America views many different forms of normalcy of the family as their living rooms are inundated with images of homosexuality. Starting out with Will and Grace, which glamorized the alternate lifestyle by portraying the characters as successful and carefree, media laid the groundwork for more robust normalization efforts through sitcoms such as Glee and Modern Family. The very framework of our society, which God designed perfectly, is now buckling under the pressure of the times.
Jehovah designed the framework of the family in the beginning, as recorded in Genesis. According to I Timothy 2:13-5, God set the creational order with Adam at the head and Eve in submission to him due to her being seduced by deception, followed by her persuasion of Adam to partake in sin. (The oldest manuscripts read the compound Greek verb for the simple, “Having been seduced by deceit”: implying how completely Satan succeeded in deceiving her.)[1] It is important to note that Adam is not in position to “lord it over” his wife, but to rule with understanding and sensitivity while instructing his family.
The family is a reflection of the Trinitarian roles and relationships. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one God, equal in nature, yet distinct in person.[2] Marriage is a relational picture of the Trinity. Just as God the Father is the Godhead, the husband is the head of the home. Jesus being the second person of the Trinity is equal in nature, yet distinctive in person and submissive of will (Luke 22:42). The wife, being of equal value, is made to be distinct in person and submissive of will. The husband and wife are one flesh while operating with distinct roles in the relationship.
Stinson and Jones get it right by stating, “It doesn’t take a village, it takes a Father.”[3] The father is primarily responsible for the spiritual state of the home. Instructions for the father can be found in Deuteronomy chapter 6, outlying how God is to be upheld in the home. It is written that Jehovah is to be loved, obeyed, and considered constantly with reminders set throughout the home (vs. 5-9). Verse seven states that God commands fathers to teach His Word specifically to their sons.[4] This stands as a safeguard to the preservation of healthy families by insuring that future mothers were protected and led in love and understanding. The Husband should love his bride as Christ loves the church, dealing with her in an understanding way “that he may sanctify her . . . that she might be holy and without blemish” (I Pet. 3:7, Eph. 5:25-6:4).
As said before, wives are to be submissive to husbands with a glad heart. She should “seek to help, long to serve, and look for opportunities to assist and help in any way that will be an encouragement and help to God’s calling upon her husband’s life.”[5] Sarah, Abrahams wife, exemplified this relationship as was mentioned by Peter the Apostle in I Peter 3:6; Sarah referred to her husband as lord, a term of reverence. This verse alludes to Gen. 18:12, in which Sarah is speaking in a casual way. We may note here that even in this context, she still refers to her husband with honor and respect.[6]
The Bible contains guidance for the children as well. It is taught that children should honor their parents meaning to respect them while holding them as a gift of God, full of wisdom due to experience. They should listen to their words of advice, warning, encouragement, and instruction. As all people are created in the Lords image, they should treat one another with high regard, as they have been created unique in every way, never to be repeated. The family is no place for sarcasm, lies, insults, or words that are meant to hurt one another.
Lastly, the fall is a reality that all families have to deal with; no relationship is left unaffected. According to Stinson and Jones, “Children are exasperating and disobedient (Jer. 31:12, I Tim. 1:9, 2 Tim 3:2) . . . [while] parents are harsh, neglectful, even evil (Isa. 49:15, Col 3:21, I Tim 5:8) – all because our world is broken.”[7] Pastors, along with the church body, should acknowledge the effects of the fall so that families are not struggling in isolation and otherwise unwilling to seek help when needed.
Our culture is quickly shifting from what used to be a country that prided itself on strong morals and family to a post-modernism era where truth is defined by the culture for the culture. In a study conducted by J. D. Unwin, it was discovered that as a society “loosens sexual restrictions they grow weaker and eventually collapse.” Although history coupled with the current course is bleak, Christians must resist the desire to fight a culture war and focus on executing the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
Robert Young. Young’s Literal Translation. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 1997.
Schreiner, Thomas R. 1, 2 Peter, Jude. Vol. 37. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003.
Schrock, David. “True Sexual Morality: An Interview with Daniel Heimbach.” The Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 19, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 8-14. Accessed June 8, 2014. http://cbmw.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/04-Schrock-Article.pdf.
Stinson, Randy, and Timothy P. Jones. Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2011.
[1] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 1 Ti 2:14.
[2]Elmer L. Towns, Theology for Today, 3rd ed. (Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008), 148.
[3] Randy Stinson and Timothy P. Jones, Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2011), 38.
[4] Robert Young. Young’s Literal Translation. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 1997.
[5]Randy Stinson and Timothy P. Jones, Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2011), 71.
[6] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 156.
[7] David Schrock, “True Sexual Morality: An Interview with Daniel Heimbach”, The Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood 19, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 8-14, accessed June 8, 2014, http://cbmw.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/04-Schrock-Article.pdf.
Brandon Frank 