by Josh Liu

Marriage, which is instituted and defined by God, is under constant attack. Nuclear (traditional), legally separated, divorced, single-parent, extended, childless, blended, and stepfamily—the marriage and family situations and issues are complex. By God’s grace, His Scriptures reveal His design and purpose of marriage and family and are sufficient to address all situations and issues. For the 2017-2018 academic year, College Life seeks to equip its students with a biblical foundation of marriage and family.

(The following notes are adapted from Dr. John Street of The Master’s University and Seminary.)

Why is it important to know what the family is?

First, many today are minimizing the importance of the family or have erroneous ideas about what the family is.

For example, the United Nations General Assembly declared the International Year of the Family 1994, stating “Families assume diverse forms and functions from one country to another, and within each national society. These express the diversity of individual preferences and societal conditions.” In other words, the diversity of culture reflects a diversity of families. Therefore, there is no single definition of family or one model; anyone can (re)define what marriage and family are. Whenever man departs from the counsel of God, chaos and sin ensue. Much of the world has sought to indoctrinate every person’s mind, particularly young people, to believe that they are the authority in deciding issues related to marriage and family. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we must return to God’s Word—God defines what the family is. Since God has provided instruction for the family, man ought to know and obey what God has commanded.

Second, one of Satan’s primary objectives is to destroy the family.

Scripture describes believers as involved in a spiritual war (Eph. 6:11-12). Satan and his demonic forces are opposed to God and all that God stands for. Because of God’s design and purpose of the family, if Satan can undermine the family, then he can destroy society; family and the family unit are critical for society.

Satan knows the importance of the family. Satan knows that:

1. The command to multiply, fill, and subdue the earth was given to a family unit (Gen. 1:28-29). The family is the basic building block of every other social unit or institution. So, the family is unique and irreplaceable in God’s creation. God starts His revelation to man with extended teaching about marriage and the family; He did not start revelation by talking about the church, civil government, or other social institutions.
2. Distortions and deficiencies in the family will produce distortions and deficiencies in every other human institution. The proliferation of fields such as social workers, child protection services, elementary school counselors, child psychologists, Freudian psychoanalysts, arbitrators, divorce lawyers and planners, teen pregnancy centers, and so on at least highlight possible consequences of broken marriages and families. Also, an ungodly family member can have an impact on other family members (see Ex. 20:5; Josh. 7; Prov. 12:4; 14:1; 21:9; Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21).
3. The family is a means of reflecting the communicable aspects of God’s nature. For example, the family is a means of reflecting the nature of His relationship with His people: husband-wife (Eph. 5:22-33; Rev. 19:9); father-child (Deut. 32:6-18; Rom. 8:12-17; 2 Cor. 6:16-18; John 1:12).
4. Family relationships affect our relationship with God. For example, the intimate filling of the Holy Spirit will manifest itself in submission in family relationships (Eph. 5:18ff), and a husband’s lack of care for his wife will obstruct his prayers (1 Pet. 3:7).
5. Family life is given among the requirements for leadership in the church (1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:8). If a man fails in the home, he is disqualified from being an overseer in the church. A man’s character and conduct among the most private and personal sphere of his life will reveal whether or not he is the kind of man God calls to shepherd His church.

Let this brief (and incomplete) introduction of the importance of the family prime you for further study.

• God holds marriage and family in high regard (cf. Heb. 13:4). Have you sought to glorify Him by preparing for or “doing” marriage and family God’s way by establishing a biblical foundation?
• As single people during their undergraduate careers, we would do well to prepare through biblical study and spiritual discipline (cf. Ezra 7:10; 1 Tim. 4:8).
• There is an enemy who opposes God and seeks to undermine His will, design, and purposes in creation. Stand firm on the truth of God’s Word to illumine your path in glorifying God with your family (cf. Prov. 3:5-6; Ps. 119:105).