Christian families are a vital element in rebuilding a biblical culture. Husbands must be the spiritual leaders, the providers, the protectors; wives, submissive yet wise and strong help meets; children Christian warriors in training. Through the Messiah, God promised blessings to His people, their children, and their children's children forever.
In a culture like ours, though, the family and marriage are under assault. Many are seeking a new way, that of the unconnected individual. But man is indissolubly social. God said to Adam in the Garden, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). What was true of our first father before the Fall is even more established in the experience of all men since. Man needs woman. Parents need children. Children need parents. By definition marriages and families are essential to the good and well being of any society of men. That is certainly true of the society of the church.
Marriage and family are institutions created by God and ordered by his Word. In the Bible, we learn that God has assigned various roles to husbands, wives, parents, and children. These roles consist in obligations and prerogatives (Eph. 5:22-6:4). As with all that God commands, when people are careful to observe these standards they find life filled with meaning and joy. A good marriage is a great delight. A happy family showers blessings on each member at all times. As the church we must recover and remind our culture of these truths.
Recovering marriage and family will mean recovering the vision of the servant. Fathers, mothers, parents, children, sisters, and brothers are all offices of service. Sometimes that service is expressed through leadership and authority (fathers, parents, older siblings, etc.). Sometimes service manifests itself in offices of submission and obedience. All serve Christ. All submit to divine authority. All honor and assist each other.
The family is also founded upon the ultimate family; that of the Godhead. Between the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit there exists a familial relationship. That bond within the Trinity provides the ultimate example of how to live in love and service to one another. Reviving this Christian view of marriage and family will prove key to the recovery of a truly Christian culture in our land. Every effort and all exertion toward that end will be gloriously repaid in the generations to come. God has promised great things to our families.
We pray that these books may assist you in laying claim to those promises.
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Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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