A Vision of Family

The seventh in A Biblical Vision series is the vision of Family.

The primary human relationship that God created is the marriage between a man and a woman.  We see that children and family are the most basic institution in society.  We become the family of God through faith in Christ. 

Ge.1:26-27, "Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 

- Genesis clarifies that God created humanity both male and female.  And before there was marriage there is the dignity of both genders as part of God's creation design, we are created in His image for a purpose.


Ge.1:31, "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."

- All of humanity is significant and dignified over and above the rest of creation because we are created in the image of God.  And this is described as being very good.

Ge.2:18, 20-23, "And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him ... But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.  And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.  And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

- Marriage is between a man and a woman and created by God.  It was created to bring companionship to one another and to complement each other.  God also created the man for headship to represent Christ. 

Ge.4:26,5:1, "And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.  This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created." 

- The recording of families begins in Genesis as we see a godly line of men, or families, who called upon the Lord.

Ge.15:4-5, "And behold, the word of the Lord came to (Abram), saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be."

- God promised Abraham that his descendants, his family of faith, would be as numerous as the stars of the sky.  God's family is created by faith in God.

Dt.6:6-7, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." 

- God gives Moses instructions on teaching the Shema prayer, so as to love God with all our beings, and to be taught to the children.  These teachings shall be in all aspects of life.

Pr.3:1,11-12, "My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you ...  My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."

- The training of children is the process of following the commandments of the Lord.  It is to know God in our hearts and minds, so as to enjoy long life on the earth.

Ma.4:5-6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

- Malachi describes how the Lord will turn the hearts of fathers and children back to each other.  The Messiah brings redemption and restoration back to God’s design.

Mt.19:1-3, "And He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

- Jesus affirms the creation account of both male and female being made in the image of God, and the significance of marriage.  Marriage is created by God.

Mt.19:8-9, "(Jesus) said to them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

- One of the great consequences of sin is divorce and broken relationships and families.  This comes from the hardness of hearts.  It is not God’s will and God hates divorce. 

Ep.5:22-23, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord, for the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body."

- God created Eve with equal dignity in humanity, but to complement and complete Adam, and God called that very good.  The functional role wives have is to submit and support their husbands.

Ep.5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word."

- It is imperative for husbands to be Christ like in their marriage to their wives.  Husbands must love their wives as Jesus loves His church, by teaching and sacrificially living out the Word, which sanctifies and cleanses her to be a holy bride.  The functional role of husbands is to lead the wife and represent Christ.

Ep. 6:1-4, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.  And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."

- The Christian family is called to train and admonish their children in the Lord, which brings a promise of God's blessings and long life.

1Ti.5:8, "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

- Paul describes the most basic instruction for husbands is to provide for their families.  Even in a context of caring for widows, we see the principle of family is the foundational institution in society.

1Jn2:1, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.  And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

- John is writing in his later years as he sees the family of faith.  He reminds us that we have a heavenly Father, one who loves us, and an Advocate to redeem us from sin.

Christian marriage and family are the building blocks for the church and thus for the Spiritual welfare of all of society.  Every family has an influence and families of faith are instrumental in developing healthy relationships, raising children, and for building up the church.