XVIII. The Family
God has
ordained the family as the foundational institution of human
society. It is composed of persons related to one another by
marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant
commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the
union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man
and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate
companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to
biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human
race.
The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both
are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the
way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as
Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to
provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to
submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her
husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of
Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus
equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her
husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and
nurturing the next generation.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and
heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their
children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their
children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through
consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make
choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey
their parents.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.
