The family can be a very powerful testimony for God, His Word, and the gospel message. After God had instituted marriage in the garden, we see Adam and Eve sin; therefore, sin was passed upon the whole human race, which was seen yet in the loins of Adam. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Romans 5:12).”
While still in the garden, God unveiled His plan of redemption. Through the woman a seed would come that would ultimately defeat Satan. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).” The seed of the woman (the Lord Jesus Christ) would one day crush the head of Satan. Adam believed God, “And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20).” In other words, Adam believed the promise of God of redemption through the woman. He believed the gospel. The result was recorded in Genesis 3:21, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” This was a picture of the righteousness of Christ in which we must be clothed in order to be saved. Just as an innocent animal had to be slain and blood shed for Adam and Eve to be clothed with coats of skin, so Jesus Christ had to be slain and His blood shed in order that we might be clothed with His righteousness. II Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “For he hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
This message was passed along to Adam and Eve's sons. Abel brought a lamb sacrifice that reflected his belief. Cain refused to bring a lamb and so testified to his unbelief. God tells us that Abel still speaks to us today about salvation through faith even though he is dead (Hebrews 11:4). Note Satan's attack on the family. He knew the importance of the spiritual aspects of the family. He knew if he could corrupt the families, he could thwart God's plan.
Satan is almost 100% successful. By the time of Noah's flood nearly every family had become corrupted spiritually. Only one family stood out from the others. The Bible says, “but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8).” The cause of this corruption is found in Genesis 6:2. Believers (sons of God-John 1:12) began marrying the daughters of men (unbelievers-Psalms 14:1-4). This intermarriage of unbelievers and believers caused a spiritual breakdown in the home. The result was that God had to destroy the earth except for one family-Noah's!
Later God picked out Abraham and said that He would bless Abraham's family. In fact, God said through Abraham's family all the families of the earth would be blessed. “…And in thee shall all families be blessed (Genesis 12:3).” Abraham was chosen to be this great testimony for God because God said, “For I know him (Abraham), that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord (Genesis 18:19).”
God also made the same promise to Jacob who was Abraham's grandson. To Jacob God said, “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 28:14).” Note Psalm 78:5-7. “For He established a testimony (God's Word) in Jacob, and appointed a law (God's Word) in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know then, even the children which should be born: who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God.”
God certainly knew the great impact families could have upon others with His Word and His gospel; therefore, God purposed that families would embrace the Word of God and dispense the Word of God. God gave His word and commanded fathers to teach it to their sons so they could, in turn, teach it to their sons.
Several cults today have a strong emphasis on the family. Satan is using this emphasis to attract people to his false doctrines. A lady told me the other day that a member of a cult approached with her daughter. The young child of the cult member looked so sweet that she could not turn the cultist away. Watch our for Satan's devices.
Satan knows that if he destroys Christian families, he effectively shuts down a powerful Christian witness!
The family is a witness to the children and grandchildren as we saw in Psalm 78. But the family is also a witness outward to other families. A family should minister downward to the next generation through their children and outwardly to the present generation about them. We have a wonderful opportunity to be a blessing to many by sharing the gospel with them.
Even Jesus Christ (God in human flesh) came to this earth in the context of a family. Although His half-brothers and sisters did not believe in Him until after the resurrection, eventually they came to know the Lord as their personal Saviour. Note John 7:5 which says, “For neither did his brethren believe in Him.” But later, after Christ ascended back to heaven (Acts 1:8-11), and before Pentecost (Acts 1:4), we see them among those believers waiting for Pentecost. Praise the Lord! Even Jesus eventually saw His earthly family come to know the Lord as their personal Saviour.
Even when we see God's present salvation, we find it in the context of a family-the family of God. You see, we must enter the family of God in order to be saved. Often we hear the lie that we are all God's children. This is not so! Romans 9:8 tells us plainly, “They which are the children of the flesh (physical birth only), these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise (gospel: promise of a saviour-Jesus) are counted for the seed (God's seed or family).” In other words, you must have a new birth to enter God's family John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received Him (Jesus Christ), to them give he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” When we believe (trust that Jesus died and paid for or sins on the cross of Calvary, was buried, rose again from the dead), God saves us. We become children of God. We receive eternal life. We are His forever. We become part of a family!
Satan knows the importance of the family and is seeking to destroy it.
God knows the importance of a family and wants to bless it.
We are now coming to a dark hour in history. There are over 1,000,000 divorces yearly in the USA. The rapture of the believers and the tribulation are nearing us rapidly. Godly families can be a great light in this dark hour. Why not be a powerful witnessing force for God as a family! Let's pray for Godly families!