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The home and family have their origin with God. He created man and made for him a home in the beautiful Garden of Eden; then God
made a wife for Adam and family life began in that home. The family shared a wonderful experience, and the home was a beautiful and
blessed place to reside. God made it so then and God intends it to be so now. If the home and family are not so meaningful in our day,
it is because we have failed to regard them as we have been taught by the light of divine truth. Let us study the family and home so that
we may come to a better understanding and greater appreciation of both.
In biblical times, the family usually consisted of all who claimed kin to the father of the household. This included the wife (or wives),
children, unmarried brothers or sisters, and even other relatives. However in our day, the family most often consists only of the
husband and wife, the children, and occasionally a single parent who lives with them. The father was and still is regarded by God as the
head of the household, and his will is binding upon the family. The mother also possesses considerable authority over the home and is
due the respect and honor of all who abide there.
The home and family are usually inseparable. Without people a house is not a home. Unfortunately in our day, even when there is
a family, sometimes the quality of life in the home is not as God intended. Often the father does not faithfully accept his role, the
mother has tried to assume both roles, and confusion has filled the hearts and minds of the children. Such a place of residence is not
really a home by God's standard.
The home was designed by God and given as the most important institution for man. God established the home as the domain of the
family. It is a miniature nation. Its people are the members of the family and its government is according to the order of God. God
ordained one head (the father) with the wife in submission and the children in subjection. In all the ages of human history, man has never
yet conceived a more workable system than the one devised by God for the home. It is a perfect plan of organization. Any social structure
without a head will not work, for everybody's business becomes nobody's business. Anything that has two heads is deformed and will
usually die, so failure and destruction often come upon homes and families which disregard God's distribution of authority. The family
in the domain of the home was considered the central unit of the Hebrew community, and it is still the chief cornerstone of society and
civilization.
The foundations of the church and nation are our homes and families. When they deteriorate and fall apart, so will the nation and
the church. Likewise, when the home and family unit is strengthened, the church and nation will also become stronger. Neither the government
nor the church can replace the home. The home is the most important institution for the welfare of mankind. It is to be carefully
guarded, for when family life is corrupted, political and spiritual institutions also break down and fail. The home is the guardian of
government and the government should guard the family, but often the opposite has happened. Sometimes the government by its laws
encourages sin and attacks the sanctity of the home and family. The effects are seen all about us. When the authority of the home is
unbalanced and family members fail to recognize the authority of the parents, they may also rebel against authority in the government and
refuse it in the church. Godly homes increase the health of society. When homes become corrupt and diseased, all society is affected and
becomes sick. An otherwise healthy body may have only a bad appendix, but the whole body will suffer pain and may eventually
die from its poison and infection. The family possesses the strongest natural bonds known to man. When these ties can be severed, then
all other ties become uncertain. No wonder that the home and family are under attack by Satan. He knows that if he can destroy them,
all else is bound to fail and finally collapse.
However, I believe that the home and family will always survive in some measure. Though Satan attacks them now with so-called "free
love" and living-together arrangements, yet he has not struck the fatal blow to marriage and the home. Sin is a violation of the Law of God
(l John 3:4), and it always hurts the home and the family in which it is practiced. When Satan succeeds in bringing sin into our homes,
then his pebble has caused ripples upon the peaceful pond of home and family. Television is a great aid to Satan's work in attacking the
home and family unit. Someone has said that the sets should be sold with cross-bones and warnings that they may be hazardous to the
home. No matter how badly weakened they have become by the fiery darts of Satan; the home and family will survive as they have until
now. Many other institutions among men, both civil and religious, have existed for a time and ceased. Yet the family remains and
continues to function by passing the standards and values of God from one generation to another. Children are born as blank tapes
to have their mental, moral, and spiritual capacities developed. This work goes on as God intended, in the home and family.
In America today we need to strengthen our homes and families. We need to regard the home as the abode of family and friends (Luke
8:39). We should strive to develop the bonds of friendship with the members of our family and thus create the double ties which will bind
us inseparably together. When such ties exist, problems will unify rather than alienate the family members (Gal. 6: 1). We need to
remember that the family, not the individual, is the ultimate social unit. Therefore the individual must act with regard to the family unit
and in its best interest. As an illustration, consider a tree covered with foliage of individual leaves. You can kill a leaf without destroying
the tree, but kill the tree and you are certain to destroy all the leaves. The leaves belong to the tree as individuals belong to the family.
Keep the tree of the home and family healthy and strong; then we will see stronger individuals emerging into all streams of society.
What a vast amount of human happiness has emerged from home scenes when families were united by love. The word home has almost
magical power in the hearts of many. The mere mention of home brings delightful memories to the minds of most of us. Even Jesus
spoke affectionately of His Father's house John 14:2). A strong and lasting love between husband and wife builds strong homes, where
children are brought up with benefits that can be acquired nowhere else in all the world. There are substitutions for almost all other things,
but there are no known substitutes for the home and family.
We are to remember that God's ideal, as manifested in the Hebrew family of the Old Testament, is presented with equal emphasis in the
New Testament. The home and family account for much of the joy and blessings of individuals in society, when each member lives up
to his or her opportunities and obligations. We must remember, however, the serpent is in the garden; so beware. Satan by temptations
is seeking to break up the home and destroy the peace therein. Indifference alone is sufficient to wreck a home, so we must all guard
against neglecting each other. Let us regard the home and family as our most important possessions. When the home is foremost in our
hearts, so will be the family that resides there. Remember that the home and family are God's gifts to man, but if we fail to take care
of them and keep them in good repair, they will do us little good. When the family car breaks down, it does no good; even so, when
the family breaks down, it will do no good either. You must commit your heart and do your best to keep healthy and happy the home
and family of which you are a part. If you will not do your part, no one else can do it for you.
Since the home and family are God's gifts to humanity, they should be used for His glory. This can be accomplished if families make Christian
homes and weld themselves together by prayer and worship. Every family needs daily devotionals and weekly worship. In the Bible, faith
and works should accompany each other (James 2: 17), so work and worship are two very important ingredients in the recipe for a strong
family and happy home. May Christ, the unseen guest, bless your home and family.
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