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All lecture materials within this series were written

by

Dr. Ammar Saheli

 

Family Matters

A Series of Messages Designed for the Spiritual Stabilization, Establishment, Growth, &  Edification of the church & Christian Family

Matthew 5:13-16

 

 

The Introduction

    

The family environment is the bedrock of society and stability of the church. Through the educational institution known as the family, boys and girls develop into strong and healthy spiritual citizens of the Kingdom of God. The attack of Satan is devastatingly crucial in the detriment of lost souls. The family structure is the internal training ground of the church that teaches future leaders in God’s Kingdom how to install safeguards against satanic influence, dominance, and rule. The concept of a complete Christian family has succumb to the list of absenteeism. Broken and single parent homes have become the norm in American society and it is not a part of God’s vision for the family structure. A husband needs a wife, a wife needs husbands, and a son and daughter needs a mother and a father. For this apparent non-invested societal reason, we have dedicated spiritual time to discuss the concept of Family Matters, because family truly does matter. With regard to the Christina family, it is our prayer that you enjoy, study, and apply the concepts contained in the discourse that follows.   

 

 

The Christian Man

Genesis 1:26; 2:7

 

     “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26). The family is God’s perfect earthly symbolism of unity and functionality. It is through the teaching and instruction of the family that boys become men, men become husbands, girls become women, and women become wives. At the same rate, husbands become fathers, and wives become mothers. Through this same institution and dynamic, sons are taught how to be sons, and daughters are taught how to be daughters. This ensures that one day sons will successfully raise sons, and daughters will successfully raise daughters.

 

     The pillar of God’s earthly creation was not the sun, moon, stars, ocean, flowers, vegetables, cattle, or fish, it was man.  The manner in which Adam was created should be the result of every infant male. God did not create Adam as a baby. Adam did not matriculate through the infancy, toddler, pre-adolescence, adolescence, and teenage stages of development. God made Adam in the form and fashion He ultimately expects of every adult male.

 

     God created Adam as a full-grown man and provided him with the responsibilities that every man should have today. Aside from man as a husband and father, God made man with intellect, intelligence, the ability to problem solve, be compassionate, obedient, and a strong work ethic. God made man in His image and after His likeness. The qualities and characteristics of God should typify man. When man acts in opposition to God’s ordained purpose for him, he is denying the power of almighty God.

 

     In looking at Genesis 1:26, the connection between God and man is crystal clear. Man, as the pillar of His earthly creation, was created with the intent and purpose of having dominion over the earth. God created man with power and dominion. God created man inherently with a position of power and rulership. Man has the potential to use his power toward the will of God or for the lascivious ploys of Satan. Regardless of the road man elects to travel, God made men with the ability to live a solid life in Christ. God did not make man from a demented framework, He made man upright.

 

     “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions”  (Ecclesiastes 7:29). God created man upright. It is man who has rejected God and His Word, and has begun to create new systems of living, situation ethics, and false doctrines. The word upright in the Hebrew language is Yosher and it is defined as “straightness” and “right.”  God did not create man with lustful desires, a zeal for thievery, or a doomed destination of homosexual and effeminate tendencies. God did not create man crooked, He made man straight. God does not internally give the sinful desires of man to him, they come from his own corrupted heart. James said, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:13-14).

 

     Man, as the express image and likeness of God should exemplify rightness. The Christian man, before husbandhood, fatherhood, or church leadership, must already be a man of high Christian integrity and faith. At the very beginning of the life of Adam he was in strict obedience to God. He was not a slacker or a lazy man. He was a man who dedicated himself to increased prosperity on physical, spiritual, and intellectual levels. Adam had to obey God, name every animal and bird, and maintain dominion over them and the earth.

 

     Every strong Christian man understands that he will make mistakes, but like Adam, through obedience and eventual humility, a disconnected relationship from God can be restored. Adam had difficulty facing God after eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, given to him by his wife (Genesis 3:8-13). As a man, Adam eventually faced his punishment and consequences head on. We read of no further Genesis accounts of Adam complaining about his Garden of Eden eviction or additional consequences.

 

     The Christian man knows how to deal with consequences resulting from poor past decisions. The apostle Paul confronted Peter about his racism, yet Peter never complained or denied his error. Christ confronted the apostle Paul about persecuting the church (Acts 9). As a man, Paul recognized his error and turned to the will of God without complaining.

 

     Because man has been made in the image and likeness of God, he is to have a strong desire to do the will of God. The Christian man understands that his main objective in life is to seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness above all other things (Matthew 6:33). The man who has difficulty obeying God or consenting to His will, is not functioning as a man. Adam was made to bring God glory. He was made to reverence God. He was made to obey God. He was made to denounce the world and select the God of all creation as his Lord and Master.

 

     Paul became a real man after his Christian conversion (Acts 9). Peter became a true man after he was converted to Christ sincerely (John 21:15-17). True manhood is centered around Christianity. A man has no idea of how to be a man without having an intimate relationship with Christ. A man learns how to love through Christ. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). A man learns how to be humble through Christ. Peter said, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6).  James said, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up James” (4:10).  

 

     Man is the pillar of God’s earthly creation, and for him to be a true representation of God Almighty, he must be a Christian. The first step to manhood is Christianity. Becoming a child of God is the most responsible thing a man can do.

 

     Jesus Christ was the exemplary man, all men should be trying to emulate. Jesus was loving, unafraid to share and show his deepest emotions, confident, generous, forgiving, respectful of women, full of grace, compassionate, and obedient to His heavenly Father. In addition, He did what all men should be doing everywhere, He glorified God. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

 

     “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).  In addition to man giving God all the glory, he was created to be an active earthly agent. God made man with a type of get-up-and-go spirit. God made man work and task oriented. He did not make man to be lazy and idle. God did not make man without anything to do, He made man with plenty to do. God placed a spirit inside Adam that acted as his battery. As long as Adam remained in obedience to God he was not in need of God’s Holy Spirit. He had a direct connection with God. However, once Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, man became in need of reunification with Him (John 3:3-6; Romans 8:16).

 

     “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). At one early point in the lifeless existence of Adam, he was idle and motionless. God made man from the dust of the ground but he was of no use then. He was simply a lifeless form of flesh. He had no desire, no motivation, and no activity. This state of man is the antithesis of God’s Holy intention for man. It was not until God breathed the breath of life into Adam that he became a living soul.

 

     God’s desire for man was that he be a living soul, a working and exerting individual. God did not create man with the intention of him being useless. He made him for the purpose of work and glorification. The spirit that God breathed into Adam was his motivation and desire. God gave Adam the energy he needed to be a hard worker and a obedient man of God. With this motivation was the desire to do two things: obey God and exercise dominion power.

 

     In relationship to obedience, the Christian man is able to control his sexuality. He is not promiscuous and trampy. He has a respect for his body as the temple of God. The apostle Paul was a true man of God and understood the necessity of obedience and sexual discipline. Paul persecuted the church because he was a strict believer in the Mosaic Law. Before he became a Christian he was a man of religious discipline. After becoming a Christian he said he would not be brought under the power of anything in opposition to Christ (1 Corinthians 6:12). As a Christian man, Paul dedicated himself to the ministry, and excused himself from any form of sexual fulfillment. He said, “For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that” (1 Corinthians 7:7). As a Christian man, Paul made a decision and stuck with it. Paul had Holy Spirit given powers, but his sexual desires were just as natural as any other man. Paul simply understood and maintained his commitment to living an upright life and the present and futuristic rewards

 

Ø      1 Corinthians 6:13  Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

 

Ø      1 Corinthians 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

 

Ø      1 Corinthians 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

 

     In addition to the obedience godly men must exercise their dominion power. Adam exercised his dominion power. He took care of the land and the Garden of Eden while he occupied it. He was a leader who exercised the power and influence God had given him.

 

     Noah was a man who exercised his obedience to God and his dominion power (Genesis 6-6). He followed the instructions of God and committed himself to the building of the Ark. [God] “…spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5)  Noah worked as a builder of the Ark and also preached righteousness. He exercised his desire toward God and his obedience as a man. He took on the role of a preacher, warning the world of God’s wrath.

 

     Moses exercised his obedience to God, his dominion power, and influence as he went back into Egypt to lead his people out of bondage. He was obedient to God as a man, following His commandments and exercised his dominion power as a prophet (Exodus 3:10-14). Nehemiah was a solid man of God. He had no problem working, and even went the extra mile. He took it upon himself to exercise his leadership and dominion power in rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem (Nehemiah). The apostle Peter exercised and utilized the power God gave to him as a man. He did not sit around idle, but dedicated himself to the preaching of the Word of Truth. As a man, he preached an influential sermon that resulted in the first water baptized converts of the church (Acts 2;38, 41, 47). In addition to Peter, was a man named Stephen. He dedicated himself to the ministry, preaching, and giving of himself to the point of death (Acts 7).

 

     God did not make man to be idle, He made him to be a worker for His Kingdom. God made Adam as a full-grown man. Not only was he full-grown, he was an active agent for God. Adam, like Noah, Moses, Nehemiah, Peter, Stephen, and Paul, understood their earthly mission. In the case of Adam, God gave him a personal spirit, which provided the desire for him to serve God. On a New Testament level, the Holy Spirit drives the desire. 

 

     “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). God made man a living soul and his living consists of obedience and godly glorification. This is to be done according to the God-given ability of every man. “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” 1( Peter 4:11).

 

     The Christian man is an active man in the church who utilizes his talents for the growth and edification of the church. God in the flesh, healed the sick and diseased, made the blind see, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, opened the ears of the deaf, illuminated the eyes of the blind, open the mouths of dumb, brought mobility to the paralyzed, exorcized demons out of the possessed, raised the dead, and more. The man of God dedicates himself to the will and work of the Lord.

 

 

The Christian Woman
Genesis 2:21-23

 

     The creation of Eve was the apex of God’s six-day creation plan. When God had created the first woman of the earth, Eve, He was completing his plan with perfection. He created man as the foundation of all of creation, but it was the creation of woman that made all that had been created, fit perfectly together. God saw that it was not advantageous for man to occupy the earth alone, so along with the male species, He created the female species.

 

     Through the creation of man and woman, the misnomer, “independent woman” is spiritually exposed as a ridiculous and counterproductive statement. Although our topic is dedicated to the Christian woman, and not the Christian man, husband, wife, or mother, God did not create Adam to be independent. Neither did God create Eve to be independent. Eve, the only woman miraculously created by God, was fashioned from the rib of man. Adam had a rib removed from his body and it was used to make Eve.

 

     This divine orchestrated recipe is not one of independence, but one of mutual interdependence. The Christian woman, along with the Christian man, knows that she is uniquely connected and mutually dependent on man. The Christian woman is not the type of woman who is a man hater or despiser. The Christian woman has a solid respect for men, because she understands the purpose of God’s creations.

 

     To those of the (XX) chromosomes, it is one thing to be a girl, or female, but it is something altogether different to be a mature Christian woman. Like Adam, God did not create a baby, adolescent, or teenage girl, He created a full-grown woman. God expects for the Christian woman to act like a woman.

 

     Although Eve made a huge mistake, allowing Satan to deceive her in the Garden of Eden, we read no more of such blatant deceit in her life (1 Timothy 2:14). The Christian woman is one who when she makes mistakes she is eager to correct them and restore, if need be, her relationship with the heavenly Father. The Christian woman is quick to do spiritual things, because she operates in the Spirit. Therefore if she makes a mistake or commits a sin, she is eager to rectify it. In John 8, a woman was caught in adultery, “in the very act” (John 8:4). However, as wrong as this woman was, she was strong enough to stand before the Master and change her wicked ways. After no one was found who was worthy of casting a stone, Jesus told her to “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

 

     Before we can talk about woman as wife or mother, we must first investigate the life of a Christian woman. In God’s Kingdom, He has a divine plan that every human being should follow. Before a female becomes a wife and mother, God expects her to first be a Christian woman. For teenage and even adult girls baptized into Christ, Christian womanhood is a prerequisite to Christian wifehood and motherhood.

 

     In the book of Esther, one of the requirements for all the women who wanted a chance at becoming the new queen was virginity. Esther was a faithful woman of God. But what made her a faithful woman was her obedience. Esther was a strong woman of God. She had respect for God as well as the other faithful men in her life. Because Esther was a strong and obedient Israelite woman, Mordecai took her to the king’s beauty pageant, and she was eventually selected as the new queen (Esther 2:8, 17). Before God could elevate Esther, she had to prove herself as a faithful woman.

 

     Mary, the sister of Martha, proved herself to be a strong woman of God. She found herself in the midst of a big crowded house. There were probably many guests to tend, rooms to clean, and food to prepare. Martha was stressed out and consumed by all the work (Luke 10:38-42). At the same time the most prestigious of houseguests was there, the Messiah. As a follower of Christ, this woman named Mary, the sister of Martha, forsook all the houseguests and food preparation, and kneeled at the feet of Jesus (v. 39). This Mary, not the mother of Jesus, appearing to be a single woman, realized she had no serious connections to the world. She probably had no husband, she was not in her own home, these were not her houseguests, and she was not obligated to prepare a meal for them (1 Corinthians 7:7-8). This strong follower of Christ, even before the church began, elected to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from His Words. She understood that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Well before Paul hit the Christian scene, Mary understood his words: “…He that is unmarried careth for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:32). Further evidence of the single Christian woman, is her desire to sit at the feet of Jesus and study His Words.

 

     The Christian woman refuses to use an excuse for her lack of diligence in Christianity. The Christian woman does not truly dedicate her life to God after marriage and motherhood, she proves herself as a faithful child of God before she gets married and has children.

 

     For the most part, Eve was obedient to God. God revealed one sin of Eve through the Bible (Genesis 3:6). She did not have a laundry list of sins like Jezebel. God created Eve as the figure He would like all women to become. God made Eve with the ability to understand His Word and be obedient. The same remains true for women today. God expects for women to obey Him and He will hold ladies responsible who reject His Word.

 

     When a lady is blessed with an unadulterated presentation of God’s Word, her response should be obedience. Just like manhood starts at Christianity, womanhood starts at Christianity. A woman does not know how to be a woman until she meets Christ. She does not know how to be a wife or mother until she meets Christ. She might be able to do it by a worldly standard, but not God’s. God said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

 

     In relationship to a woman being able to obey the Word of God, an example is provided in the book of Acts (The book of apostolic and Christian action). Lydia was a seller of purple (Acts 16:14). In essence, she was a financially well-off woman who sold the best of the best. This lady was already seeking God, so when she heard about Jesus she was baptized and probably assisted in influencing her household to be baptized as well (Acts 16:15). Lydia was not so wrapped up in her financially thriving career that she could not stop for Jesus. As a successful businesswoman, Lydia still understood that she could not serve God and Mammon (Matthew 6:24). A true woman will not place God on hold for the sake of her career. A Christian woman will embrace God, worship God, seek His Kingdom, and thank Him for the blessing of a career.

 

     Dispositional, the Christian woman is quiet and meek. Her dress code is under control, modest, and appropriate. The Christian woman does not bring a lot of attention to herself (1 Timothy 2:9-10). This does not mean she does not speak a mumbling word, it means that her speech, disposition, and dress code are peaceful and not contentious. The Christian woman is not a verbal retaliator (1 Timothy 2:11).  Because she is able to put on appropriate attire she is truly able to understand what it means to have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).

 

     God expects for the Christian woman to adorn herself in modest apparel. Conversely, Paul instructed Titus to preach that men “…Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Titus 2:10). The word adorn comes from the Greek word, kosmeo, and means to put in proper order, garnish, or decorate. This word is truly fitting for an address to Christian women because kosmeo is where we get the English word cosmetic. The words of Paul in Titus 2:10, applies to both men and women. Both men and women must decorate themselves with the doctrine of Christ in everything. In 1 Peter 3:3-4, he is talking about an inner adorning of a meek and quite spirit.

 

     Adolescent and teenage girls might be volitionally trained or learn from watching mother, how to put on their makeup or cosmetics. They may be aware of special creams to apply before bedtime, to awake to a soft smooth face. The typical woman knows how to polish her nails, apply her lipstick, elongate her eyelashes, treat her hair, moisturize her skin, pamper her feet, arch her eyebrows, and anoint herself with fragrant perfumes.

 

     All of this is done through special cosmetics of today: Oil of Olay, Mac, Revlon, Fashion Fair, Pantene Pro V, Paul Mitchell, Herbal Essence, Chenille #5, Pears Glace, Liz Claiborne, Elizabeth Taylor, and more. Just like the woman adorns herself with physical cosmetics, she is to adorn or decorate herself in modest clothing. Moving a step further, she is to also decorate

herself with the doctrine of Christ. Just like the woman puts on lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, foundation, and fragrant lotions, she must put on the Word of God. Before she can put on the Word she must put on Christ in baptism.

 

     The woman of God is an awesome site. She is beautiful, both inside and out. She smells good, looks good, and good things come out of her mouth. Her worship is sweet and she has good works to support her beautiful outward appearance. Again 1 Peter 3:4, says, “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God a great price. The Christian woman is an asset to the Kingdom of God if she is living as He commands. 

 

     God did not create a broke down, lazy Eve. He created a zesty vibrant woman, willing to obey Him. Because of the way in which God created woman, He expects her to continually apply her spiritual and physical cosmetics to prevent from becoming the antithesis of Eve. Eve did a contentious and rebellious thing in the Garden, yet she was deceived in the process. Despite the sin of Eve, she was the perfection of what God had in mind for all women. She had room for improvement. Eve made a mistake, which should let every woman know that they are not mistake and sin free. However, the apostle Paul provided a list to Timothy of characteristics a Christian woman should not possess or cosmetically apply.

 

     In 1 Timothy 5:10, Paul partially described attributes of widowed seasoned Christian women. He said they have documented good works,  raise their children well, lodge strangers, serve the saints, minister to the sick, and follow every good work. In opposition, he alluded to the concept that faulty Christian women, learn to be idle, wander from house to house, obtain sensitive information, and sinfully share it, knowing it will cause pain and problems for others. Paul called them idle, busybodies, and tattlers. As a remedy, Paul expects for older women to be examples for  younger women.

 

     In Titus 2:3-5, Paul delivered the certification that every older Christian woman must have to be qualified in teaching younger women in the church. The Christian woman is one who has lived her life in such a way that she understands her relationship to the creation order, and is able to influence others through her Christian walk. In the creation order, God did not create a baby girl, He created a full-grown obedient follower of Him, because that is what God expects every baby girl to become.

 

 

The Christian Husband

Genesis 2:24-25

 

     “And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:20-25).

 

     Man and woman were created for each other. God created Adam and saw that it was not good for him to be alone, therefore He created a wife for Him. God said “…It is not good that man should be alone; I will make for him a help meet for him” (Genesis 1:18). In discussing the Christian husband, we are concerned about his primary responsibility in this role. The single Christian man has responsibilities on three fronts: God, the church, and society. In God’s divine design, the single Christian man has no responsibilities to a wife or children because he has not entered that role yet.

 

     The primary earthly responsibility of the Christian husband is to his wife. Categorically, the complete package of responsibilities for the Christian husband are to God, his own wife, children, church. The Christian husband is charged with the duty of loving and taking care of his wife. The love that the husband has for his wife is unlike any other love, save for the love he has for God. To truly understand the role of a husband toward his wife, one must understand the relationship of the church as the bride of Christ.

 

     In Ephesians 5:23 the Bible says that the “…Husband is the head of the wife…” However, it does not stop there. The husband is the head of the wife but he must act like Christ. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23). The husband is the head of the wife, the same way Christ is the head of the church. Christ will never compromise his bride. He will never ask her do to something that would bring harm to her or others. Christ loves the church and instructs her in ways that cause her to grow and be edified.

 

     God expects for the Christian husband to love his wife. The world can clearly see through the evidence of the Word of God and His children, Christ loves the church. The world should know and be able to see that a husband loves his wife. There should be a level of visible intimacy and closeness that lets people know that this husband loves his wife. This is necessary because there are still women in the world like Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39).  There are women in the world that if they sense a lack of marital intimacy, or believe marital problems exists, they will attempt to move in on the marriage. Therefore, a husband needs to make it clear that he loves his wife and she is the only woman for him.

 

     A husband has a type of love for his wife that he does not have with his, mother, children, family members, or even his brothers and sisters in Christ. When God connects a husband with his bride, that union and bond is not to be broken because the love is so strong. Understand the love that Christ has for His bride, the church (John 3:16). He came into a cruel and wretched world with the intent of creating a spiritual antidote for an earthly problem. So Christ gave up His life so baptized believers could become His bride and possess eternal life. Jesus Christ is the perfect husband all husbands should be attempting to imitate.

 

     Christ loves us on such a deep level that He gave Himself for the church (Ephesians 5:25). God expects for the Christian husband to be a living sacrifice and give of himself in marriage, so his wife can have the freedom to fulfill her role as wife (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:26). Through the sacrifice of Christ, Christians gained something. In the process of the death of Christ and or obedience to the gospel of Christ, we became sanctified, cleansed, washed by the Word, glorious, without spot, blemish, or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:26-27). 

 

     The Christian husband is to love his wife the same way he loves his body. He is to treat his wife with the same care and tenderness he treats his body. Christ has never asked the church to do anything that He was not capable of doing. Neither should a husband ask his wife to do something he would not do. God created Adam, spiritually, instinctively, and psychologically to be a provider for his wife Eve. This was a consequence and punishment for the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden. He was to be a husbandman to the ground for the rest of his life.

 

     God never charged Eve with being a monetary provider. God charged Adam with being a tiller of the ground. It was Adam who was charged with bringing home the physical things needed for familial survival. The concept of a “tiller” is derived from the Greek word “avad”  and means to work, be worked, till, plow, and serve to the point of fatigue (Genesis 3:23). God clearly expects for the Christian husband to be worker and provider for his wife. Paul said “…This we commanded you, that if any should not work, neither should he eat” 2 Thessalonians 3:10). A man approaching the nuptial table with the notion that his bride better have a job or bring something to the table is flawed. The husband who believes, because he works hard everyday on a job his wife must, has missed the concept of true Christian  husbandhood.

