Family

Weekly Update – August 21st, 2025 

In Nehemiah 10, there are 84 men who come together to sign a commitment to reaffirm the covenant made at Sinai and to live according to the Old Testament Law.  Some of these men were leaders, Levites and heads of their homes.  By no means was this all of Israel. But the goal wasn’t just for these men to sign this commitment and move on with their lives.  No, in Nehemiah 10:28, these men were to take their commitments back to the rest of the people, including, “their wives, their sons, their daughters.” In other words, these men were to lead their families to stay committed to the Lord.

You see, the family is the fundamental structure upon which our civilization was founded and built.  If it is degraded or even redefined, then not only is God dishonored, but society suffers. This means that not only is the family the building block by which children learn and grow as they prepare to become the next generation of leaders, but even more so, the family is a picture of God. For these men in Israel, if their commitment to the Lord was going to last beyond the few years they had on earth, they would need to teach the law to their children and, with their wives, order their home in such a way that points to the truth of God.  The calling is no different for families now. For the church to be strong, Christ must be the standing pillar upon which the family is rooted as it proclaims a biblical vision for not only marriage and parenting, but manhood and womanhood as well. 

Unfortunately, the structure of the family has been under attack from our culture over the last several decades. Marriage has far expanded beyond what God ever created it to be, and families are now defined however an individual deems, as opposed to how the scriptures say.  Along with this redefinition comes the misunderstanding as to how we as people were created to relate and function in this world.  How are men and women created to live?  Are roles given to each gender, or is everyone equal without distinction?  Our answer to those questions will greatly affect the way that we view marriage and the family.  Yet as Christians, we believe that God has given us clear definitions and purpose for the family, the way he has ordered it.

The family was instituted during the time of creation.  God created man in Genesis 1:26 and placed man to work in his garden in Genesis 2:15.  But in Genesis 2:18 God said that it is not good for man to be alone, so he created a suitable helper for him.  She would be called women in Genesis 2:23.  But they did not remain loosely connected as acquaintances or even friends.  In Genesis 2:24 they were connected together and joined into an inseparable bond called marriage.  As they are now in a bond together, one of the tasks that God gave them in Genesis 1:28 was to be fruitful and multiply.  From here we see the beginnings of the institution of the family.  This would become the foundation for all of society from this point forward.  It is not only a command for believers to uphold this sanctity of marriage and family, but this is the foundation for all of creation, believers and unbelievers alike.  This is why Romans 1:18-32 is so strong in its language to those who go against this order.  To affirm anything other than the ordinance of biblical marriage and family is to, as Paul says, incur the wrath of God (Rom. 1:18). 

But we don’t simply affirm family because we want to avoid the wrath of God; we affirm it because the family is a picture of God himself.  God exists in three persons:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  He is not one God displayed in three ways, or one God shown in three different forms, but one God in three persons.  Apart from creation, man, time or anything else in this world, God is still God.  But God minus the Father, Son or Holy Spirit, is not God.  In a similar fashion the family is a unit comprised of a husband, wife and potentially children.  They are equal in value, different in roles, but together in purpose to form one unified unit.  Affirming any other unit set forth by a secular culture and calling it family is not simply another view, it is a misrepresentation of God.  Therefore, it is vital that we affirm the biblical picture of marriage and family.

At First Baptist Church we affirm the biblical picture of marriage and family.  In fact, support of the family fits perfectly within our mission as a church.  At First Baptist Church we strive to proclaim and display the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We proclaim who God is when we speak his truth and we display who he is when we live according to his commands and structures.  When we support the proper ordering of the family and seek to live by how God has ordained the family to live, then we are proclaiming and displaying his truth to one another and to the world.  Therefore, it is important for the family to be strong, not only for the church, but for the glory of God. 

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson