If I, being a wife and mother, am saved, does the bible say my family is automatically saved? I never thought about this till a friend of mine stated it to be truth. Thank you in advance for your answer.
Answer
Ezekiel 18 says that the child shall not be held guilty of the sins of the parent, nor the parent for the sins of the child. Neither will a child be held righteous because of the parent, nor the parent because of the child. Each person is saved or lost based on their own sin.
On the other hand, Paul says, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.” (1 Corinthians 7:14) This was in a discussion about divorcing an unbelieving spouse after becoming a Christian.
Since I don’t believe the Bible contradicts itself, I don’t believe that the passage in 1 Corinthians means that the children are automatically saved. I think Paul is saying that the example of the believing parent is sufficient to bring the children to belief, and salvation. Of course, young children are not held guilty of sin until they are capable of believing and obeying Christ. A believing mother is going to train such children up in a way that they will be less likely to sin and more likely to obey when given the opportunity and the ability.
As a parent it would be nice to know that the children were automatically saved. However, there comes a time when they must make their own decisions and enjoy or suffer the consequences of those decisions. They cannot depend on your righteousness to save them.