Let’s Talk About God’s Plan for Family!

Let’s talk about family and how central it is to God’s plan for his children.

Just as we recognize artists by their masterpieces—like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony”—we can understand God better through His creation of the family.

Family, the basic building block of strong communities, teaches us to love and receive love.

Life can be rough sometimes, and having one gives us a safe place to get advice, support, guidance, and affection.

So, whether biological or adopted, we all belong to a family.

The Purpose of Family

Marriage and parenthood, two key aspects of family life, reveal God’s character unlike anything else in Creation.

The love shared between a husband and wife offers a glimpse of Christ’s deep devotion to us as His bride.

Similarly, parenthood vividly depicts God’s tenderness and patience toward us as His children, showcasing both joys and challenges.

Families undergo changes with the arrival of babies through birth or adoption, and with events like marriages and deaths.

When individuals marry, they often embrace their spouse’s family as their own.

The same holds true after the loss of a spouse, with the widowed individual maintaining familial ties with their deceased spouse’s family.

Remarriage could also expand the family further.

Beyond reflecting God’s character, family serves as a sanctuary where children experience God’s love through their parents.

They actively learn to love others in this nurturing environment.

Even Jesus himself was born into a family.

As “God in the flesh,” He submitted to His earthly parents, demonstrating the importance of honoring and benefiting from parental guidance.

It was within the nurturing environment of His earthly family that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

So Jesus grew both in height and in wisdom, and he was loved by God and by all who knew him.

Luke 2:52

What Does the Bible Say about God’s Plan for Family?

The Bible defines family much like we do—those living together, typically consisting of a husband, wife, and their children.

Since God created families, He is deeply involved with each one, as seen right from the very start in the book of Genesis.

God’s plan was for men and women to marry and have children, forming a close-knit unit through marriage.

Thus creating the family, the core of human society.

Throughout the Bible, the family is upheld as the model God intended, serving as the foundation of society, and therefore, it’s essential to nurture and safeguard it.

From early on, family members were expected to care for each other.

When God asked Cain about Abel, Cain’s response suggested that he was indeed expected to look after his brother.

Cain’s act of killing Abel was not just a crime against humanity but also represented the first recorded case of fratricide.

It highlighted the seriousness of violating familial bonds.

Therefore, God’s desire has always been for parents to raise their children to know and love Him, passing on His ways.

In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, God actively instructed the Israelites to keep His commands in their hearts.

They were to actively teach them diligently to their children, making His teachings a part of everyday life.

And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today.

Repeat them again and again to your children.

Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.

Deuteronomy 6:6 -7

A Special Kind of Family

Besides the familiar family we all know, another special kind holds the highest privilege: the spiritual family, found in Christ.

It consists of all who believe in Jesus as their Savior.

This spiritual family is made up of people from every corner of the world, united by love.

To join this family, the most important decision one can make is to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord, thus being reconciled to God.

Through Salvation, God forgives our sins.

He grants us the status of His sons and daughters, with all the rights and privileges of family membership.

It’s amazing that despite our sinful nature, God would go to such lengths for us, demonstrating His immense love for us.

As our Heavenly Father, God deserves our endless praise and devotion for His incredible love.

We acknowledge His infinite goodness and mercy towards us.