Saved parents and unsaved children

In that past two months I have talked with parents who are believers. Sadly, they have said either that their child(ren) are not walking with the Lord or that they are not saved. I wonder about the influence of these saved parents on their children. The only reference that I found was the one in 1 Cor 7:16 "How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?" Too, 1 Peter 3:3 "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives..." I don't find any similar scriptures for parents and children. I want my friends - parents - to be able to have the settled confidence that their children are believers and be able to say, "I have no greater joy than to hear of my children walking in the truth." (3 John 4)
 
Two verses I can think of are:

Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Acts 16:31 - "And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, and your house."

It seems to me that these verses indicate that a saved parent can be confident for their children's salvation.
 
Everyone, regardless of how spiritual and committed the family they are in makes their own choices. It is sometimes hard for the believing parent to accept, but their children must be presented with spiritual challenges ( and thus risk failure ) in order to grow.

The mother and father need to work together and decide how they will manage their part in preparing their children to live in the world where the Lord has placed them. Some will opt to shield their children from the culture around them, while others will gradually expose them, providing close guidance at first, and gradually allowing the young person to make more and more decisions. Some will pray, trust in the Lord, and provide good examples. No approach is appropriate for all young persons, and from my observation, none provide fail-safe results.


Sometimes they will fail. There are no guarantees

There are two passages that come to mind:


The first is Proverbs 22:6:

Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.



The second is the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:8-32).

Rebellious youth is so common as to be a cliché in many cultures. A good foundation laid down by parents goes a long way to countering much of the results, but we must remember that we each of us must battle the enemy, and a parent cannot really prevent their children from having decisions placed before them.

But look at the proverb and the parable. Both recognize that coming to seeming maturity and taking ones place in society may result in falling away, but if they have been provided a solid foundation, there will be something for the Lord to build upon as true maturity develops and the wisdom of age develops.
 
I didn't mention that the children I was speaking of are now grown, married, and living away from home. I am confident that these parents are holding fast to the other scriptures that have been referenced. So, I guess it is a matter of patience, prayer, and unconditional love on the part of the parents, believing that at some future time these children will return to their Christian beliefs or become believers.
 
Children until they reach a certain age (age of accountability...depends upon the child's abity to understand, but is usually around 12-13) are under their parents spiritual protection. Just like in :
1 Corinthians 7:14
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.

However as i have experienced in my own life.... a parent has lots of guarantees in the Word that God will raise their children to follow Him. One verse is Isaiah 54:13

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
and great shall be the peace of thy children.

I stood on this verse for 3 to 5 years, and God has fulfilled His end of the promise.

The other verse that God gave me is Jer 31:16 — Jer 31:17

Thus saith the Lord;
Refrain thy voice from weeping,
and thine eyes from tears:
for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord;
and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord,
that thy children shall come again to their own border.

If a parent will stand strong (for this is a spiritual war) in the gap for their children, by standing in faith in God's ability and promises, by binding the strongman from their children's minds and praying to the Lord of the Harvest to get laborers across their children's paths, and asking God to grant their children the gift of repentance (2 Timothy 2:24-26) ...even if they see no change for whatever time frame....They will see God's salvation come to their children. We cannot choose to give up if we dont see things happening right away. We must fully trust that God loves them more that we do and that He will move on their hearts.

God has delivered my daughter from drugs and unhealthy living. She is now attending Bible study, and church, and taking her children to church, watching what her cbildren watch on tv, and married, with a good job.

It took some time, and she went through some difficult times, but as we stood in faith, praying ps 91, and blessings around her and her children....God has proven faithful!

It was not just about her either. I had to make a quality decision to follow God's ways at all costs, and for that I was rewarded. This is not just a fly by night decision. And we have to have our own lives in order as well. To be the example and walk in true Love and forgiveness. Sometimes that love has to be tough, and allow them to go through things that hurts us just as much as it does the Father, but He will prove faithful if we will keep standing and praying (Galatians 6:9).

Blessings
 
I didn't mention that the children I was speaking of are now grown, married, and living away from home. I am confident that these parents are holding fast to the other scriptures that have been referenced. So, I guess it is a matter of patience, prayer, and unconditional love on the part of the parents, believing that at some future time these children will return to their Christian beliefs or become believers.

I hear you and bleed with you. It is sad and there are not two ways about it.

I can honestly say that when parents have brought up there children in the way of the Lord, given their children the gospel and been faithful in taking them to church, there is then nothing that can be done expect to pray that God will work in them and change them.

I can tell you for a fact and from personal experience that when a parent of an adult child who is either lost or out of the will of God, keeps talking to that child about the Lord Jesus, that child will then push his parent away and become even more alienated from his parent.

Why is that the case? IMO it is and always has been one thing.......sin.

No parent wants to hear that, neither do many agree with that but it is actually the bottom line.

Sin effects our ability to make right choices and when anyone love their sin their ability to make the right choices is damaged.
 
I didn't mention that the children I was speaking of are now grown, married, and living away from home. I am confident that these parents are holding fast to the other scriptures that have been referenced. So, I guess it is a matter of patience, prayer, and unconditional love on the part of the parents, believing that at some future time these children will return to their Christian beliefs or become believers.
That is exactly what they should continue to do. They should not beat themselves worrying what would happen to their Children. Salvation is from the Lord. Parents have obligation. but they cannot save their children.
 
Standing on His promises are all I have for my children at this point. They were raised in church and heard the word but they, like I did when I was young, have went their own way. Father has told me to pray and trust him, as Ravindran has said I cannot save my children. Farher has reminded me that as I had went my own way into full throttle rebellion that He had always been with me protecting me and drawing me to Himself and I have full assurance He is doing the same with my children. For that I'm grateful!!!! \0/
 
Father, We come to You as a united group, thanking You for watching over all of our loved ones and especially our children, and the children of those believers all over the world who have gone astray. All those in the body of Christ.

We stand in greement with one another according to Your Word of where three or more are gathered in Your name as touching anything, there You are in our midst. We bind the strongman from these childrens (young and adult children) minds and ask Lord of the harvest that You send laborers across their paths, with Your Word, encouraging them to find their place in Your kingdom once gain. We trust Your Word that says as we raise up a child in Your ways, they will not depart from it.

We trust in Your loving ability to bring them into right fellowship with You. We know and trust that You do love them more than we ever could, and that You are a God of integrity and Covenant. And as we serve You, we trust that You are teaching our children and bringing them back from the enemies camp.

We vow this day to never go by what we see in the natural, but to trust Your Word over everything. Knowing and trusting that You are always true to Your Word, and that You watch over Your Word to perform it and make it come to pass.

Thank You Father for supernaturally bringing peace and comfort to everyone. Encouraging our faith every step along the way. We bless and honor Your name, and that You are a keeper of Your promises....for in You every promise is Yes and Amen.
In Jesus Name we pray and trust, Amen
 
Father, We come to You as a united group, thanking You for watching over all of our loved ones and especially our children, and the children of those believers all over the world who have gone astray. All those in the body of Christ.

We stand in greement with one another according to Your Word of where three or more are gathered in Your name as touching anything, there You are in our midst. We bind the strongman from these childrens (young and adult children) minds and ask Lord of the harvest that You send laborers across their paths, with Your Word, encouraging them to find their place in Your kingdom once gain. We trust Your Word that says as we raise up a child in Your ways, they will not depart from it.

We trust in Your loving ability to bring them into right fellowship with You. We know and trust that You do love them more than we ever could, and that You are a God of integrity and Covenant. And as we serve You, we trust that You are teaching our children and bringing them back from the enemies camp.

We vow this day to never go by what we see in the natural, but to trust Your Word over everything. Knowing and trusting that You are always true to Your Word, and that You watch over Your Word to perform it and make it come to pss.

