Defense of the Family: December 2023
Table of Contents
Defense of the Family
To need to defend means there is an enemy to defend against. The family has three enemies—Satan, the flesh and the world. Failure in defense of the family began with Adam not exercising his place as head and protecting his wife from the first enemy—Satan. Eve failed by not being dependent on her head and opening her mind and heart to the deception of the enemy. The parents, by their sin, introduced the second enemy—the flesh—into the family circle. The result was Cain, the firstborn, murdering his brother Abel. When questioned by the Lord, Cain denies his protective responsibility of this brother, leaves God’s provision for his own protection, goes out from the circle of the family and the presence of the Lord, builds a city, and so forms the third enemy—the world. When there is failure, God requires that the root must be judged; He requires that which is past. In this life, the three enemies are not going to go away. To defend the family against them begins with the father, the father as the head. Any active failure in him must be judged. Then any active failure in the mother must be judged. The father and mother can and must bring the children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. When all is as it should be within the family circle, then a true defensive wall can be built to defend the whole family against their three enemies.
The Family Under Attack
When I started to write the title of this article, I was going to write, “The Christian Family Under Attack,” but then I realized that we are seeing a much deeper problem today. While the Christian family is certainly a special object of his assault, Satan and his hosts are seeking to destroy the family everywhere, whether Christian or otherwise. The ramifications of this are serious indeed, and if the progress of this destruction is allowed to continue unchecked, it will result in the downfall of society as we know it.
In saying this, we hasten to point out that we do not expect to see a turnaround of the tendencies all around us today, for God has told us that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). All this will reach its zenith in the Western world — the part of the world that has known the Word of God and heard the gospel. Isaiah tells us that it is only “when Thy judgments are in the earth” that “the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9). Attempts by Christians to straighten out this world today will end in failure; only by judgment will everything be set right. However, it is important to recognize what is happening today, in order for us to brace ourselves against it and to order our own families and homes in accordance with God’s Word.
Male and Female
Attacks on the family have come from all sides, perhaps starting with mistaken ideas concerning human sexuality and what it means. In the Word of God, we read, “Male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Gen. 1:27-28). While it is true that God has called some men and women to live a single life, nonetheless it is clear from these verses that God intended human sexuality to be enjoyed within marriage and that its primary intent was to bear children within a family setting. God ordained the family right from the beginning, so that children might be born into a stable environment and raised in a way that made them into responsible young men and women.
Redefinition of Sexuality
But beginning with the sexual revolution of the 1960s, men and women began to view their sexuality as part of their identity, having no relation either to marriage or family. This, in turn, has resulted in a redefining of our sexuality, as if we can use it any way we like. Sex outside of marriage has become the norm instead of being considered an aberration, and this, in turn, has led to an increasing frequency of cohabitation without marriage, children born to single parents, and an increasing divorce rate. Along with this came the rise of pornography, which is rampant in the Western world. A Christian whom I know well told me that in his interaction with Christian men, approximately 80% of them are addicted to pornography. The percentage is quite possibly even higher in the world at large. It is sobering to realize that most of this pornography originates in America.
As we might have predicted, these sins against God soon led to more sordid and despicable sins. At the end of the 1960s, abortion became legal in Canada and the United States, and soon it was legal in many other countries. This wholesale murder of unborn children has now reached the staggering figure of 55 million annually in the world. But if we were willing to do away with unwanted children, another step was to be expected — the euthanizing of adults who, for various reasons, want to end their lives. While the practice of this kind of euthanasia is limited at the moment, we can expect it to become more widespread.
Legalization of Homosexual Practices
A later by-product of all this was the legalizing of homosexual practices, and this soon resulted in the legalization of same sex marriage. Then, as if this were not enough, this evil line of thinking began to involve young people, who are now encouraged to question their biological sex and to identify themselves with any gender they choose. Even very young children are encouraged to explore all this, at an age when they may well be a bit confused at times about masculinity and femininity. It is now illegal in Canada to seek to counsel such children in a direction that might be construed as bringing them to accept their biological sex. It seems that there is no limit to the depths to which man can sink when he gives up God, for now there are children who are even acting like animals, meowing like cats and demanding to use litter boxes. The most shocking thing about this is that many are viewing it as normal behavior.
Masculinity and Femininity
But again, masculinity and femininity themselves are now being called in question, with normal “maleness” being considered toxic and wrong. The scriptural thought of men as leaders and providers and of women as submissive “helpmeets” who trust and affirm their husbands’ leadership is now considered totally out of date and a wrong view of life. Those who lead a family life in accordance with God’s Word are now thought to be “weird” and “out of line.” God’s wisdom in His Word and His guidelines for family life have been discarded in favor of the thoughts of sinful man. Those who speak against all this may be considered guilty of “hate speech.”
The Immensity of the Damage
The result of all this is staggering, and the immensity of the damage cannot be overstated. This destruction of the family leads to divorce, violence, undisciplined and rebellious children, battered wives (and sometimes husbands), abortion, child abuse, sexual molestation, and often alcoholism and drug abuse. Such entities as increasing suicide on the part of young people, lonely elderly people, poverty of single-parent families, and psychologically disturbed children are other fallouts, and the list could go on and on. (Elderly people are lonely and left out of “family life,” because there often is no family life.)
In one sense, we should not be surprised, for Satan is clever, and he knows that the destruction of the family will affect every area of life — spiritual, cultural, moral and political. Many years ago, it was men like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who advocated abolishing the family. Engels was an atheist, and while Marx was not, strictly speaking, yet his worldview was certainly atheistic. As most of you know, they were coauthors of The Communist Manifesto. The fact that men like this were among the advocates of destroying the family ought to wake us up, as we realize where this thinking originated.
The Seriousness of the Situation
It gives me no pleasure to detail all of these repugnant results of the destruction of the family life, but if we are going to rise up in defense of the family, then we must first of all realize the seriousness of what is happening in the world today and the results of the destruction of family life as it is portrayed in the Word of God. In another article, we will consider how to defend ourselves against all this as Christians.