 

     The Christian husband is not only the physical provider for the wife, he is also her spiritual leader. He is charged with living a life of Christ in both word and deed. He is to imitate a Christ-like attitude. He is to be the spiritual leader of the wife in all matters. The husband should initiate prayer and biblical study with his wife. His Christianity should be intrinsically connected to her Christianity, like Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:26; Romans 16:3). The Christian husband should dedicate himself to rigorous study of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). 

 

     Wives are to go to their husbands for answers to their biblical questions. Therefore, the Christian husband should dedicate himself to the development and possession of a sound biblical knowledge base. Paul said, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church” (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).

 

     In Matthew 16:18, Jesus Christ promised to build His church. He promised to build His bride. Christ does not have a multiplicity of brides. Jesus Christ, in relationship to His church, is not a polygamist, He is a monogamist. As the husband of the church, Christ is not flirting with denominationalism or sending mixed messages to the brides of other husbands. Christ has one bride and she wears his name, church of Christ.

 

     The same principles apply for the Christian husband. God expects for the Christian husband to have one wife. In 1 Corinthians 7:2, Paul said “…To avoid fornication let every man have is own wife…” A Christian husband is to be faithful to his wife, just as Christ is to the church. The Christian husband is not flirtatious with other women. He does not play around with other women. His wife is the apple of his eye. The Christian husband gives his wife all the attention she needs and does whatever possible to ensure her marital security.

 

     On a worldly level, being faithful could be defined as being a responsible provider. The world has lowered the standards for men of today. In their outlook on men, some women have reached an all time low, assuming that it is natural for men to have extramarital affairs. Some women and wives have grown to believe it is simply in a mans nature to have more than one wife, or be sexually unfaithful to one wife. Some have even consented to unfaithfulness of the male spouse as long as the mistress is not brought inside the home. In other words some women may feel, “What I do not know will not hurt me.” The Christian husband is the one who has the power to set the world straight on this issue, because he knows what it really means to be faithful on all levels. He also know that if breaks the marital bond, committing the act of adultery, and is put away by his wife for that cause he cannot be united in marriage again. He know that if he ends a marriage for reasons other than adultery, he cannot get married again (Matthew 5:31-32; Matthew 19:8-12; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18).

 

     Sexually, the Christian man has his needs met exclusively by his wife. In 1 Corinthians 7:3, Paul said “Let the husband render due benevolence…” The husband is to have his sexual needs met by his wife and is also to fulfill her sexual desires as well. The Christian husband does not go outside the marriage for the fulfillment of sexual desires and does not look upon other women with lustful objectives. Jesus said “…Whosever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

 

     The Christian husband loves his wife the same way Christ loves the church. He gives himself to her as a living sacrifice. He only has one wife and loves and treats her with great respect. His wife confidently knows that she is the only woman for him, not because of what he has said, but how he has lived. The fact that there is only one church and it belongs to Christ, follows the same premise that a husband is to have one wife and she belongs to him.

 

The Christian Wife

Genesis 2:24-25

 

     As God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, He made for him his own wife. In love, thanks, and acknowledgement, Adam as husband, named the being of his wife, woman. Through the gender naming of his wife, he expressed his undoubted commitment, connection, and oneness with his wife because she was created from a vital member of his skeletal system. In thanks to God Adam said, “She is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). Through the creation and gift of a wife, Adam was complete. In the sight of God, the woman or wife is the completion component to the existence of man or husband. The wife, female, and woman element in the world made and makes humanity complete. Human existence and equilibrium is off balance with mere man or woman, it takes the joining of both, for the true expression of God’s love and His Kingdom to be actualized.

 

     In God’s divinely orchestrated plan, He created woman for the purpose of loving and supporting her husband. The Harper Study Bible (1971) says, “…But for the man there was not found a helper fit for him” (Genesis  2:20). The wife of Adam never had a period of single life, fiancéship, or an engagement. She was created as a wife, obedient to God and dedicated to her husband. This is good news and a warning sign for potential Christian wife, for the concept lends itself to the preparation man must endure before wedding a bride. Before Eve was created, Adam was in the midst of his paradise palace, maintaining the animals, tilling the ground, cultivating and landscaping the property. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). While Adam was awaiting his bride, he was simply preparing her plush place of abode.

 

     Theological debates exist among church members, preachers, and Bible scholars over the reality and concept of God selecting the spouse of a man or woman. The Bible says, “A prudent wife is from the Lord” (Proverbs 19:14). From this text, perhaps the only Christian bride given to a Christian groom by God is the woman who is circumspect, wise, and intelligent.  Regardless of the debate, the Bible still says, “Whosoever findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord (Proverbs 18:22). God values the institution of marriage and man benefits greatly from the spiritual and physical contributions of a beloved wife. Women are so special and precious in the sight of God that men can obtain favor from Him through marriage and faithful husband leadership.

   

   The wife of Adam was created with the ability to obey God and submit to her husband. Therefore, when Eve sinned through eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God issued an earthly consequence all wives suffer today. According to divine consequence carried out on an earthly plane, man was charged with tilling the ground and being worked. In addition, the wife was charged with pain through childbirth, and a desire to her husband. In Genesis 3:16 God said unto Eve, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over the.”

 

     The Christian wife understands she is under the rule of her Christian husband. She also knows that her husband’s rule is correlated with the rule of Christ over the church (Ephesians 5:25). The fact that a man finds a good thing when he finds a wife, speaks to the godly character Christian wives possess. The virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 exudes a plurality of spiritual attributes her husband adored, respected, and appreciated. The proverbial virtuous woman was the prototypical Old Testament picture of a New Testament Christian wife. Because of the successful and spiritual living of this wife, her husband “praised” her (Proverbs 31:28).

 

Ø      Because of her virtuosity and faithfulness, her husband trusted her (Proverbs 31:11).

Ø      As a wife, she did him good and not evil his entire life (Proverbs 31:12).    

Ø      As a wife, she arose early and tended to the needs of her house (Proverbs 31:15).    

Ø      As a wife, she was benevolent to the poor and made sure her husband had warm garments for the winter (Proverbs 31:21-22).

 

     The Christian wife is content and loves her husband with unconditional (agape), erotic, and brotherly love, simultaneously. She is content and not contentious. She is nothing like Potiphar’s wife, tracking down men other than her husband, attempting to seduce them into sexual affairs. “And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me” (Genesis 39:7). The Christian wife sets her affections upon God and her husband.

 

     She is not like Job’s wife, in time of duress, asking him to “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9).

She is not like Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, killing prophets and devising covetous and murderous schemes (1 Kings 21:7-15). Ahab married a woman against the will of God.  She attempted to help her husband in sinful ways beyond her scope. She devised so much evil, after the death she was in hiding and even the hungry dogs refused to eat portions of her body (2 Kings 9:31-37).  

 

     In God’s divine plan, the single Christian woman has no obligatory connections to a man or child. Her primary responsibilities are in the order of God, self, the church, and society. However, the responsibilities of the Christian woman are in the order of God, husband, and church. She devotes her time and energy to pleasing God and her husband. In return she is utterly blessed. Life with a Christian wife is Joyful. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of vanity…”  The husband/wife union is joyful because of the peaceful demeanor of the wife. A spiritually unsatisfied wife, is dangerous to cohabitate and coexist with according to Proverbs 21:9; 21:19; 27:15. A contentious and angry wife stinks up a Christian home.