Thank You Father for supernaturally bringing peace and comfort to everyone. Encouraging our faith every step along the way. We bless and honor Your name, and that You are a keeper of Your promises....for in You every promise is Yes and Amen.
In Jesus Name we pray and trust, Amen

Amen!!'
 
In that past two months I have talked with parents who are believers. Sadly, they have said either that their child(ren) are not walking with the Lord or that they are not saved. I wonder about the influence of these saved parents on their children. The only reference that I found was the one in 1 Cor 7:16 "How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?" Too, 1 Peter 3:3 "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives..." I don't find any similar scriptures for parents and children. I want my friends - parents - to be able to have the settled confidence that their children are believers and be able to say, "I have no greater joy than to hear of my children walking in the truth." (3 John 4)
There are many scriptures that tell us that children of believing parents' are saved also with their parents. 1 Corinthians 7:14 "For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.
The Bible says that because one of the parents is a believer, the children are holy, that means they are saved because you cannot be holy without being saved. The Bible says the same thing in Acts 16:30-31, "Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." You see here, the man asked what he (not the whole household) will do to be saved. Paul and Silas answered him, believe in Jesus Christ, then not only him will be saved but his whole family.

You can read more about this here: http://www.thenoblechristian.com/2016/12/what-the-bible-says-about-entire-household-salvation.html
 
There are many scriptures that tell us that children of believing parents' are saved also with their parents. 1 Corinthians 7:14 "For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.
The Bible says that because one of the parents is a believer, the children are holy, that means they are saved because you cannot be holy without being saved. The Bible says the same thing in Acts 16:30-31, "Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." You see here, the man asked what he (not the whole household) will do to be saved. Paul and Silas answered him, believe in Jesus Christ, then not only him will be saved but his whole family.

You can read more about this here: http://www.thenoblechristian.com/2016/12/what-the-bible-says-about-entire-household-salvation.html

Greetings thenobel,

I can surely appreciate what you are saying, however what you have written above in not 100% correct. Each child starts out under the covering of their parents, but as they grow in knowledge and understanding they must make their own decision to follow Christ.

Romans 14:21 tells us that each one of us will give an account to God for our own actions

Philippians 2:12 Paul lets us all know that each person must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

Abundant kingdom Blessings to you
 
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." You see here, the man asked what he (not the whole household)

Now then it can also be read as you mam need to believe and Also your family.

If a child was saved by the simple actions of the parents then they would not ever need to ask to Lord into their lives.

What about the age of accountability?
How does this factor in?

I don't know about you but I would not ever rest on this type of thinking where my or any ones else children's eternity rest.
Seems reckless and most dangerous to me.

So the pastor has 3 children. 2 of them follow in his footsteps but one gets off into the world and suckered in.

Now if he is saved because of his parents then he can live however he pleases and his parents can rest he is saved. That's foolishness.

So what happens? Did this wondering child loose his salvation that was automatically his because of his parents when he began to live in the sin of the world? Again foolishness.

No! He just like his 2 other siblings Must make up their own mind to invite the Lord into their lives.

Blessings
FCJ
 
As I was praying I felt led to list some scriptures to stand on and pray over our children.... If anyone has more to add please do so :)

Scriptures to pray over ones Children
(Or any one)

Ps 91
Colossians 1:9-14
Ephesians 1:16-23 & 3:14-20
2 Timothy 2:24-26
Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Scriptures to stand on

Isaiah 54:13

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Jer 31:16 — Jer 31:17

Thus saith the Lord;
Refrain thy voice from weeping,
and thine eyes from tears:
for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord;
and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord,
that thy children shall come again to their own border.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Exodus 20:6
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Blessings to you all
 
There are many scriptures that tell us that children of believing parents' are saved also with their parents. 1 Corinthians 7:14 "For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.
The Bible says that because one of the parents is a believer, the children are holy, that means they are saved because you cannot be holy without being saved. The Bible says the same thing in Acts 16:30-31, "Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." You see here, the man asked what he (not the whole household) will do to be saved. Paul and Silas answered him, believe in Jesus Christ, then not only him will be saved but his whole family.

