Christendom and the Family
Have you ever considered that two Christians can be married, but not have a biblical marriage? What does it mean to have a biblical marriage? Welcome to the second article in this series on Christendom—this article addresses how a nation is impacted by families.
Restoration Era on the History of Liberty Timeline
Providential History
Take a listen . . .Family is God’s Idea
Individuals who think Biblically acknowledge that God came up with the idea of family and how it’s defined.
Firstly, we have a Heavenly Father. Secondly, Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, had a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Thirdly, Adam and Eve were a family unit. Of course, children added to their family unit over time.
The Biblical Worldview Definition of Family
In Christendom, we hold to the biblical worldview definition of family:
FAM’ILY, noun [Latin familia.] 1. The collective body of persons who live in one house and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children . . . and as the case may be, lodgers or boarders. 2. Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe or race; kindred; lineage. Thus the Israelites were a branch of the family of Abraham; and the descendants of Reuben, of Manasseh, etc., were called their families. The whole human race are the family of Adam, the human family. 3. Course of descent; genealogy; line of ancestors. 4. Honorable descent; noble or respectable stock. He is a man of family.”(1)
Christendom in the Family Begins with the Individual
In particular, it begins with the husband and the wife. A husband and wife make up a family—just the two of them.
As they take intentional care of their time in God’s Word (to study it), prayer life, and application of God’s Word, they’ll be a blessing to each other.
As a husband and wife honor each other as image bearers of God, co-govern their home and finances, walk with integrity and in righteousness, have each other’s best interests in mind, and grow individually and together in their relationship with God, they will be a blessing to each other.
The Biblical Basis for Growth
That is predicated upon 2 Peter 1:1-11.
“1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
“2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
“3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
“4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
“5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
“6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
“7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
“8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
“10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
“11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 1:1-11 (KJV)
Matthew Henry’s Commentary
The prelude to 2 Peter 1:1-11 in Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible states: “In these words the apostle comes to the chief thing intended in this epistle—to excite and engage them to advance in grace and holiness, they having already obtained precious faith, and been made partakers of the divine nature. This is a very good beginning, but it is not to be rested in, as if we were already perfect. The apostle had prayed that grace and peace might be multiplied to them, and now he exhorts them to press forward for the obtaining of more grace. We should, as we have opportunity, exhort those we pray for, and excite them to the use of all proper means to obtain what we desire God to bestow upon them; and those who will make any progress in religion must be very diligent and industrious in their endeavours. Without giving all diligence, there is no gaining any ground in the work of holiness; those who are slothful in the business of religion will make nothing of it; we must strive if we will enter in at the strait gate, Lu. 13:24.”
The Biblical Family
With the above established, let’s move onto the biblical family. Along with the Bible, I recommend reading the books The Third Alternative: Christian Self-Government by Bill Burtness, and As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation: Principles in Practices for Building Healthy Families by Elizabeth L. Youmans, Jill C. Thrift, and Scott D. Allen. Both books have the presupposition that family is God’s idea, and it has premises which are based on biblical references withing their God-given context.
A Look at Christendom Within the Marriage
We’re going to take a look at something called The Sovereignty Grid.
Bill Burtness explains in The Third Alternative: Christian Self-Government that “The relationship of the wife to her husband is that of the church to Christ. This is a two-way, non-selfish, active love relationship.” He continues with, “Looking at the sovereignty grid, if we presuppose that God does not exist then our view on the left is that both husband and wife are autonomous and equally sovereign. This does not make for relationship, since harmony in this case exists only to the extent that they stay out of each other’s lives. Our view on the right is that the structure is sovereign and is to exercise its power to gain obedience externally, which is harshness. As men have opted for the first, they have abdicated their responsibility, leaving their wives to fend for themselves. As they have opted for the second and become tyrants in the home, they have driven their wives away.”2
In his book, Bill explains that the column down the middle of the left side and right side is the biblical idea of the marriage relationship. It consists of the following biblical ideas:
“Presupposition: God exits.
“God is sovereign.
“Husband and wife equal value, husband authority through servanthood.
“Servanthood: working together.
“Center is God and you: “I must change.”
“Love relationship: working together.”3
There is much more depth to what Bill Burtness explains, in his book. I urge you to purchase a copy of it, read it, study it, and apply what you learn. Doing so will positively impact the next generation in your family. You can find a link to The Third Alternative: Christian Self-Government at Bill Burtness’ bio at Biblical Classical Community.
A Look at Christendom and the Family
The opening paragraph in Chapter 3 of As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation it states, “The family is the oldest and most basic of human institutions.” It is “the original society in which each person is placed by God at birth,” writes pastor and author Philip Lancaster. “It is, for better or worse, the place where people are shaped—their intellect, their values, their character, and their aspirations. All that a person later becomes depend upon the factors that forged him in his youth, and the home is the primary shaper of young human beings.”4
The subheadings within Chapter 3 of As the Family Goes So Goes the Nation guide the reader along biblical premises, which are expanded on in this chapter:
- God defines an authority structure for the family, with the husband as the “head”
- God intends for those in authority to be responsible servants
- The family functions as the most basic unit of government in any nation
- Principle 1: The husband is to lovingly and sacrificially lead the family
- Principle 2: The husband is to protect and provide for his family
- Principle 3: The wife is to respect and faithfully submit to her husband
- Principle 4: The wife is to bear and nurture the children and manage the household
- Principle 5: Children are to honor and obey parents
- At the end of each section regarding a specific principle is an explanation of how to apply it to life.
The Biblical Worldview of Family As a Blessing
The biblical worldview of family is that the husband and wife are to be a blessing to each other (Ephesians 5:28-30). And, that children are a blessing and inheritance (Psalm 127:3) from the Lord—who are also image bearers of our Creator God.
Family is a gift. We are to bless each other within the family structure: loving each other, serving each other, learning how to live governmentally and Christianly. Doing so is living within the realm of Christendom, even in our own homes.
Thinking Generationally
The biblical family thinks differently than the world, and we think generationally. That doesn’t necessarily mean material wealth—although it could. Primarily, it’s thinking about spiritual wealth: 1. raising generations in the fear and admonition of the Lord; 2. discipling each generation in biblical philosophy and methodology; 3. teaching each consecutive generation how to think and reason Biblically, and apply God’s instructions to life; 4. and teaching each generation life skills. It includes biological children, and it includes adopted children.
All of that comes down to education—which is discipleship. And, that’s where Biblical Classical Education comes into the picture. We not only begin lessons with biblical presuppositions and premises and principles, we live our lives based on those. We put them into action in word and in deed by governing ourselves under God and with the strength that Christ gives us (Philippians 4:13). It all comes down to choices.
That’s where online courses at Biblical Classical Community come in the picture. Each course is taught with biblical presuppositions and premises and principles in each subject. They’re there to help your family learn the biblical worldview and Providential history of life and in each subject. Biblical Classical Community exists to help support families who want to more easily implement the Biblical Classical Approach in their homeschools and life.
Emphatic Conclusion
Family is the foundation of any society, and may Christ be the foundation of families. The Bible informs us in how to live, and we live within Christendom as we choose to govern ourselves under Him and live according to His Word.
Footnote 1: Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, family
Footnote 2: The Third Alternative: Christian Self-Government, (2003 by Bill Burtness, p. 120
Footnote 3: The Third Alternative: Christian Self-Government, (2003 by Bill Burtness, p. 120
Footnote 4: As the Family Goes, So Goes the Nation: Principles in Practises for Building Healthy Families, (C)Year Not Listed, by Elizabeth L. Youmans, Jill C. Thrift, and Scott D. Allen, p. 25