 

     God expects for the Christian wife to have first lived and trained as a solid Christian woman. Biblically, the beautiful wife represents the glorified church in the Christ and church marital union. God expected for His Old Testament bride Israel to be obedient. When Israel ceased obedience, severe consequences ensued. When wives render spiritually and martially disobedient and cantankerous attitudes, God will judge. Paul said in Ephesians 5:24, “Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”  As the Son of God verbally addressed members of His Body in Asia Minor, constituting His bride, He said, “As many as I Love I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent (Revelation 3:19). The wife of man, like the bride of Christ is receptive of spiritual correction and leadership, because she is confident in her husband’s Christian abilities. The husband and wife marriage of Adam and Eve is the picture of the perfect and redemptive relationship of Christ and the church.

 

A Brief Look At The Christian Marriage

Revelation 21:9-11 & 22:16-17

 

 

     The depiction of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is a picture of the New Testament church and Christ. The marriage of Adam and Eve indicates the love God has for His church. In the story of Adam and Eve, God is the spiritual Father of Adam, Adam is a shadow of Christ, and Eve is a shadow of the church. Adam became the head of Eve, because of her deception in the Garden of Eden, the same way Christ became the Head and builder of the church to remedy the sin problem of man (Romans 5:12; 5:17).

 

     Understanding the relationship between Christ and His church, manifests the Bible as a divinely orchestrated love story, with the Son of God preparing the way and dying for His bride. The earthly responsibility of the wife is to her husband, just as the divine responsibility of the church is to Christ.

 

     As an apocalyptic depiction of heaven and the “Lamb’s  wife, John was carried away to see a beautifully adorned bride. She represented the church and a paradoxical paradise, heaven. She had the glory of God and her light was like precious stones, clear as crystal (Revelation 2:9-11).

 

      The marital union between man and wife is to be reciprocal and cohesive, similar  to the     church and Christ. Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:26; Romans 16:3) were united in a cohesive, spiritual, husband and wife relationship. It produced spiritual fruit and church growth. The same is true for the loving relationship between Christ and His church. Adam and Eve were charged to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28). This is a similar charge given to the church, at the command of Christ.

 

     In Revelation 22:16-17, Christ speaks to His bride, and then He, the Holy Spirit, and the bride, join in offering every Bible everlasting water. Just like the husband and wife comes together for the procreation of offspring and additions to the family, Christ and His bride, team up in a partnership if saving lost and unsaved souls. Like the marital union, the church is to be continually replenished with new growth. Marriages need maintenance as well as the church. Therefore, Christians act as keepers of self and others, the church being subdued (kept under control) by Christian fellowship and a divine Christ.

 

The marriage of Adam and Eve, and the institution of marriage is simply a picture of Christ and His church. It is truly a love story and marriage every human should participate in. When Christ proposes through the offering of salvation, all should say yes.

    

 

 

The Christian Father

Ephesians 6:4

 

     Boys of the world are expected to matriculate through the various phases of manhood. Through manhood development, they become men, husbands, and fathers. Having discussed the Christian Man, Woman, Husband, Wife, and Marriage, attention must also be dedicated to The Christian Father. The Christian father is the solid rock of the home. He is the foundation on which the family rests. He is the leader, heavy, disciplinarian, and the sacrificial lamb. On an allegorical level, the father is the symbolic presence of God in the home. Because of the awesome charge given to the Christian father, his responsibilities are grave and critically important to a holistic functioning family.

 

     American society and the church are suffering from the deficient familial contributions of fathers. Boys and girls who are raised without fathers, knowing that they are present in life, but absent in their life and home, are exacted a sinful disservice. Any male can impregnate a woman, producing a child. The giving of male seeds is no phenomenal or miraculous feat, for even dogs sexually fertilize the eggs of female dogs. The true and triumphant feat is the raising of baby boys and girls into Christian men and women. Any physically and sexually matured male can participate in the production of a baby, but it takes a Christian man to raise one to inherit the Kingdom of God.

    

     The apostle Paul said,  “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). To help understand this pivotal and applicable passage to Christian fathers, four words must be defined: (1) Provoke (2) Wrath (3) Nurture (4) Admonition.

 

     The biblical words “provoke” and “wrath” are translated from the Greek word “parorgizo.” They are defined as “To anger alongside or enrage. The biblical term “Nurture” is used once in the King James Version of the New Testament. It is derived from the Greek word “paideia” and is defined as “Tutorage, education or training, disciplinary correction, and correction.” The biblical term “Admonition” is derived from the Greek word “nouthesia” and is operationalized as “The training by a word of encouragement when it proves sufficient, but also by a word of remonstrance, reproof, blame, as required.”

 

     In understanding the definitions of the critical words in Ephesians 6:4, a partial description of fatherly duties are evident. In essence, the father is not to come alongside his children, presenting with random and inconsistent behavior. Random and inconsistent fathering will cause children to become angry, furious, and even rebellious. Instead, the Christian father is to verbally instruct and educate his children in the care and love of Christ. God views the Christian father as the religious tutor of the home. He teaches by a spiritual demeanor and a physical example.

 

     Through his consistency, he refuses to convey mixed messages. He insures that his children understand God, and begins their religious training at an early age. He talks with them at home, in the car, in the store, and in the park about God (Deuteronomy 6:6-8). The Christian father is irreplaceable. God never expected for the mother to perform the role of a father. A mother cannot be a father just like a father cannot be a mother. A Christian father must train boys in how to become Christian men and future fathers.

 

     Young girls need the guidance and examples of their fathers. How will a young lady successfully select a man to be her husband if she has never interacted with one? Girls need the opportunity to observe their fathers be real men so they will know by what standards to judge and critic all men. If the Christian father fails to act like a Christian, why would, or how would the daughter know what a Christian man is about? A Christian father an extremely significant impact on his daughter(s).   

 

     The importance of the Christian father is evident in James 1:27. James said, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”  In this passage, James is expressing the devastating trauma a wife and child or children experience at the death of a father and husband. It is devastating for a wife to lose her husband and for children to lose their father to death. It might even be more detrimental for a mother to go through life without ever having a husband or for children to go through life without ever knowing or interacting with their father. God designed the family with the composition of husband, wife, mother, and father. Aside from tragedy, God never intended for a child to be raised without a father simply because of malefactor neglect.

 

     Fathers are made with a type of disciplinary style instilled by God. Well-rounded children are often the result of a balanced attack of mother and father. The God of heaven, as the spiritual Father of Adam, provided discipline during times of disobedience (Genesis 4). When Israel was religiously disobedient, God punished them. When Moses smote the rock he lost his privileged  “Promised Land” entrance. When David sinned his baby child had to die. When some children mocked Prophet Elisha, bears ate them. When Saul disobeyed God, he lost his kingship. As a result of Israel’s general rebellion, the fortified walls and gates of Jerusalem were burned and destroyed. God, as spiritual Father has always exacted discipline toward his children during disobedience. It is imperative that earthly fathers discipline their children when they are in error.

 

     Failure to discipline children can result in literally spoiled and unproductive adults. The Bible says, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him quickly” (Proverbs 13:24). “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying” (Proverbs 19:18). “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Proverbs 23:13-14). Eli was murdered by God because he failed to properly discipline his two sons. He attempted to simply talk to them and it was not enough (1 Samuel 2:12, 22; 3:12-13).

The sons of Eli did not even know God. A religious father must foster the production of religious children.

 

     It is a father’s responsibility to ensure that his children know the Lord and develop an intimate relationship with him. Proverbs 1:8 says, “My son hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother. A father must spend quality time training and playing with his child r children for it is crucial to their physical and psychological development. Because Eli did not spend the right kind of time with his sons they were dysfunctional. They were also sexually active, defiling their bodies and the tabernacles, sleeping with prostitutes.