You can read more about this here: http://www.thenoblechristian.com/2016/12/what-the-bible-says-about-entire-household-salvation.html

My friend, if you are tying to say that the family is saved if one of the parents is saved according to 1 Corth. 7:15, I have to say to you that you are not understanding that verse.

That is not what Paul is saying. He is saying that if a person is married to an unsaved person and there is children in the family......"Stay together and see it through".

To think that the family will be saved because a parent is saved goes against every other Scripture about salvation. Salvation is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and is not a family event.
 
My friend, if you are tying to say that the family is saved if one of the parents is saved according to 1 Corth. 7:15, I have to say to you that you are not understanding that verse.

That is not what Paul is saying. He is saying that if a person is married to an unsaved person and there is children in the family......"Stay together and see it through".

To think that the family will be saved because a parent is saved goes against every other Scripture about salvation. Salvation is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and is not a family event.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I will like you to read the entire post below, I will want you to prove me wrong with scriptures, because I am still learning too. remember it is about household salvation.

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us that when God saves an individual, He does not only have the individual in mind. He has the whole family or the entire household in mind. There are many scriptures and examples of God saving the entire household because of one member of the family both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
We will look at some of these examples in the Bible.

The believing parent and his household.


The Bible says that the children of believing parents' are saved also through their parents. 1 Corinthians 7:14 "For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. The Bible says that because one of the parents is a believer, both the children and the husband are holy, that means they are saved because one cannot be holy without being saved.

The jailer and his household.

The Bible says the same thing in Acts 16:30-31, "Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." Look at the reply very, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." You see here, the man asked what he (not the whole household) will do to be saved. Paul and Silas answered him, believe in Jesus Christ, then not only him will be saved but his whole family.

Zacchaeus and his household.

Luke 19:9 says, "Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house." Here the Lord Jesus confirmed the same principle. It was Zacchaeus who repented when he invited the Lord to his house. "But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.” Luke 19:8 Here, it was only Zaccheaus that repented, not his entire family. If Jesus has said to him, "today salvation has come to you", that would still be enough good news to Zacchaeus. But Jesus extended the salvation to his entire household. So if Jesus himself declared that your family or household is saved, how could you doubt that.

Noah and his household.

What about Noah, the Bible never said that Noah's wife, his sons, daughters in law were righteous. But the Bible says that "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:9." But God did not save only Noah, but He saved the entire family. "On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark." Genesis 7:13.

Lot and his household.



God did the same in the Lot's case , when He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, because of the righteousness of Lot, "Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day" 2 Peter 2:8, God saved his entire family. "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city."Genesis 19 15.

Abraham and his household.

The covenant God made with Abraham with circumcision was was for him and his children. Genesis 17:12-13 says, "Every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."
Therefore, the promise of circumcision was not given to Abraham alone but to his whole household. Circumcision takes the household as a unit. God's promise came to Abraham's house, not to him alone.

Rahab and her household.

what about Rahab? She and all her household were saved because she received the spies. Joshua 6:17 says, "And the city shall be devoted to Jehovah for destruction, it and all that is in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the messengers we sent."

Joshua and his household.

"But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15. Here Joshua should have declared that he will serve the Lord, he does not know about his family. No! he boldly declared that "he and his household will serve the Lord.

I believe that it is time that christians embrace this truth, and boldly declare like Joshua that "I and my family will serve the Lord". Instead of worrying about your loved ones not being saved, you should boldly declare to them and over their lives by faith that "because I am saved, salvation has come to this house." You should boldly declare that " I and my family are saved. Before long, you will see God bring them to the understanding of this truth to embrace Him and live accordingly. God saved households because of one righteous person among them from the time of Noah, to the time of Jesus Christ and during time of the the apostles. So why do we think that he has stopped saving households in this our generation? "This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, "The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses"). 2 Corinthians 13:1.

