Genesis 2:24 clearly implies that God’s original purpose was the union of one man and one woman for life. Anything else is a departure from God’s plan. The biblical concept of the nature of marriage and the home can be summed up by saying it is a

God-ordained union of one man and one woman for life. When Henry

Ford, on the occasion of his 50th wedding anniversary, was asked his rule for marital bliss and longevity, he replied, “Just the same as in the automobile business—stick to one model.”

The Importance of the Family

The importance of the family is underscored by its symbolic and figurative use in the Scriptures. Family relations are frequent- ly used to describe God’s relationship with His people and their relationship with Him.

In the Old Testament, God’s relationship with Israel is repeat- edly described in family terms. For example, Moses was instructed to tell Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Israel is My son, My first- born. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me’” (Exodus 4:22 NKJV). This idea of God as Father of His people is prominent throughout the Old Testament (see Psalm 103:13; Isa- iah 63:16; 64:8; and Jeremiah 3:19).

God is also portrayed as the husband of His people. For exam- ple, Hosea used the marriage relationship as a symbolic portrait of the covenant relationship between God and His bride, Israel. Israel’s unfaithfulness was considered spiritual adultery (see Jer- emiah 3:8-9; Ezekiel 23:37-38).

In the New Testament, the idea of God as Father is prevalent. There are approximately 275 references to God as Father, with over 100 of those in the Gospel of John, and an additional dozen in 1 John. Perhaps most notably, Jesus used the all-inclusive “Our Father . . . ” in what we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus also told the parable of the prodigal son and the loving, forgiving father (Luke 15:11-32).

In his letters, the apostle Paul frequently uses family terms in speaking of spiritual relationships. For example, he refers to believers as sons and daughters of God through faith (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 3:26). Paul also teaches that it is the Holy Spirit within who causes us to say, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15- 16; Galatians 4:6-7). He frequently refers to fellow Christians as brothers (Romans 14:10, 13; 1 Corinthians 8:11-13; Ephesians 6:21). In Ephesians 5:21-33, Paul compares the relation of a hus- band and wife to the relationship between Christ and His church. All of the above scriptural references to the family attest to its importance in contemporary society. We need very much to celebrate, practice, and model the biblical ideal of the family. The family is God’s first institution—in time and importance. The family is a more important educational institution than the school, a more important institution for law and order than the state, and even a more basically important religious institu- tion than the church. There is no surer barometer of the condi- tion of a culture than the health or sickness of its families. As the family goes, so goes the world.

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