 

     As fathers begin to truly train their sons in how to be men, the world will be a safer place for all of humanity. Women will no longer need to fear domestic violence, rapes, verbal intimidations, and sexist behavior. The mentalities that father’s possess will be the mentalities their children adopt. Fathers must train their sons and daughters in how to maintain their sexuality until marriage. They must understand it is the will of God.

 

     Father’s have a daunting task in training children to be spiritually strong and obedient. The ultimate picture of a father is found in Luke 15. This father maintained his love for his son. He never left or forsook him. He never took back his love or his physical, psychological, or financial support. When he saw that his son was in trouble he ran after him. However, he knew just how much pressure to place on him and refused to stunt his personal growth. As he felt he needed to leave the home and fin for himself the father consented. The father knew there were some lessen he would need to learn on his own. Sometimes fathers must let go to ensure that their children successfully reach the next level. When the prodigal son returned his father loved, forgave, and blessed him.

 

     The ultimate depiction of a father is the way that He treats us as His children today. To truly observe the characteristics of a father, one must investigate the father son relationship between God and Jesus Christ. With God Almighty as the Father of all creation, He will reward his children with everything they stand in need of. When society is fails to recognize the accomplishments of men and women, God the Father provides the public reward (Matthew3:16-17;  6:1-8). The Christian father is expected to edify his children, building the up with high esteem in confidence.

 

          When religious error and sinful practices are ceased, God makes a promise that He will continually be a spiritual Father. Earthly fathers of the world must exact appropriate discipline toward their children. However, they are always encouraging them to live righteously. At the end of the tunnel the earthly father will appear in the same capacity as God the Father (2 Corinthians 6:16-17). He is not going to let his child or children hit the ground.

 

     The relationship between God and Christ was special, just like any parent child relationship should be special. What made their relationship exemplary was their intimacy. God the Father and God the Son were keenly familiar with one another. They knew each other and Christ had confidence in His heavenly father (John 10:14-15). God knew His earthly and divine Son Jesus. He knew his, struggles, desires, and needs (John 12:26-27). For fathers to be effective, they must understand their children and know them on an intimate level. When fathers operate from this kind of construct they can come to the aid and protect their children before the child makes a request. The Christian Father knows when his child is sad, disturbed, upset, disgruntled, or in need of an unbiased Christian ear. This is why playtime is so important with fathers. It is sometimes through play that fathers can bond with their children.  

      

     The earthly father instructs his children with biblical content, ensuring their knowledge base of God. Jesus Christ was instructed by His heavenly Father. God placed His Word inside the mind of Christ, and Jesus shared it with the world (John 15:15). Earthly fathers cannot be afraid to have the tough and troubling discussions.

 

     Men and women will forsake children. However, God the Father will never leave His children destitute and alone. The Son of God was well aware of the fact that His men would leave Him. Children have friendships and relationships that go awry all the time. Best friends may sometimes turn into enemies, and the boys or girls my hang you out to dry. Nevertheless, God the Father never left Jesus despite those who left and betrayed Him (John 16:32-33). When friends and even family disappear, the Christian father is there as a solid rock of love.

 

     The earthly father is the sacrificial lamb of the family just like God the Father. He provides a system and dedicates his live so his children can be free. God the Father prepared a church so that all of His earthly children could be spiritually saved (John 3:16).

 

 

 

The Christian Mother

Proverbs 31:26-29

 

     The Christian woman is responsible for connecting all of the intricate parts of society. If more women in the world maintained the righteous disposition and behavior of Christian mother, it would be a safer and more productive place of habitation. In this section of the study of the Christian family, the Christian mother will simply be referred to as mother. The reader must assume that the concept of mother hood in this section of the study is in reference to “the Christina mother.”

 

     Mothers are the connecting agents to society. They often function as familial and societal mediators and peacemakers, willing to sacrifice their comfort for the welfare of their children

(1 Kings 3:24-28). Children have a special and fond affinity for their mothers. Rarely do professional football, baseball, and basketball players say, “Hi dad” during their televised games. But it is highly common for players to wave to the camera saying, “Hi mom.” Mothers have a special connection with their children because of the intimacy of carrying the fetus in utero, birthing, nursing, and the close maternal proximity during the tender developmental years. (1 Timothy 2:14-15).

 

     The faithful Christian mother will raise her children to be Christian soldiers, the result of her allegorical salvation through raising her children in Christ. Yet and still, a physical consequence is placed upon all mothers through the travail and pain of birthing a baby (Genesis 3:16). As evidenced by the life of Rachel, the pain can be so severe, death can be it can be the result (Genesis 35:16-19).

 

     The virtuous woman was an obedient believer in God, a woman, wife, and mother. Again, she is an Old Testament depiction of the New Testament complete woman, wife, mother, and Christian. In Proverbs 31:26-29 five attributes of a God-fearing mother are chronicled:

 

1.      Her speech is sound (v. 26).

2.      She takes care of her house (v. 27).

3.      She is not idle (v. 27).

4.      Her children praise her (v. 28).

5.      She is not the average woman (v. 29)

 

     The Christian mother is forever on a stage with her child or children observing her every move. Children want to be like their mothers. She possesses strength, discipline, and love, with the perfect maternal touch. Her children are watching her even when she is unaware of their glazing eyes. They observe from far and near. They listen to her speech and tone, adopt her work ethic, and inherit her values. Because of this reality, Christian mothers must maintain their speech (James 3:3-9). They must be powerful role models for their children in and out of the home (Titus 2:3-5).  She cannot afford to be idle, sitting around gossiping and stirring up trouble in the midst of her children. Her children should not be able to view her as mean, contentious, unfriendly, and unable to make or maintain friendships (1 Timothy 5:13).

 

     The children of the Christian mother praise and adore her because of her grave example (1 Timothy 3:11). They do not love and respect her because she demands it, her Christian walk encourages and inspires it. Her children desire her godly attributes and disposition because she is not the average woman. She has a differentiated quality from all the other mothers (Proverbs 31:29).

 

     One of the most pivotal and pristine characteristics of the Christian mother is her qualitative worth discovered in how she “keeps” her home.  Hannah was a mother who kept her home and raised her children well. She was pleased with her pregnancies and cared for Prophet Samuel without interfering with his ministry (1 Samuel 2:18-19). She made him a special coat of high quality and sacredness, yearly.

 

     Mothers have an insurmountable level of influence over their children. Without much effort, Rachel was able to convince her son Isaac to enter into a deceitful scheme against his father and her husband (Genesis 27:11-14).Women like Hannah and the mother of Moses, are the antithesis to women like the mother of king Ahaziha (2 Chronicles 2:1-3). She was her son’s counselor and influenced him to be an evil king. The most responsible thing a mother can do is obey the gospel of Christ so she can lead her children to Christ. A Christian mother does more than simply teach her children how to be respectful, domestic, educated, confident, and responsible, she must use her influence to lead her children to Christ (2 Timothy 1:5). The grandmother (Lois) and mother  (Eunice) instilled his biblical instruction (2 Timothy 1:5). His grandmother and mother led him to Christ and the apostle Paul groomed him as a gospel preacher.

 

     In addition to being spiritually influential in the life of children, motherhood also entails a dynamic of suffering and perseverance. Many mothers spend long nights wondering about the fate and safety of their children. Many are frightened by the mere ring of the phone, prayerfully hoping a fatal or tragic message is not at the other end. In addition, single mothers are left the fend for themselves without a husband to balance the art of raising children.