I Believe that these scriptural examples are enough to convince any person that their children, husband or wife are saved because of them. They might not be acting or living like christians but the Bible says that they are saved. So instead of praying and crying to God to save them, you should be thanking God that He has saved them and pray that God should change their character to live as Christ. Before long, you will see them being transformed by God through the word of salvation you have been declaring over them.

From: http://www.thenoblechristian.com/
 
I will like you to read the entire post below, I will want you to prove me wrong with scriptures, because I am still learning too. remember it is about household salvation.

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us that when God saves an individual, He does not only have the individual in mind. He has the whole family or the entire household in mind. There are many scriptures and examples of God saving the entire household because of one member of the family both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
We will look at some of these examples in the Bible.

Greetings thenonoble
I would like to bring up a couple of things concerning the quote above.

Bringing scriptures is the best way However keeping scriptures true to their context is just as vital.

You are using scriptures not in the context they were written in but forming them to fit your thinking.

The bible was Not Written in verse and chapter for man put the word of God into verses and chapters thinking it would be easier to read.
The problem with this is that people read it like this and think because it's a new chapter or verse the author is talking about something new when in fact the author is still on the same topic.

A person can not use the bible like one would with a trouble shooting manual.
Example.
1. outboard will not start.
1.a turn key and nothing happens. see v44
1b turn key and outboard spins but does not start...see v57
1c turn key and out board starts but quickly stops...see v42

This works great trying to find out why your outboard won't start.....
But when it comes to the things of God it simply will find one in error far to many times.

Now remember the old testament scriptures are before the Cross.....

The scripture must be kept in true context of its meaning other wise we can get all fouled up.

Example.....
We can pick and choose scriptures and make them say anything we want them to.
We can clip scriptures out and get..... this is what pleases God, run and go hang your self on a tree.
Both of these are from scriptures and if used incorrectly can be dangerous.

So instead of trying to get others to read how you have placed scriptures to make a point I would suggest that you go back and read the entire chapters around these scriptures and then use them in the context they are written.

I hope this all makes sense to you.
Blessings
FCJ
 
The jailer and his household.

The Bible says the same thing in Acts 16:30-31, "Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." Look at the reply very, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." You see here, the man asked what he (not the whole household) will do to be saved. Paul and Silas answered him, believe in Jesus Christ, then not only him will be saved but his whole family.

Hi thenobel,

This is a great example that you have provided for us to read, and to rightly divide this word of truth, one needs to read it in context with many other verses like.....
Romans 14:21 tells us that each one of us will give an account to God for our own actions

Philippians 2:12 Paul lets us all know that each person must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.
Then we can truly see the Scripture in true light. We also must remember that at that time when this Scripture was written, men were truly the head of their household (even though they still are required by kingdom law to be today). And when he believed in something...the whole family followed right along. They made a conscious decision to accept the same teachings as their own, and follow their leader (father, husband, master) in the way that he has chosen for his family. Its kind of like each man was the pastor of his own household, and whatever he thought and learned, he taught to the rest of his household.

Lets use the story of Corneilus and his family for an example.... The whole story is in Acts 10
Act 10:1 — Act 10:2

10 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
Acts 10:24
And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.

Act 10:34 — Act 10:35
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him

Act 10:44 — Act 10:48
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

I encourage you to read the whole chapter 10 to get the whole story, but for this thread, so as to not have a long post I have chosen just a few verses to illustrate with.

Blessings to you in abundance
 
Hi, thanks for your reply. I will like you to read the entire post below, I will want you to prove me wrong with scriptures, because I am still learning too. remember it is about household salvation.

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us that when God saves an individual, He does not only have the individual in mind. He has the whole family or the entire household in mind. There are many scriptures and examples of God saving the entire household because of one member of the family both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
We will look at some of these examples in the Bible.

The believing parent and his household.