W. J. Prost
The Father of Lies
“The devil ... was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). Satan is both a murderer and the father of lies. His interaction with the human race began with a lie and it led to death. “The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5). This was a half-truth — the type of lie we readily fall for. Adam and Eve did not physically die on the day in which they ate the forbidden fruit, and they gained a conscience knowing good and evil. Nevertheless, the result of their disobedience had devastating consequences—consequences which are felt by the whole of creation to this very day. Adam and Eve experienced death in a spiritual sense. God’s question to Adam was, “Where art thou?” (Gen. 3:9). This was a separation from God, insoluble except by God Himself. Physical death, the separation of the spirit from the body (James 3:26), ultimately followed, just as it has for the descendants of Adam and Eve ever since. We are born in Adam’s place and with his fallen nature; mortality is our lot. God was proven to be true and Satan the liar. “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4). Satan’s whispers have not changed. He causes us to doubt God. “Yea, hath God said?” (Gen. 3:1). Moreover, Satan hints that God has withheld good from mankind — something which will make us happy and complete.
The So-Called Sexual Revolution
The so-called sexual revolution of the twentieth century normalized a wide range of activities that had been viewed as immoral, defined, as they were, by long-held Christian standards. In many respects, it was a return to pre-Christian mores. Sexual freedom, however, has not resulted in the promised boon. The me-too movement of the 2000s revealed that 80% of women in the United States have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault. The United States’ Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that we are in the midst of a sexually transmitted disease epidemic. And yet, the path we are on is not questioned. The agenda now being promoted overturns the very notion of sex and gender — the latter, we are told, is distinct from our biological sex and represents the social, psychological, cultural and behavioral aspects of our identity. Dissatisfaction with one’s sexual identity results in almost twice the suicide rate among adolescents. The proposed solution is the normalization of conditions formally recognized as aberrations.
Some distinctions need to be made. Intersex individuals (representing between 0.02% and 0.05% of the population) have an ambiguous presentation of male and female characteristics at birth or a presentation that differs from their chromosomal sex. One may, for example, have XY chromosomes but have female physical characteristics (for example, Swyer syndrome). These result from underlying medical conditions. Transgender individuals, on the other hand, wish to express a gender that does not correspond to their chromosomal sex. Sexual orientation describes one’s sexual attraction, either of the opposite sex or of the same sex. These brief descriptions do not cover the entire spectrum. One must distinguish between diagnosable medical conditions and those of a psychological nature — not that such disorders are to be disregarded. An underlying biological cause, especially genetics, has long been sought to explain various behaviors, such as homosexual attraction; no such evidence has been found.
Happiness and Contentment
Will the results of the great social upheaval we are experiencing bring happiness and contentment? Puberty-blocking hormone treatment, gender reassignment surgery, and so forth all result in irreversible changes to the body. Young women who receive male hormone treatments can suffer irreparable heart damage. The negative effects, whether physical, psychological or societal, often come much later. When the promised happiness fails to materialize and there is the recognition that one has been misled by those once trusted, the outcome is invariably much worse than the original condition. Satan’s lies promote positive results and never expose the negative. Whether or not we accept God and His Word, we cannot escape the consequences of our own behavior. When we disregard the moral principles that God has laid down for our good, it will always be to our peril. This is not about an angry God exacting punishment on the wicked — there is a time coming for that. Rather, it is the all-too-evident consequence of self-will. Early in human history, mankind chose not to retain God in their knowledge, and He gave them over to their desires: “God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. ... For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections ... receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet” (Rom. 1:24-27). The light of Christianity has been rejected and the end result will be a return to the same.
The Teaching of Jesus
An argument is made that the Bible doesn’t condemn the things of which we are speaking. In 2022, a member of the United States’ House of Representatives stood before congress and said, “I just thought I would now recite for you what Jesus Christ said about homosexuality.” This was followed by about 20 seconds of silence! The profundity of the statement was widely reported. Is it true? At best, it is a half-truth. The Gospels do not use the word homosexual, nor is that behavior directly addressed. Nevertheless, Jesus, as a man, came into this world as one under law (Gal. 4:4)—a law given of God that was just and holy and perfectly suited to His earthly people. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12). Jesus was not the radical lawbreaker which He is popularly painted to be. The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), for example, did not displace the law. Jesus preached that mere outward conformance to the law without a suited inward state does not give one entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Had the commandments which address homosexuality been wrong, Jesus would have spoken of them — His silence is noteworthy. When it comes to sexual identity and marriage, Jesus reaffirms that which has been from the beginning: “Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” (Matt. 19:4-5). Man is a tripartite being — spirit, soul and body (1 Thess. 5:23). The body is not to be treated any more lightly than the soul or spirit. “Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18).
Gratification of Our Desires
We are told that we are to be our authentic selves — that we have been created a certain way and we are to be true to that. By this reasoning we blame God and justify our own behavior. However, what God seeks from us, righteousness and holiness, is not predicated on nature. Under law, God required these virtues from His people, and Israel readily accepted His standard (Ex. 19:8). It is true that man was found wholly incapable of producing righteousness and holiness, but that did not then, and does not now, excuse him (Rom. 3:1-6). God gave us natural desires, but we are not free to gratify those desires in any way we choose. Lust seeks to satisfy desire with something that is not mine to have, hence its link to covetousness (Rom. 7:7). We cannot point to God and say: You made me this way; therefore, it is Your fault. “O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?” (Rom. 9:20). To behave true to our authentic self is a terrible thing. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). As Christians we acknowledge that we have a fallen nature; one which acts contrary to God. It corrupts itself according to the deceitful lusts. We have attributes and abilities that may be used for the mutual benefit of self, family and society, but there are also traits that are destructive. I cannot justify their use because I am being true to myself.