 

      Correlated with the success of the virtuous woman, the Bible fails to mention or hint to a tempestuous relationship with her children. However the Bible mentions a host of situations pertaining to disobedient children (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Regardless of the sins of a child, it would be life shattering for a mother to watch her son be brutally murdered. However this was not only a reality of religious mother of antiquity, it was also a real life experience of the mother of Jesus (John 19:26-27).

 

     Single Christian mother must realize their position in Christ. The blood of Christ is able to wash away the sins of any Christian (1 John 1:9-10). The told the woman caught in the act of adultery to “…Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Whether a mother is without a husband because of an illicit sexual act, a tragic death, or a painful divorce, God is able to keep, maintain, and comfort the single Christian woman. All sin comes with consequence, but God will not allow His children to endure what they cannot (1 Corinthians 10:13).

 

     Hagar found herself impregnated by her husband Abraham, yet being harshly mistreated by Sarah. She could not tolerate the injustice and fled the familial home.  Because of the instability of Sarah, Hagar was evicted from the home. Pregnant with child, she fled to Shur and was comforted by an angel of God and commanded to return to her master’s house (Genesis 16:1-12).  At the expense of Sarah and taxing of Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham provided his wife with food and water and evicted them from the home, showing favor to his wife Sarah. However, God found Hagar and blessed her and her son (Genesis 21:14-21). Hagar was faithful to God, Abraham, and her son. God is in the business of blessing righteous mothers.

 

     The conditions Hagar were thrust into resulted in much mental anguish and suffering. Hagar thought she was going to watch her son die a horrible death, but God spared her and her son. However, the earthly mother of Jesus experienced a deeper level of suffering because she was at the cross when the Son of God gave up His life. Although Christ gave up His life on the cross, God the Father left Mary protected and comforted (John 19:26-27). Mary watched her beloved Jesus die a horrible death, but God left her comforted and protected by a chosen disciple. She also received the relief of knowing that He rose from the grave.

 

     Christian mothers will face some suffering. Husbands may cause grief, children may cause travail, nevertheless, God will not leave the righteous Christian mother comfortless. She must continue to be a “keeper” of her home and supremely obedient to every precept and law of God. She must seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and love God more than husband, children, and life (Matthew 6:33; Luke 14:26-27).

 

 

The Christian Son

Luke 15:11-18

 

     Sons maintain a special position in the family. From a societal perspective, sons are charged with the responsibility of sustaining the family name through the generations. In some cultures and countries, sons are so important that infant daughters are put to death at birth, hoping for the futuristic birth of a son. From a biblical perspective God indicates a similar affinity, having allowed His only Son Jesus to die and shed His blood for the purchasing of the church (John 3:16).  Even in referencing the child of God, whether man, woman, boy, or girls, He refers to us as “sons of God” (Romans 8:14). In looking at the behavior and dynamics of the Christina Son, several characteristics will be noted: His Worth, Destiny, Obedience, Capability, Position in Christ, and Relationship to his heavenly Father, typified by the Son and Father.

 

    Joseph found favor in the eyes of the Pharaoh because he was righteous (Genesis 41:37-41). However, once the new Pharaoh inherited the kingdom, the Nation of Israel lost their privileged notoriety and was relegated into Egyptian slavery (Exodus 1:8-12). The Pharaoh was threatened by the power and influence of Israel and vowed to destroy them (Exodus 1:16, 22). The worth of sons is evident in the methodology the Pharaoh attempted to use to bring Israel to her knees. He knew that the strength and longevity of a nation rested in the populace of its male children. Therefore he decreed a law for all male infants born under Hebraic lineage to be drowned at birth. The female babies were to live, but the males were to be massacred.  The Egyptian king knew that the sons of Israel would grow to become potential strong warriors, military soldiers, and mighty men. He knew the supreme worth of a son, therefore arranged a systematic genocide.

 

     When it came time for the Mother of Moses to put him to death, his worth was too great. Moses was to become the leader and emancipator of Israel, therefore the preservation of his life was worth the risk (Exodus 2:1-10). God, Pharaoh, and the mother of Moses realized the inherent worth of a son.

 

     King David committed a grave sin in sleeping with Bathsheba and murdering her husband (2 Samuel 11:15-17). The consequential price of the sin was the death of David’s son, conceived in an illicit sexual act. Despite the sin, David loved his infant son and begged God to spare his life. David knew the inherent worth of his son. When his son fell sick (2 Samuel 12:16-17) he besought God, fasted, prayed, and meditated all night on his behalf. When his son died, David bathed, perfumed, dressed, worshipped God, and ate a meal. Particularly for a Hebrew man, the death of a son was like no other experience and loss.

 

     Through contextually understanding the worth of a son from a Jewish perspective, the relationship between the prodigal son and his father is illuminated (Luke 15:11-18). In Jewish culture of antiquity it was customary for the first born, or birthright son to inherit two-thirds of his fathers inheritance while the youngest son inherited one-third. The prodigal son was asking for his inheritance before it had actually materialized. A Jewish father cherished his sons like no other, but the prodigal was committed to leaving the home before his maturity. Because of the worth of a son, this must have murdered the father internally. He was not ready for his son to leave his care, yet neither did he want to stunt or damage his growth. He allowed his son to depart from the nest, having confidence in the Word of God.

 

     When a child is raised in Christ, when a child has been afforded the due process of Christianity through parental examples, he will eventually return to God. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). However, physical barriers, fostered by sin, can interrupt mental assent. The destiny of the prodigal son was back in the loving arms and safety net of his fathers home (Luke 15:2-21). Yes he made it home but it was an uninsured risk. Nevertheless, while he was partying, wasting money, and living a deceptive lush life of carnality, he was not guaranteed a safe return home. It is never the plan of God for His sons to leave the safe haven of the church, because a return trip is an unaffordable flight risk.

 

     Not only does God value and acknowledge the worth sons, He expects them to be obedient. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). In the faithful act of Abraham attempting to offer up his son Isaac a death sacrifice, attention is generally focused on the obedience and faith of Abraham. However, some detailed attention must be paid to the behavior of Abraham’s son. Through the lens of the Abraham-Isaac, father-son relationship, all sons can find a supreme example of obedience (Genesis 22:9-10; James 2:21). Abraham represented God and Isaac Christ. Isaac did not fight with his father. He had faith in him and followed his commands. He allowed his father to bind him like an animal and lay him across the sacrificial alter. In strict obedience and a parallel to Christ Isaac “…Openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). He presented with no resistance, living up to his cherished position in his physical and spiritual family. God expects for the Christian son to be obedient.

 

     Many have questioned the obedience capability of sons and daughters. However, at the tender age of twelve Jesus was intellectualizing with doctors and was “…About his Father’s business” (Luke 3:41-49). Also a young boy named Josiah became the king of Judah at the age of eight (2 Kings 22:2). Through his kingship, which actually took flight at the age of eighteen, he accomplished as a teenager what his father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh) refused to do as grown men. He totally reformed the kingdom, based upon the Mosaic mandates and laws of his day (2 Kings 23)

 

     God sacrificed His Son because it is the ultimate sacrifice. For a father to relinquish his son into the hands of a cruel and unconcerned generation can only be motivated by love. Therefore God refers to His children, men, women, boys, and girls, as His sons (Galatians 4:5-6; Romans 8:14; Philippians 2:14-15; Hebrew 12:7-8; 1 John 3:1-2). The faithful baptized believers of this world represent God’s Christian sons.

