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October Issue 1 |
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TITLE: "The Christian Family" Author: New Geneva Study Bible “As
for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
The Family is the oldest and most basic of human
institutions. In both the Israelite culture of the Old Testament
and the Hellenistic culture of the New Testament, the household might
consist of parents and children, relatives from several generations,
servants, and even friends, depending on the economic resources of the
head of the family. The Bible stresses its importance as a
spiritual unit and a training ground for mature adult character.
The Bible pictures a clear authority structure
within the family, whereby the husband is to lead the wife and the
parents are to lead the children. But just as all leadership
should be a form of ministry rather than tyranny, so these domestic
leadership roles must be fulfilled in love (Eph. 5:22-6:4; Col.
3:18-21; 1 Peter 3:1-7). The fourth commandment requires the
head of the household to lead his whole family in sabbath observance;
the fifth requires children to respect and submit to their parents
(Ex. 20:8-12, Eph. 6:1-3). Jesus Himself set an example in this
as a child (Luke 2:51). Later, He fiercely opposed supposed
gestures of piety that were really evasions of responsibility toward
parents (Mark 7:6-13), and His own last act before death was to
provide for His mother’s future (John 19:25-27).
The family is to be a community of teaching and
learning about God and godliness. Children must be instructed
(Gen. 18:18, 19; Deut. 4:9; 6:6-8; 11:18-21; Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6-4) and
encouraged to use that instruction as a basis for their lives (Prov.
1:8; 6:20). Discipline should be used as a means of corrective
training to lead children beyond childish folly to self-controlled
wisdom (Prov. 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13, 14; 29:15, 17). Just
as there is purposeful, loving discipline in God’s family (Prov.
3:11, 12; Heb. 12:5-11), so there must be in the human family.
The family is meant to function as a spiritual
unit. The Old Testament Passover was a family observance (Ex.
12:3). Joshua set an example when he said, “as for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). Households
became the units of Christian commitment in New Testament times (Acts
11:14; 16:15, 31:33; 1 Cor. 1:16). The fitness of candidates for
church office was assessed by observing whether they had led their own
family well (1 Tim. 3:4, 5, 12; Titus 1:6).
Building strong family life is always a priority in
serving God.
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come and study with us: Need some spiritual encouragement? Additional reading of the Puritan Prayers on-site here will surely bless your soul. Puritan Prayers To view previous articles: Heavenly Notes Archive * * * Heavenly Notes Address: |
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