with compassion and blessing.

And we’ve seen that throughout Scripture, children who grow up in homes where God is known receive a wonderful blessing. Those are solid observations because they’re grounded in the passages we’ve studied. But notice something else. None of those passages plainly answer the question,

“What is the eternal destiny of every infant who dies?” As much as we may wish they did, they simply don’t. That doesn’t mean Scripture has failed us. It means we should be careful not to ask one passage to answer a question God intended another passage, or perhaps no single passage, to answer.

That kind of humility isn’t a weakness. It’s one of the ways we honor God’s Word by allowing it to speak for itself.

Trusting the One Who Knows

There are moments in our walk with Christ when our desire for certainty meets the limits of our understanding. This is one of those moments. It’s natural to want every question answered, especially when the question touches something as tender as the life of a child. But perhaps there is something just as important as receiving an answer.

Learning to trust the character of God. Throughout Scripture, we meet a God who is perfectly just. Perfectly righteous. Perfectly merciful.

Perfectly good. Those truths never change, even when our questions remain. Our confidence isn’t built on knowing everything God knows. Our confidence rests in knowing the God who has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ.

Grace doesn’t give us permission to invent answers. Neither does it leave us without hope. Instead, grace teaches us to hold tightly to what God has spoken, while humbly trusting Him with what He has not. That’s not avoiding the question.

It’s an expression of faith. After all, if we believe God gave His own Son for us… if we believe He is wiser than we are… if we believe His judgments are always true…

then we can also trust that whatever He does is perfectly right. That doesn’t answer every mystery. But it gives us a firm place to stand. Not on our understanding…

but on His unchanging character. And there is no better place to rest.

Knowing God Is the Greater Gift

As we come to the end of this Companion Bible Study, it’s worth remembering something we’ve seen throughout our time together. There are passages in Scripture that answer our questions immediately. There are others that invite us to slow down, read more carefully, and keep growing. First Corinthians 7 is one of those passages.

As we’ve walked through it together, we’ve seen that Paul’s concern was a believing husband or wife living faithfully in a divided home. We’ve seen that the word holy carries a richness that cannot simply be reduced to the word saved. We’ve seen that God’s people have always been called to live lives set apart for Him. And we’ve seen that Jesus welcomed little children with compassion and love.

At the same time, we’ve also learned something just as valuable. Good Bible study doesn’t force a passage to answer every question we bring to it. Instead, it allows the passage to accomplish the purpose for which God gave it. Sometimes that means our questions are answered.

Sometimes it means they’re refined. Sometimes we’re led to another passage. And sometimes we’re simply reminded to trust the God who knows the end from the beginning. That isn’t a weakness in Scripture.

It’s one of its strengths. Because every time we return to the Bible with humble hearts, we’re invited to know not only more about God… but to know God Himself.

And that’s always the greater gift.