 

     The inherent spiritual value and worth of a son is addressed in the life of Jesus. God recognizes all of His children as spiritual sons. Because of that reality, we must understand that a satanic struggle will commence at some point in the Christian life of God’s sons.

 

     In Matthew 2, God warned Joseph through a dream that Herod would come to destroy the Son of God. Satan attempted to subvert the coming of Christ even during infancy (Matthew 2:13). Jesus was successful in defeating Satan in infancy because of the protection of His father, and later through His own obedience to God (Matthew 4:1-11).

 

     The kind of relationship every spiritual son should have with God is specifically found in the life of Christ. The Son of God was obedient to God His Father and only did what He was commanded. In John 14, Jesus is the Way to His Father, looks like His Father, speaks the Words of His Father, and is in His Father. In a similar fashion, for the sons of God to be obedient they must take on the spiritual behavior Christ exhibited toward His Father.

 

 

The Christian Daughter

Proverbs 31:26-29

 

     The family is generally composed of a marital and parental unit, which is motivated and driven to care for and love their children. The development of sons and daughters are the primary functions of the parental roles. While a son functions as the stabilizing and futuristic factor of his immediate family legacy and name, a daughter represents the future of the global family. As boys develop into men, they seek rightfully raised daughters to become wives. Through the successful rearing of sons and daughters, future family structures are proved secure. God expects for sons and daughters to obey their parents for the purpose of current and future family security, stability, and maintenance (Ephesians 6:1-2). Because daughters eventually become women, wives, and mothers, their obedience and development through the family unit is critically important. Observing characteristics of the Christian daughter, four items are promoted and one shunned. Biblically and before marriage the obedient Christian daughter is a virgin. In general, she is evangelistic, faithful, spiritual, and denounces and evil disposition.

 

     A characteristic of all Christian daughters should be virginity maintenance before marriage. God values and commands sexual purity of all His children. The female gender has a deeper level of virginity maintenance because she is the one who allows a male to enter into her body. Refusing to placate the paradigm, the illicit sexual dilemma of our society is resolved as men and women obey God, and in particular women refusing illicit sexual male advances. The value of virginity is found in the fact that before Old Testament scripture, God predestinated a virgin to bring Christ into the world and Paul facilitated the virgin presentation of believers at Corinth to Christ (Isaiah 7:14; 2 Corinthians 11:2).

 

     Virgins in the church today may be hard to find, but in early biblical days they were common because of the strength and convictions of the family unit. As the angels of God moved in to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the homosexual men of the city rushed the home of Lot, desirous of abominable sexual activity (Genesis 19:1-9; Leviticus18:22; 20:13). However, as a panacea for the vileness of the queer men of Sodom, Lot suggested that the men take his two daughters because the were the best of the best, having touched no man. The moral of the case study is that Lot raised his daughters to be sexually pure. God expects for Christian daughters to be sexually pure. It is the responsibility of the church to train and encourage girls to maintain their sexual purity.

 

     Imagine what the world would look and sound like if more women refused to be sexually exploited, prancing around in music videos, performing in pornographic movies, and allowing pimps to prostitute them, and knuckle head boys to sexually use them. If the world will repent from it sexual immorality it will be because of a godly charge led by Christian daughters who promote self-respect and proclaim NO!

 

    Christian daughters will have an easier time maintaining their virginity if they are on fire for Jesus. Adolescent and teenage girls can be obedient to God in the same fashion God exhibited through Josiah (age 8) and Jesus (age 12). The family and the church are in need of more daughters who are on fire for God. This was the case with the four daughters of Philip that lived with him in Caesarea.

     As Paul finished his third missionary journey, he, Luke, and their company entered into the home of Philip. Philip, one of the seven, had four virgin daughters who were on fire for the Lord. Through their Christian obedience to their heavenly Father and earthly father, they maintained their virginity and spoke the Word of God (Acts 2:17). God expects for Christian daughters to be evangelistic. The command to spread the gospel and teach the lost is to Christian, men, women, boys and girls. The Christian daughters of Philip participated in the sharing of God’s Word. Christian daughters should be bold in the Lord, living as ambassadors of Christ.

 

     Not only must Christian daughters be virgins and evangelistic minded, they must be faithful to the cause of Christ. Young Christian girls must be able to prioritize God as number one (Matthew 6:33). Even if mother and or father become weak in the faith, the Christian daughter must remain a sincere and dedicated follower of Christ. In our day, a Christian daughter has the potential of being the only Christian in the home. She may  have to struggle with parents who do not know the Lord. She may have family members who frown upon her because of her biblical beliefs. Despite these circumstances, God commands the Christian daughter to stay the course and be an example (Matthew 10:34-39).

 

     The Christian daughter is sexually pure, evangelistic, faithfully committed to Christ, and spiritual. A person can be sexually pure, and evangelistic, but for a Christian daughter to be faithful she must be spiritual. Sexuality and even the process of evangelism are expressed on a physical level. Virginity requires physical denial and evangelism requires physical study, dialogue, and instruction, but faith is the quality of an inner relationship with God. The successful Christian daughter is not only faithful but also spiritual.

 

    As Jesus traveled His travailing road to the cross, a group of spiritual followers of Christ followed Him and mourned his fate and torture. They cried out for dear Jesus, regretting the episode He was predestined to endure (Luke 23:26-31). Jesus referred to these women as “Daughters of Jerusalem.”  They were different from other onlookers, or they wanted the rescue of Jesus. They were on the side of Jesus the way Christian daughters must be. God expects for Christian daughters to be faithfully and spiritually dedicated to Him.

 

     The fact that the “Daughters of Jerusalem” were willing to publicly display and expose their emotions for the Messiah, indicated their spirituality. It manifested their supernaturalness or pneumatikos (I Corinthians 2:14). To be spiritual means to be supernatural, and at the crucifixion of Christ the world was being natural, consenting to and promoting His death. However, a group of spiritual women were protesting His death through their spiritual disposition. Christian daughters must maintain a disposition of outrage, fostered by the lack of regard and reverence for the Son of God and his Word.  The Christian daughter is sexually pure, evangelistic, faithful, and spiritual. She does all she can to refrain from being sinfully evil.

 

     No Christian daughter should have a desire to become evil. Contrasted with Matthew 10:34-39, the daughter of Herodias failed the Jesus principle. This daughter aborted the mission of being at variance or against her mother for the cause of Christ (Mark 6:14-29). She loved her mother more than she loved God. She had a prime opportunity to illustrate her love for God and righteousness, but she proved unworthy of the task. Her mother convinced her to request the head of John the Baptist for her undeniable birthday present. Herod feared John and would not put him to death. The wife of Herod was enraged at him because he informed her husband that their marriage was against God. She was so disturbed she wanted to assassinate John. When she realized she could not murder him or make the request, she beguiled her daughter into a calculated and fatal plot. The result was the beheading of John the Baptist.

 

     The Christian daughter must be willing to take a stand for Christ, even if it means to swim against the familial stream of mother, father, husband, wife, sister, brother, friend or foe. She must be chaste, evangelistic, faithful, and spiritual.      

    

 

 

The Christian Family

Matthew 5:13-16

 

     Because of the close and intimate relationships between parents and their children, pain and hurts are constant realities within the family unit. Satan will use a daughter to destroy a father and a son to destroy a mother. There is probably no greater parental pain, than the pain stimulated by a disobedient or wayward child. Children are shaped and molded by their parents. The lifestyle of parents has t