family in bible

Family life today is under siege. Families are beset by divorce, a crisis in roles, absenteeism of parents, a breakdown of authority, preoccupation with things, inadequate time together, financial pressures, and a host of other problems. The Bible teaches that the institution of family is of divine origin and purpose. The Bible also provides guidelines for good relations within the family. A commitment to the Bible’s teachings and principles provides today’s best hope for the recovery of family life.

The Family Is Divine in Origin.
God created human beings in His own image.

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’… So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female” (Genesis 1:26-27).

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
God created people so as to need and find fulfillment in human companionship.

“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’” (Genesis 2:18).
God initiated the first family unit.

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the LORD God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:21-22).

The Family Is Divine in Purpose.

God created the family, and He has divine purposes for it. Following His purposes for marriage and family life gives us the best opportunities for family fulfillment.
Companionship is a basic purpose of God for marriage and family life. Sex is a God-ordained means of overcoming the essential loneliness of human existence.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is like him’” (Genesis 2:18).

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

“‘Haven’t you read,’ He [Jesus] replied, ‘that He who created them in the beginning made them male and female, and He also said: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate’” (Matthew 19:4-6).
Procreation is another basic purpose of God for families.

“God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth…” (Genesis 1:28).

“Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, children, a reward… Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons… Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them” (Psalm 127:3-5).

Nurture is still another basic purpose of God for families.

“Now if anyone does not provide for his own relatives, and especially for his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

“He also said to them, ‘You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain your tradition! For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death. But you say, “If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is Corban”’ (that is, a gift [committed to the temple]), ‘you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. You revoke God’s word by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many other similar things’” (Mark 7:9-13).

The Bible Contains Divine Principles for Good Family Relationships.

God’s purposes for the family have been challenged, but they have not been changed. In the Bible, God gives the principles and the power by which His purposes for the family can be fulfilled.