CHRISTIAN FAMILY AND HOME

God Instituted the Family and Home:

Genesis 1:26-31 “And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping things that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and evry tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.  And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Genesis 2:18-25 “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.  And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.  And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.  And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto 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.  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

God Designed the Family and Home Relationships:

Ephesians 5:21-33 “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.  There as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.  He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.  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 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

God Planned the Family for Spiritual Ministry:

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

II Timothy 1:5 “When I (Paul) call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee (Timothy), which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

II Timothy 3:14-17 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

God Sanctioned the Family and Home by His Presence:

Genesis 3:8-9 “And they (Adam and Eve) heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.  And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”

Luke 2:6-7 “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:46-52 “And it came to pass, that after three days they (Joseph and Mary) found him (Jesus) in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.  And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother saith unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?  Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me?  Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?  And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.  And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

John 2:1-2 (Larger Passage John 2:1-11) “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.”

God Purposed Family and Home as a Witness:

Deuteronomy 6:8-9 “And thou shalt bind them (these words) for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.  And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Matthew 9:9-10; Luke 5:27-29 “And after these things he (Jesus) went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi (Matthew), sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.  And he left all, rose up, and followed him.  And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.” (Note: Jesus made reference to or ministered in homes at least 120 times.)

Acts 5:42 “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

II Timothy 3:14-17 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

God Planned for the Family to Worship in the Home:

Acts 2:46 “And they (believers), continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising god, and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”  (Note:  Other passages concerning worshipping in the home – Acts 5:41; Acts 12:12; Acts 20:20; Romans 16:5; I Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 2 ,etc.)

Acts 16:34 “And when he (Jailer) had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”

Acts 20:7, 11 “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.  When he (Paul) therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.”

I Corinthians 11:17-19 “Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be manifest among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.”

I Corinthians 11:18-22 “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. (You are not coming together to eat the Lord’s supper, for you have made it your supper.)  For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What:  Have ye not houses to eat and to drink in?  Or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not?  What shall I say to you?  Shall I praise you in this?  I praise you not.”

I Corinthians 11:23-32 “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.  After the same manner also he took the cup; when he had supped, saying,
 This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance.  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come again.  Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the cup.  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation (judgment) to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.  But when we are judged, we are chasten of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”

I Corinthians 11:33-34 “Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.  And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation.  And the rest will I set in order when I come.”

I Corinthians 14:26 “How is it then, brethren?  When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation.  Let all things be done unto edifying.”