Protecting Our Children
How do we protect our children? We cannot isolate ourselves from the world, “for then must ye needs go out of the world” (1 Cor. 5:10). In Scripture we find examples of young men and women who found themselves in truly horrible circumstances — Naaman’s little maid, Daniel, Esther, and so on — and God preserved them. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). It is very important that we establish the authority of Scripture in our homes, not just for our children but also for ourselves. Eve listened to Satan’s whispers and succumbed. The Lord Jesus Christ was likewise tempted by Satan, but He responded with the Word of God (Matt. 4:1-11). The children of Israel were instructed: “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children” (Deut. 6:5). Children need guidance and boundaries. It is important not to indulge their fancies, especially when they go against the principles set forth in the Word of God. It is a serious thing to stumble a child. Children have been caused to doubt their sexuality at an age when confusion is not altogether uncommon. God will hold those who do so accountable: “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6). On the other hand, where there is a cause, kindness is to be shown. People don’t want pity; they want empathy. Love, kindness and compassion are Christian virtues, but love in a Christian sense never endorses that which is unrighteous or unholy. “Keep thyself pure” (1 Tim. 5:22).
N. S.
First That Which Is Natural
An older sister was donating her time to a young mother one day, helping with various things that needed to be done in the home. The mother was also working along while interacting with her young children, and the older sister heard repeated references to “the new man” and “the old man” and other such New Testament terms as she was guiding and correcting the children. Finally, the older believer said to the younger, “Sister, maybe you should just simply tell them what to do. First, that which is natural, afterwards that which is spiritual.” The scripture partially quoted in the older sister’s exhortation reads as follows:
“It is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam ... a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” (1 Cor. 15:45-46).
The primary meaning (the interpretation) of this scripture refers to the order (sequence) of God’s placement of the first man, Adam, on the earth followed by the last Adam (there will never be another), and goes on to describe the difference in character and action of the first (natural and earthy) versus the last (spiritual and heavenly). In the anecdote related above, however, the older sister was applying the passage wisely in a practical way. Most of us have responsibility and care of others in our lives, whether our children and grandchildren in our extended families, young people in the assembly, or even employees under our care in the workplace. Simply put, her point was not to ignore instruction and training in natural things in our zeal for the spiritual.
We are clear that the natural man does not, and cannot, receive the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14) and that without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6). Before God initiated a work in our souls, we were without strength, without hope and without God in the world (Rom. 5:6,8; Eph. 2:12). Any and all blessing, for any soul at any time, is on the basis of the shed blood of Christ on Calvary’s cross, “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22,23). Faith in Christ is the sole foundation of our acceptance in Him.
Mentoring Children in Good Behavior
However, we notice in the parable of Matthew 22 That after the king’s invitation to the wedding of his son was declined by all those bidden, he sent out his servants “into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good” (vs. 10). Does the fact that there were “both bad and good” conflict with Romans 3:22-23, that there is “no difference”? Not at all; Romans 3 addresses the universal, fallen condition of all men through sin, whereas Matthew 22 notes comparative differences in the practical character of men. Both the good and the bad needed “a wedding garment” supplied by the king, for the relative goodness of some was not adequate for acceptance in the presence of the king. But even so, it is better to have been good than bad. Why? Because the transformative power of the Holy Spirit indwelling and guiding the believer works within us to produce “fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:11), starting from where we are practically in our souls. It is in this latter aspect that we can aid our children and younger people to real faith in Christ, in most cases even before conversion, by mentoring them in practical habits and good character. There are personal, family or even national or ethnic tendencies that must be overcome to a greater or lesser extent in order to walk worthy of God. “The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies,” Paul quoted in his letter to Titus. He was to rebuke them sharply, not that their flesh would be better, but “that they may be sound in the faith” by not allowing these tendencies of sin to reign in their lives (Titus 1:12-13; Rom. 6:11-13).
The Progress of Training
Again, this is not a matter of improving the flesh — the inward, fallen nature of a man, which God has condemned (Romans 8:3)—for “that which is born of flesh is flesh,” and “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing” (John 3:6; Rom. 7:18). Only the Spirit of God can produce in a life that which practically meets with God’s approval. But those who have indulged in careless and undisciplined living, whether before or after conversion, have significant and difficult challenges to overcome to produce in their practical lives, by faith and by His Spirit, that which is pleasing to Him. The pit dug or the hedge broken are not automatically repaired upon belief in Christ, for “God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Eccl. 10:8; Gal. 6:7). The early training of the young is vital in this respect, as is also the guidance to young adults. A hedge broken is not repaired quickly, and increased immoral exposure makes it difficult for the young to make progress in their growth, in practical sanctification.
The Desire for Sexual Experience
Failure to train up our children effectively in natural things can have a ripple effect in their lives. For example, the scriptural way to accommodate the desire for sexual experience is marriage: It is better to marry than to burn. I sense that many young men take this too lightly, until they realize they have a problem and are acting unseemly in their virginity and taking up with fornication or uncleanness. Often the root cause of this problem is in earlier seasons of life; it takes diligence to “prepare [our] work without, and make it fit for [ourself] in the field” before we “build [our] house” (Prov. 24:27). Who would anticipate that our diligence as schoolboys aged six or ten or twelve or maybe working for our fathers as young boys would lay the groundwork for future order and happiness, for rejoicing with the wife of our youth? God anticipates it, and He lays out guidance in His Word “to give subtlety [prudence] to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion” (Prov. 1:4). Natural training in youth, which can be presented in a spiritual context as in the Word, can allow the young to avoid severe challenges after conversion in later life (as also for those that are already saved).
Moral Depravity – The Image of God
There may be among us a tendency to overemphasize the truth of the moral depravity of “the old man,” to the exclusion of proper appreciation for man as being “the image and glory of God” (1Cor. 11:7). Man is God’s special creation, in whom He placed qualities that reflect his own, with a spirit designed to interact with His own, with intellectual powers capable of complex and abstract thought, and with feelings of a sensitive and high caliber related to these other abilities. How wonderful that God’s delights in the sons of men “before ever the earth was” will be realized in “that day” in new creation, outlasting even this “earth and all things that are therein.” Redeemed men will bear the image of the heavenly One, the last Adam, having been restored to God’s likeness by the work of Calvary’s cross and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in them. How God loves man!
The Fruit of the Spirit Displayed
In light of God’s purpose to head up all things in Christ for His eternal glory, His desire (and ours) presently is for His own to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Titus 2:10) by a practical life that displays the fruit of the Spirit in proper order and in steadfastness of faith in Christ (Col. 2:5). Satan’s efforts in the Western world today are not only to block the display and understanding of spiritual things, but to attack the order of natural life in man. The increased promotion of gender confusion, the despising of traditional roles of male and female and young and old, the cultural acceptance of sexual promiscuity and uncleanness, reticence to marry and have children, and unwillingness to learn and “profess honest trades” (Titus 3:14) all serve to the dishonor of God in His creation of man and the increased confusion and suffering of man.
The Importance of Training
All this points to the importance of training our children and young people in those natural things, as laid out in the book of Proverbs and the practical portions of the New Testament—in diligence, integrity, purity and order. Personal faith in Christ is the foundation of our eternal and blessed standing in Christ; the foundation of a practical life that honors Christ now in this world begins for the youngest in the simplest things in the home, continuing over time in the family and assembly circles and in the workplace. To borrow an expression, may the Lord not make a breach upon us as the result of our not seeking Him according to the due order (1 Chron. 15:13). “First that which is natural, afterward that which is spiritual” (1 Cor. 15:46).
B. Conrad
Defending the Christian Family
In another article in this issue, we laid out some of the things that have been happening in this world in the last 50 or 60 years, and especially in the Western world, that threaten to destroy the family, and especially the Christian family. We showed how one by one, evil things have come in and affected our families so that the whole fabric of society has been undermined. So much for the sickness, but what about the remedy? Is there anything we can do to defend ourselves against this onslaught? I believe that there is.
First of all, let us all remember that only with the Lord’s help can we hope to defend ourselves against the strong influence of Satan in the world around us. David reminds us in Psalm 127 that “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psa. 127:1). We cannot overcome this world in our own strength. However, there are some things for which God holds us responsible and things that we can do to fortify our families against the destruction that is rampant around us.
The Commandments of the Lord
In the law of Moses, God reminded the Israelites that they were to pay close attention to the commandments of the Lord. We read these words in Deuteronomy:
“These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (Deut. 6:6-9).
Clearly, the Word of God (in this case, the law of Moses) was to be woven into the fabric of every aspect of daily life — morning, evening, in business (upon thine hand), and in the mind (frontlets between thine eyes). The Word was not to be read simply as a duty or as a dry, lifeless thing. No, it was to be recognized as God’s Word, and it was to be lived out in every part of their lives.
It is the same today in the Christian home. The Word of God should be read as a family, and time taken to explain it, as much as the children in the family can understand at their age. More than this, the parents should take care to walk in the light of God’s Word, so that the children can see that it is not simply “religion,” but a living Word that guides our entire life. It is a fact that children generally want what they see their parents enjoying. Children must be brought up to realize that the Bible is written with all authority to us, from God, and that its wisdom is God’s wisdom for us.
Preserve the “Good Seed”
Parents must also take care not to allow influences in the home that will negate the effect of the Word of God. It does no good to read the Word of God if it becomes like the seed that fell by the wayside, in the parable of the sower. Since the soil was hard, the seed could not grow, and the birds were quick to come and take it. Those birds are like Satan, who is quick to take away from young minds that good seed that has been sown there. If we allow entities like television, movies, video games, Facebook, and other applications of the Internet to take a large place in our homes, then the good seed of God’s Word may quickly disappear from our children’s minds.
In saying this, I am not suggesting that these things are all bad and that we should never use them. But let us be very careful to control anything that has the potential to bring the world into our home. Let us be very careful to guard what our children are reading, looking at, or listening to. Equally important, let us guard what WE ourselves read, watch or listen to.
Be Aware of Their Circumstances
Another important defense against the ruin of our families is to ask children what they have learned at school. Let them feel free to tell us what they have been taught. For example, in many public schools today, sex education begins at a young age, when children are very impressionable. They may well be learning things that are contrary to the Bible. If this happens, it is important to correct this bad teaching by bringing before them the truth of God’s Word and explaining that “if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20). God’s Word must be the final authority. Some parents have gotten around this dilemma by homeschooling their children, as it is an option here in most of North America.
Another important defense for the Christian family is to eat together at least once a day. When children are young, often the father may have to leave home early in the morning, before the little ones are up and about. Then only the mother can eat with them and read God’s Word with them. But if it is at all possible, the family should have at least one meal together, when they can talk freely with one another, share problems they have encountered during the day, and enjoy one another’s company.
Self-Centeredness
Another good thing to do together is to look for ways to help others and to share the gospel with them. Many people in the world today are self-centered, for we live in a selfish world. Even we, as Christians, can be caught up in this outlook and spend all our time for ourselves. As Christians we should be Christ-centered, looking out for His interests and for the blessing of others. If we look around our neighborhood, we will surely see those who can use a little help and with whom we can share the gospel. The family that works together to bring others to Christ will not fall apart easily!
Provision for the Natural
Finally, remember that the Word of God says, “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual” (1 Cor. 15:46). We must remember that our children need that which is natural. They need playtime and things that they can do to enjoy themselves — things which are appropriate for their age. God never takes something away from us without giving us something better. As Christian parents, we have a responsibility to provide that which our children can enjoy in a natural sense, yet enjoy them within the framework of what would please the Lord.
A few days ago I saw a small group of boys from Christian families playing in a small lake — swimming, sliding down a waterslide, and paddling around in kayaks. One of the boys was only five years old, yet no parents were around to watch them. Why not? Because the parents could trust those boys to wear life jackets when they paddled out into the lake and because they had learned to be obedient. Those boys all come to the meetings happily, for there is a good mix of the natural and the spiritual in their lives.
The Natural and the Spiritual
About 50 years ago, however, I saw the opposite to all this. My mother, who was older at the time, observed a young mother with two young children at a Bible conference. My mother knew that young mother well and knew that she did not have much money, so she went and bought two children’s books at the Bible book display at the conference, one for each child, and presented them to the mother. But instead of being pleased, the mother immediately walked over and put the books back on the shelf at the book display and said to my mother, “They have their Bibles; that is enough for them.” That mother did not want her children to have anything that was natural; she expected them to read their Bibles and nothing else. No doubt she meant well, but it was a big mistake.
Sadly, those two children did not grow up well, and one of them eventually ended up in crime and went to jail. His mother’s way of raising him was certainly not an excuse for him to break the law, but it shows us that we need balance in our family life. May the Lord give us the wisdom to do this, while counting on the Lord for His blessing in our family life!
W. J. Prost
Authority in the Home
In every relationship or position in which the believer may be set, the secret of happiness lies in the maintenance of the divine order. Whether in the family, the household or the church, failure to uphold God’s order will result in serious consequences. If there is the substitution of that which is of man for the sake of convenience and expediency, confusion and discord must be the inevitable result. How many examples of this we see in the Scriptures!
There is a divine order for the family. The value God Himself sets upon subjection to His order is seen in that familiar passage in which He commends Abraham, on the ground that “he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment” (Gen. 18:19). Scripture records others such as Caleb, Amram and Jochebed, and Eunice, the mother of Timothy, who were faithful in their family and household responsibilities and whose families showed the fruit of it. Also, in the epistles of Ephesians and Colossians, what care is taken to urge upon every member of the Christian household the importance of fulfilling their several relative responsibilities! Children, servants, parents, masters, husbands and wives are directed as to the duties of their respective positions. On the other hand, what sad examples of parental misrule and of filial disobedience are preserved in the Scriptures for our admonition and warning! The happiness of the families of Eli, Samuel, David and many others was wrecked because these parents did not establish and uphold divine order in their homes. Not only was the happiness of the family destroyed, but the disorder also brought with it divine government. (Read, for example, 1 Samuel 3:11-14.)
Maintaining God’s Order
How, then, is God’s order in the family to be maintained? The answer to this question is found in both Ephesians and Colossians (Eph. 5:22-33; 6:19; Col. 3:18-25; 4:1). The husband is the head and as such has to act as God’s vice-regent to govern, not according to his will, but according to the divine will. The authority put into his hands is from the Lord, and since it is his to wield for Him, it cannot be delegated to another. The wife is in subjection to her husband, even as the church is subject to Christ, the husband on his part having to love his wife even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. The responsibility of children is to obey their parents in the Lord. Their obedience is to be absolute, qualified only by the condition—in the Lord. Servants have, likewise, to obey their masters, parents and masters having on their side their respective obligations.
With these instructions before us, it is easy to perceive that if the wife governs instead of the husband or if the children are permitted to have their own way—to please themselves instead of living in subjection — it will result in disorder. If servants are allowed to govern the household, it will not produce blessing, harmony or happiness. The pathway of blessing is the pathway of obedience in the spheres we are called upon to fill.
Personal Responsibility
In reading what Scripture says on the subject, let each remember his personal responsibility first. Sometimes we hear a husband urging his wife to obey him, while a wife may complain that her husband does not show his love sufficiently. Or a child may complain that his father provokes him to anger, while parents, perhaps, wonder why their children do not obey them, at least not in the right spirit. In all of this, each must take to heart what Scripture is saying to him or her and seek, with the Lord’s help, to carry it out. Let each first read and obey the Scripture for himself and act on it before being occupied with someone else’s failure.
Furthermore, there is a difference between the subjection of a wife to her husband and the obedience of children to parents. For this reason, Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:14 (JND), “I will that the younger [women] marry, bear children, rule the house, give no occasion to the adversary in respect of reproach.” While the wife is to be subject to her husband, it is expected that she would rule the house, especially as her husband might well be absent a good part of the day in the normal course of earning a living. As his helpmeet, she should enter into his thoughts and feelings and rule according to the pattern he has established. More than this, it should be recognized by both that it is the Lord’s will that should have priority for them. When it is not a question of the Lord’s will, grace can easily be shown, and when love is paramount in the relationship, there will be no difficulty.
Love and Obedience
In the case of children, obedience must be insisted upon, and this is best taught at the earliest age. Implicit obedience to parents must be maintained, and this becomes harder and harder in the atmosphere of the world in which we live. Again, if love is paramount in the home, such obedience will not be burdensome, but rather will be the happy outflow of a normal relationship.
Submission and Failure
When Scripture addresses issues of obedience and authority, the one in a place of submission is always mentioned first. No doubt this is so because the one who should submit and obey must do so regardless of the manner in which the authority is exercised. Sometimes authority is used in a wrong way, but God never allows us to rebel against an authority which He has set up. We may have to obey God as the supreme authority rather than man, but even in such a case, we must be subject to the consequences just as Daniel’s friends submitted to Nebuchadnezzar’s fire for not bowing to his idol.
On the other hand, when there is disorder and confusion within a sphere of authority God has established, God looks to the responsible head for the reason. Generally it can be said that where there is anything painful and wrong in human relationships, it is usually the one in authority that has failed first. God looks first to the one whom He has placed in responsibility. This is solemn and brings before us the seriousness of acting in a sphere of authority before God.
Christianity at Home
When these principles of God’s order are followed by the various members of a family, that household becomes a testimony for God in a scene where all have departed from Him—a bright circle of light in the midst of surrounding darkness. It becomes an anticipation of millennial blessing when the Lord’s authority shall be acknowledged throughout the whole world.
A large part of our lives is spent in our homes, and the household, therefore, is the chief scene of our testimony. We may appear ever so godly in our assembly life or perhaps out in the world, but it is in the home that our Christianity (or lack of it!) is really displayed. It might be well to remember that one part of proper testimony should be the expression of Christ in our homes — Christ in all the various relationships of the household. “To me to live is Christ.” This is the testimony indeed, whether at home, in the church or in the world.
E. Dennett, Authority in the Home (adapted and added to)
The Need for the Word of God in Our Homes
“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons” (Deut. 4:9).
These words set before us two things of unspeakable importance; namely, individual and family responsibility. God’s people of old were responsible to keep the heart with all diligence, lest they should let slip the precious Word of God. And not only so, but they were also solemnly responsible to instruct their children and their grandchildren. Surely we too are imperatively called upon to give ourselves to the careful reading of the Word of God; we need to make the Bible our supreme and absorbing study.
It is to be feared that some of us read the Bible as a matter of duty, while we find our delight and refreshment in the newspaper and light literature. [Could we today add television, the Internet and Facebook?] Need we wonder at our shallow knowledge of Scripture? How could we know anything of the living depths or the moral glories of a volume which we merely take up as a cold matter of duty, while, at the same time, something else is literally devoured?
The Lord said to Israel, “Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deut. 11:18). The “heart,” the “soul,” the “hand” and the “eyes” were all to be engaged about the precious Word of God. This was real work. It was to be no empty formality, no barren routine. The whole man was to be given up in holy devotion to the statutes and judgments of God.
Our Testimony
Do we, as Christians, enter into such words as this? Has the Word of God such a place in our hearts, in our homes and in our habits? Do those who enter our houses or come in contact with us in daily life see that the Word of God is paramount with us? Do those with whom we do business see that we are governed by the precepts of Scripture? Do our children see that we live in the very atmosphere of Scripture and that our whole character is formed and our conduct governed by it? It is a delusion to imagine that the new life can be in a healthy, prosperous condition where the Word of God is habitually neglected.
We do not, of course, mean that no other book but the Bible should be read, but nothing demands greater watchfulness than the matter of reading. All things are to be done in the name of Jesus and to the glory of God, and this is among the “all things.” We should read no book that we cannot read to the glory of God and on which we cannot ask God’s blessing.
The Family Reading
Heads of houses should ponder this matter seriously. We are most fully persuaded that there ought to be in every Christian household a daily acknowledgment of God and His Word. Some may, perhaps, look upon it as bondage, as religious routine, to have regular family reading and prayer. We would ask such objectors, Is it bondage for the family to assemble at meals? Are the family reunions around the table ever regarded as a wearisome duty? Certainly not, if the family is a well ordered and happy one. Why then should it be regarded as a burdensome thing for the head of a Christian household to gather his children around him and read a few verses of the precious Word of God and breathe a few words of prayer before the throne of grace? We believe it to be a habit in perfect accordance with the teaching of both the Old and the New Testaments.
What would we think of a professing Christian who never prayed and never read the Word of God in private? Could we possibly regard him as a happy, healthy, true Christian? Assuredly not. Now if it is thus with an individual, how can a family be regarded as in a right state where there is no family reading, no family prayer, and no family acknowledgment of God or His Word?
It is by no means necessary to make it a long, wearisome service. As a rule, both in our houses and in our public assemblies, short, fresh, fervent exercises are by far the more edifying.
It may be said that there are many families who seem very particular about their morning and evening reading and prayer, and yet their whole domestic history from morning till night is a flagrant contradiction of their so-called religious service. Under such painful and humiliating circumstances, what of the family reading? Alas! it is an empty formality; in place of being a morning and evening sacrifice, it is a morning and evening lie.
For the Glory of Christ
We should measure everything in our private life, in our domestic economy, in our daily history, in all our interactions with others and in all our business transactions with that one standard — the glory of Christ. Our one grand question must be, “Is this worthy of the holy name which is called upon me?” If not, let us not touch it; let us turn our back upon it with stern decision and flee from it with holy energy. Let us not listen for a moment to the contemptible question, What harm is there in it? No truly devoted heart would ever entertain such a question. Whenever you hear anyone speaking thus, you may at once conclude that Christ is not the governing object of the heart.
We have all of us much need to consider our ways — to look well to the real state of our hearts as to Christ, for here lies the true secret of the whole matter. If the heart is not true to Him, nothing can be right in the private life, the family, or the assembly — nothing anywhere. But if the heart is true to Him, all will be right. Surely love to Christ is the grand safeguard against every form of error and evil. A heart filled with Christ has no room for anything else, but if there is no love to Him, there is no security against the wildest error or the worst form of moral evil.
C. H. Mackintosh (adapted)
Man and Woman
Male and Female
In the beginning God created. In this work He created living creatures, such as animals, birds and fish, after their kind, giving to them living souls. As a last work of this creation He created man, saying,
“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. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:26-27).
Man was special. He was to be over all the rest of the creation, he was created after God’s image to represent him; he was created in God’s likeness; he was created in two distinct forms – as a male and as a female. Being created in this way, as a male and a female, God blessed man, saying,
“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28).
The physical parts of God’s creation and the living creatures were brought in existence simply by God speaking them in existence—“And God said, Let the ... .” and it was so. But His creature man was formed and given life by a special way,
“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” (Gen. 2:7).
God and Jehovah God
God creates, for He is the ever existing one who inhabits eternity. His first work was to create time and space, and then to create things to inhabit that time and space. In doing so He refers to Himself as “God.” When He creates man and prepares a habitation for him, He introduces Himself as the “Lord God” (Jehovah God). This title/name brings before us relationship—the relationship He is to have with man. Unlike the animal, man is created as a moral being in His relationship with God, with fellow man, and in his responsibilities over the created earth.
Man’s Moral Place
Having provided and placed the man in the garden of Eden with provisions for his food, Jehovah now puts man in his moral relationship to Himself. He does not suggest, he does not counsel, he does not give free will, He commands obedience.
“The LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17).
No Helpmate, His Like
We know “There is one God.” We also know He has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So in the act of creating man he says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Having placed man in the garden, commanded him to obey, we might say all is well, but Jehovah God does not say so. He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate, his like” (Gen. 2:18 JND). God brings each living soul to Adam to name, and he gives names to all. Was there found in the process any suitable to be his helpmate? No. “As for Adam, he found no helpmate, his like” (Gen. 2:20 JND).
Man and Woman
The Father and the Son have been companions for all eternity. Man was to be like them. But so far he was not, for he had no companion, no helpmate, like himself. So,
“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 (Gen. 2:21-23).
God provides what man needs to be complete, “He made a woman, and brought her unto the man.” Adam calls her, “Woman.” She is not just a biologically different type of the human race. She is taken from the man, she is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. God has now introduced us to two sets of terms each with their own meaning and significance. Male and female are terms of the two different types of man as needed to be fruitful and perpetuate the race. Man and woman give us the nature of their relationship to one another, their suitability to be helpmates, to share a special intimacy with one another – “to be one flesh.”
Husband and Wife
The relationship of the man to the woman is now taken one step farther.
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen 2:24).
A man is to leave the family of his father and mother and to be in relationship with a woman as his wife. He shall cleave to her and they shall “become one flesh.”
The nature of being “one flesh” is given to us by the statement, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD” (Gen. 4:1). Cain grows up, leaves his father and mother, takes a wife and “And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch” (Gen. 4:17).
Gender
God created male and female. The will of man cannot alter this fact. As the following verses show, God has given a very, very simple way to know who is a male and who is a female. Without exception the man produces the “seed” and the woman provides the “womb.” If you are a seed producer you are a male; if you provide a womb for that seed you are a female.
Man the Father
“That we may preserve seed alive of our father” (Gen. 19:34).
“If any man's seed of copulation go out from him” (Lev. 15:16).
“A man whose seed goeth from him” (Lev. 22:4).
“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus” (Acts 13:22-23).
The male as God created him was provided with the means of producing “seed.” When his seed is conceived in the womb of the female and produces the fruit of a child, he is the father of the child
Woman the Mother
“If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child” (Lev. 12:2).
“To the woman he said, I will greatly increase thy travail and thy pregnancy; with pain thou shalt bear children” (Gen. 3:16).
“And when Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren” (Gen. 29:31).
“Am I in God's stead, who has withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?” (Gen. 30:2).
“As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, how the bones [grow] in the womb of her that is with child, even so thou knowest not the work of God who maketh all” (Eccl. 11:5).
The female as God has created her is provided with a “womb.” In this womb she receives the seed of the male. As God chooses that seed is “conceived.” If conception takes place, the woman is called “pregnant” and a child begins to be formed and grow in the womb. When the child, the fruit of the womb, is born, she is the mother of the child.
Conception and One Flesh
“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain” (Gen. 4:1).
“Go thou in, lie with him, that we may preserve seed alive of our father” (Gen. 19:34).
“If any man's seed of copulation go out from him” (Lev. 15:16).
“What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh” (1 Cor. 6:16).
The means by which the seed of the male enters the womb of the female is described in the preceding verses. Such an act whether an act of marriage or an act of sin results in “shall be one flesh.”
Conception and Life
While a man may “know” a woman and his seed enter her womb, it is important to recognize that God alone is the giver of life.
“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son” (Ruth 4:13).
God as Lord over life alone controls whether or not conception will take place. When God gives conception, a new life begins. Giving the right to abort a conceived child, growing in the womb, is giving the right to murder.
Jacob understood. “And when Jehovah saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” (Gen 29:31). “And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, Am I in God's stead, who has withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?” (Gen. 30:2). “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach (Gen. 30:22-23).
Divorce
God decreed that is was not good for man to dwell alone. He provided Adam with a helpmate. And she became his wife and the mother of their children. They were “one flesh.” As time passed some decided to “put away” their wives and marry someone else. When the Lord Jesus came, he introduced to man the kingdom of God—a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. He came as the King of the Jews. They reject him and then he tells his followers that as Son of man he must suffer and die and be raised again. As part of his sermon on the mount he said,
“It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matt. 5:31-32).
Later the Pharisees bring up the subject again. “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” (Matt. 19:3). The Lord answers the question.
“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:4-6).
Not accepting his answer and his reason—“he which made them at the beginning made the male and female”—they appeal to what Moses said.
“They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matt. 19:7-9).
Eunuchs
The Lord’s disciples find what he says to be hard to accept, for in their minds they wondered in view of what he said, whether it was a good idea to marry at all (Matt. 19:10). So he answers them by saying, first, “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given” (Matt. 19:11).
Then, the Lord explains his answer by saying, “For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matt. 19:12).
While in the beginning God created the male and the female and brought them into the state of “one flesh” through being joined together as husband and wife, there were some who could not and others who chose not to enter into this holy union. Such were called “eunuchs.”
Due to sin and its effects upon man, some were born in a defective, abnormal condition that kept them from being able to become “one flesh.”
Some were put into this condition by acts of men. In multiple examples in the Old Testament men were made eunuchs by men and then put by their masters over women. As a eunuch they could not be tempted to be “one flesh” with the women.
God created man with the natural desire to have a helpmate, his like. And he provided the proper way for men and women to live together in the state of husband and wife. From the beginning it has been so. However, the Lord has given the gift to some to be able for the kingdom of God’s sake to deny this natural desire and be wholly devoted to the Lord and his interests.