The Bible says that the children of believing parents' are saved also through their parents. 1 Corinthians 7:14 "For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. The Bible says that because one of the parents is a believer, both the children and the husband are holy, that means they are saved because one cannot be holy without being saved.


The jailer and his household.


The Bible says the same thing in Acts 16:30-31, "Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." Look at the reply very, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." You see here, the man asked what he (not the whole household) will do to be saved. Paul and Silas answered him, believe in Jesus Christ, then not only him will be saved but his whole family.


Zacchaeus and his household.

Luke 19:9 says, "Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house." Here the Lord Jesus confirmed the same principle. It was Zacchaeus who repented when he invited the Lord to his house. "But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.” Luke 19:8 Here, it was only Zaccheaus that repented, not his entire family. If Jesus has said to him, "today salvation has come to you", that would still be enough good news to Zacchaeus. But Jesus extended the salvation to his entire household. So if Jesus himself declared that your family or household is saved, how could you doubt that.

Noah and his household.

What about Noah, the Bible never said that Noah's wife, his sons, daughters in law were righteous. But the Bible says that "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:9." But God did not save only Noah, but He saved the entire family. "On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark." Genesis 7:13.

Lot and his household.



God did the same in the Lot's case , when He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, because of the righteousness of Lot, "Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day" 2 Peter 2:8, God saved his entire family. "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city."Genesis 19 15.

Abraham and his household.

The covenant God made with Abraham with circumcision was was for him and his children. Genesis 17:12-13 says, "Every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."
Therefore, the promise of circumcision was not given to Abraham alone but to his whole household. Circumcision takes the household as a unit. God's promise came to Abraham's house, not to him alone.

Rahab and her household.

what about Rahab? She and all her household were saved because she received the spies. Joshua 6:17 says, "And the city shall be devoted to Jehovah for destruction, it and all that is in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the messengers we sent."

Joshua and his household.

"But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15. Here Joshua should have declared that he will serve the Lord, he does not know about his family. No! he boldly declared that "he and his household will serve the Lord.

I believe that it is time that christians embrace this truth, and boldly declare like Joshua that "I and my family will serve the Lord". Instead of worrying about your loved ones not being saved, you should boldly declare to them and over their lives by faith that "because I am saved, salvation has come to this house." You should boldly declare that " I and my family are saved. Before long, you will see God bring them to the understanding of this truth to embrace Him and live accordingly. God saved households because of one righteous person among them from the time of Noah, to the time of Jesus Christ and during time of the the apostles. So why do we think that he has stopped saving households in this our generation? "This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, "The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses"). 2 Corinthians 13:1.

I Believe that these scriptural examples are enough to convince any person that their children, husband or wife are saved because of them. They might not be acting or living like christians but the Bible says that they are saved. So instead of praying and crying to God to save them, you should be thanking God that He has saved them and pray that God should change their character to live as Christ. Before long, you will see them being transformed by God through the word of salvation you have been declaring over them.

From: http://www.thenoblechristian.com/

From what I gather, you are proposing "household" salvation.". To begin I must tell you that there is no such thing in the Scriptures. There are many verses, some of which you are asking can be made to say what is not there. One of the great mistakes in Bible exegesis is making Scripture say what we want it to say instead of understanding what it is actually saying.

Salvation can only come to an individual who personally believes in Christ. Believing in Christ is not something that a father can do for a son or daughter. The fact that one member of a family or household believes does not guarantee that the rest will also believe.

A principle concerning biblical history is that no one event can be automatically assumed to apply in every situation. For example, Samson had long hair and he tore the city gates off of Gaza and carried them up a hill, but this doesn’t mean that, if we grow our hair long, we will be able to do the same thing.

In Acts 11, the fact that God promised Cornelius that his whole household would be saved does not mean the same promise applies universally to all households across all time. In other words, the context of Acts 11:14 was a specific promise to a specific person at a specific point in time. We must be careful about interpreting such promises as universal; they should not be separated from their historical setting.


