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The family is the basic building block of the church and
country. The future of the church depends on the future of
the families in the church.
Why Study the Family?
One secular historian who specialises in the collapse of
civilizations listed eight signs that typified the decline
of each culture. The eight signs are:
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Marriage losing its sacredness.
·
The loss of the traditional meaning of the marriage
ceremony.
·
The growth of the feminist movement, and in conjunction with
that – the feminization of man.
·
The increased disrespect for parents and authority.
·
The rising rate of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and
rebellion.
·
The refusal of people to accept traditional marriages and
family responsibilities.
·
The acceptance of sex outside of marriage – marital
infidelity.
·
The acceptance of sexual perversions.
why use the bible in the study of the family?
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First, the Word of God is authoritative because it is
what the Creator says about the creatures (Psalm 19:7-9).
God knows because He made us.
·
Second, the Word of God is sufficient (Proverbs
24:3). The skill that we need to build a strong
Christ-centred family is found in the Holy Scriptures. And
“understanding” means constant applying of the Word of God.
To build a family and to keep it strong, we must resort to
the Word of God.
·
Third, the Word of God is clear and understandable
(Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
God created the family
The institution of the family begins with God (Genesis
1:27-28).
God began with a man. God did not begin with a community.
But God also did not stop with a man. God also created Eve
out of Adam, and “the LORD God had taken from man, made he a
woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:22).
And the two shall be one flesh. This strikes at the heart of
individualism. God did not create man to be alone. In fact,
God said that it is not good that the man should be alone.
God started with a family – a husband and wife who were
supposed to rule over the rest of creation.
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God started the world from one family unit. Do not ignore,
reject, and neglect the Word of God in your family.
God defined the
family
Marriage and the family are what theologians would classify
as creation ordinance. God created the institution of
marriage and the family for all mankind. When our Lord Jesus
Christ talks about the marriage relationship, He always
referred back to creation (Matthew 19:3-5, 8).
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God must be the foundation of your family.
God had a purpose for the family
God has a purpose for the family.
First, God’s purpose for the family is for procreation. “Be
fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).
Second, God’s purpose for the family is that it would be
reflection of Himself. “Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…This
is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the
church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so
love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that
she reverence her husband” (Ephesians 5:25, 32-33).
Third, God’s purpose for family is to perpetuate the godly
line. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm
127:3).
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The family is where we train godly and committed followers
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What shall we do?
If you read the Bible from cover to cover, you will know
that there is not one family whose life is trouble-free and
blissful. The reason is that family is made up of sinners.
But the Christian family has a hope where the others do not.
The redeemed covenant home has the hope of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Unbeliever:
To the non-believer,
Christ is the foundation upon which you must build your
life, marriage and family. You must acknowledge Him as your
Lord and Saviour.
Christian:
You are to build your life, marriage and family with
wisdom, establish it with understanding, and fill it with
spiritual riches.
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