So the Lord concludes by saying, “He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” (Matt. 19:12). Those who were able to do so, could do so. But all were not able to live above what was natural according to nature and so were to marry.
Christianity
Christianity changes many things. Now by faith in God and his gospel, man is a new creation in Christ Jesus. He is born again with a new life and nature, he is a child of God, part of God’s family, he is a member of the body of Christ and a part of his bride. His destiny is to live with Christ in the Father’s house in heaven. In heaven marriage will no longer exist, but all will be changed to have physically perfect, sinless bodies.
We have new life, an unbeliever does not. We are not to enter into the unequal yoke of being joined by marriage with an unbeliever. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14). The unbeliever is characterized by unrighteousness and darkness while the believer is characterized by righteousness and light.
When the Lord spoke about divorce the disciples wondered if one should marry at all. Now being in the light of Christianity we learn, “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband” (1 Cor. 7:2-4).
Paul was a eunuch for the kingdom of God’s sake. Of himself and others, as the Lord says, “who are able to receive it,” he says, “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. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn” (1 Cor. 7:7-9). He gives further detail on the subject in 1 Corinthians 7:25-38.
But if we are already married when “called,” what then are we do? We are commanded,
“And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” (1 Cor. 7:10-16).
Walking as Called
A person when “called” at some point in life is brought into their new and wonderful relationship with God. We are called to be a heavenly people who continue to live on earth until Christ comes to claim us as His bride before He brings judgment on the earth and sets up His kingdom.
So how does this calling affect our present condition and relation with others?
“But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God (1 Cor. 7:17-24).
Circumcision was given as a sign of the covenant between Abraham and Jehovah. Does it have anything to do with us if called when a Jew or when a Gentile? No. What’s important is “keeping the commandments of God.” Are we called while a “servant” (a slave)? Are to the declare slavery unjust? Are we to get politically involved and try to change the laws that govern us? No. We are “Christ’s servant.”
Grace and Government
“Grace pardons—yes, freely, fully and eternally pardons. But what is sown must be reaped. A man may be sent by his master to sow a field with wheat, and through ignorance, dullness or inattention, he sows some weeds. His master hears of the mistake, and in the exercise of his grace he pardons it — pardons it freely and fully. What then? Will the gracious pardon change the nature of the crop? Assuredly not, and, hence, in due time, when golden ears should cover the field, the servant sees it covered with the weeds he sowed. Does the sight of the weeds make him doubt his master’s grace? By no means. As the master’s grace did not alter the nature of the crop, so neither does the nature of the crop touch, for a moment, the master’s grace, nor interfere, in the smallest degree, with his pardon. The two things are perfectly distinct. Also, the principle would still be true even though the master were, by the application of extraordinary skill, to extract from the weed a medicine infinitely more valuable than the wheat itself. It would still hold good that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 5:7). This verse is a brief but most comprehensive statement of the great governmental principle — a principle both grave and practical. “Whatsoever a man soweth.” It matters not who he is. As is your sowing, so will be your reaping. Grace pardons, but if you sow weeds in spring, you will not reap wheat at harvesttime.”
C. H.Mackintosh (adapted)
Man’s Moral History and Present Condition
The Book of Romans begins by giving us a moral history of Adam’s race after God created him, provided for the fruitful continuation of the race, established a relationship between himself and the man, and established the manner in which the male and female were to be in relationship as man and woman and as a husband and a wife.
It is given as an introduction to the gospel, for man’s need as a sinner and righteous wrath of God on the sinner must be presented to him before he is ready to hear and believe God remedy for that need and its consequences.
We are told, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18)
Why? “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:19-20).
Why ? “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21).
As a result of not glorifying God or being thankful, where does man’s vain imagination take him? “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man” (Rom. 1:23). The first foolish result is to replace God with an idol of his own making.
Man, having replaced God and the knowledge of Himself, of man in relationship to Him and to fellow man, what does God do? “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves” (Rom. 1:24). Further,
“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly” (Rom. 1:26-27).
Such behavior has present consequences and well as eternal ones. For, they are “receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” (Rom. 1:27).
How far does this moral fall of man go?
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind [a mind void of moral discernment], to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Rom. 1:28-32).
What God Now Says to Man
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; (Rom. 2:1-5)
God Is Longsuffering
Every man justly faces God’s wrath. Why does God tolerate and allow the evil behavior of each sinner to continue? He is patient. He wants man to repent. He leads man toward repentance by His longsuffering goodness to all men.
“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4)
Donald Rule
The Mother's Trust
Exodus 12:3,11,13
Beneath the blood-stained lintel I with my children stand;
A messenger of judgment is passing through the land;
There is no other refuge from the destroyer’s face —
Beneath the blood-stained lintel shall be our hiding place.
The Lamb of God has suffered; our sins and griefs He bore;
By faith the blood is sprinkled above our dwelling’s door;
The Lord, who judges righteously, has given that sacred sign:
Tonight the blood-stained lintel shall shelter me and mine.
My Savior, for my dear ones, I claim Thy promise true;
The Lamb is “for the household” — the children’s Savior too;
On earth the little children once felt Thy touch divine;
Beneath the blood-stained lintel, Thy blessing give to mine.
O Thou who gave them, guard them — those little, wayward feet;
The wilderness before them, the ills of life to meet;
My mother-love is helpless; I trust them to Thy care!
Beneath the blood-stained lintel — my place is ever there.
The faith I rest upon Thee; Thou wilt not disappoint;
With wisdom, Lord, to train them, my shrinking heart anoint;
With all my children, Father, I then shall see Thy face —
Under the blood-stained lintel — the token of Thy grace.
Oh, wonderful Redeemer, who suffered for our sake,
When o’er the guilty nations Thy judgment-storm shall break,
With joy from that safe shelter shall we then meet Thine eye,
Beneath the blood-stained lintel, my children, Lord, and I.
Author unknown