You asked about 1 Corth. 7:14......
At 1st reading this verse, if I wanted it to say the household could be saved I could make it do that. It seems to teach that an unbelieving spouse can be saved on the basis of his or her spouse’s faith in Christ. It also seems to say that their children will be holy before the Lord because one of their parents is saved. But that conclusion would be inconsistent with the overall teaching of Scripture. In this context the word sanctified is not referring to salvation or being made holy before God. Instead, it refers to the sanctity of the marriage relationship itself. Paul taught that Christians should not be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers in 2 Corth. 6:14.

The real story is that there was fear of some in the church of Paul's day, that since they were married to unbelievers, they were living in sin—their marriage was “unholy” and their children from that union were illegitimate. Paul allays their fears: believers who are already married to an unbeliever should remain married as long as the unbeliever consents to stay married. They should not seek a divorce; their marriage relationship is sanctified (holy or set apart in God’s eyes) based upon the faith of the believing spouse. Likewise, the children of their marriage are legitimate in the sight of God.

Then you asked about Acts 16:30-31......
Again, this promise is given to a specific individual in a specific context; however, this one contains an additional promise that is clearly universal and spans all time periods and contexts. That promise is not one of household salvation but is entirely consistent with every other verse in the Bible that speaks of salvation. It is the promise that if you believe in the Lord Jesus “you will be saved.” Also, salvation came to the jailer’s household as the result of their hearing the Word of God and individually responding in faith: Paul and Silas “spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house(Acts 16:32). The whole family heard the gospel. They were all saved, just as God had promised, but their salvation was not due to their being a part of the jailer’s household; they were saved because they believed the gospel for themselves.

Then Luke 19:9...........
The Scripture says nothing about the family of Zacchaeus. It says "This House". He lived in the house therefore he would be the subject not his family.


Then you are asking about Noah's family in Genesis 7:13..........
1 Peter 3:20 tells us that "Only a few people, eight in all, were saved…" .


Now Lot and his family in Genesis 19 15........................
Lot's family was not saved now was it? His wife was turned into salt. That tells me that she was not a believer or she was already missing her life in Sodom but there is nothing to indicate family salvation when we know that she in fact was not saved.

Next is Genesis 17:12-13 and Abraham's family promises...............
The sign of the Abrahamic covenant (circumcision) was to be applied to all males within one's household, whether they were born into the family or are part of the household servant staff. When we are born physically, we’re born into a physical family, but when we are "born again," we are born into a spiritual family.


Joshua 6:17 speaks of Rahab.............
"Saved" there means rescued. They were not killed in the attack but that does not refer to spiritual salvation.

Joshua 24:15 speaks of what he said as he was approaching death...................
The words would indicate that his family were believers. That does not suggest that the family was saved because of Joshua but Joshua knew the members of his family were believers so he was able to say......."For me and my house, we will serve the Lord".

It seems to me my brother that you have a need to believe that a family unit is saved when the head of the family is a saved person. It seems to me that you are trying to force the Scriptures to say what is not there but what you want it to say.

The Bible does not teach "Family Salvation" my dear brother. Jesus is our Personal Saviour and every person who is saved must have a one to one relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
As I was praying I felt led to list some scriptures to stand on and pray over our children.... If anyone has more to add please do so :)

Scriptures to pray over ones Children
(Or any one)

Ps 91
Colossians 19-14
Ephesians 1:16-23 & 3:14-20
2 Timothy 2:24-26
Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Scriptures to stand on

Isaiah 54:13

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Jer 31:16 — Jer 31:17

Thus saith the Lord;
Refrain thy voice from weeping,
and thine eyes from tears:
for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord;
and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord,
that thy children shall come again to their own border.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Exodus 20:6
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

Blessings to you all
These scriptures are helpful and encouraging. I plan to share these with my friends who have unsaved or children not walking with the Lord.

I am very interested in the discussion about household salvation. I will keep reading and learning.
 
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