A righteous relative

Romans 4:3 says, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Abraham’s beloved son was Isaac (Genesis 22:2), and Isaac was faithful in his generation, but his life brings up a good point to consider in this blog post.

The righteousness of our relatives won’t save us. As godly as Abraham was, Isaac still had to answer for himself, and Abraham’s faith was only reckoned to him for righteousness. This principle was taught in Ezekiel 18:20, which says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

Practically speaking, this principle can be seen today with a spouse who is not a Christian being convinced to obey the gospel by simple, godly conduct. Peter wrote, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear” (1 Peter 3:1-2). While the influence is crucial, the decision is still the individual’s to make. Make your teaching and influence count, but don’t get discouraged when your family member decides to turn against Christ. God will give repentance only to those who heard the gospel and let it become implanted in their hearts (Acts 5:31; 2 Timothy 2:25; James 1:21).

Kyle Campbell