Topical Bible: Family Relationships

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Topical Encyclopedia

Family relationships are foundational to the structure of society and are deeply rooted in biblical teachings. The Bible provides guidance on the roles and responsibilities within the family unit, emphasizing love, respect, and obedience as key elements.

Marriage

Marriage is the cornerstone of the family, established by God in the creation narrative. Genesis 2:24 states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." This union is designed to be a lifelong commitment, reflecting the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).

Husbands are called to love their wives sacrificially, as Christ loved the Church. Ephesians 5:25 instructs, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." Wives, in turn, are encouraged to respect their husbands and submit to their leadership, as seen in Ephesians 5:22 : "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord."

Parent-Child Relationships

The Bible places significant emphasis on the relationship between parents and children. Parents are tasked with the responsibility of raising their children in the knowledge and instruction of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 advises, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Children are called to honor and obey their parents, as stated in Ephesians 6:1-3 : "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (which is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'"

Sibling Relationships

The Bible also addresses relationships between siblings, encouraging love and harmony. The account of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 serves as a cautionary tale about jealousy and strife. In contrast, Psalm 133:1 celebrates unity: "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!"

Extended Family

The concept of extended family is also present in Scripture. The care for widows and orphans is a recurring theme, highlighting the importance of family support beyond the immediate household. 1 Timothy 5:8 underscores this responsibility: "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

Spiritual Family

Beyond biological ties, the Bible introduces the concept of a spiritual family among believers. Jesus redefined family in spiritual terms, as seen in Matthew 12:49-50 : "Pointing to His disciples, He said, 'Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.'"

Conclusion

Family relationships, as outlined in the Bible, are designed to reflect God's love and order. They serve as a microcosm of the larger community of faith, where love, respect, and mutual support are paramount. Through these relationships, individuals learn to live out their faith in practical and meaningful ways.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Family Relationships

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

See RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY.

Library

Biographical Sketch
... We are indebted to the daughter of Charles Wesley for the following glimpses
of the man in his family relationships. She was aware ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/biographical sketch.htm

The Right to a Normal Home Life
... thousands of darkened, pagan homes, one that is truly Christian; and to be able
to live out the love of Christ in actual family relationships before people who ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/williamson/have we no rights/chapter 8 the right to.htm

Of Marriage Between Blood-Relations, in Regard to which the ...
... that were held by one man, while each of these relationships ought to have been
held by a separate individual, so as to bind together by family affection a ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 16 of marriage between blood-relations.htm

The Noachic Covenant
... It tells us that our family relationships, the blessed duties of a husband and a
father, are sacred things; that God has created them, that the great God of ...
/.../kingsley/twenty-five village sermons/sermon xi the noachic covenant.htm

The Home and the Boy
... are necessary to bring about real relationships in the home life between the parents
and the boy. These are: a place for the boy in the family councils as a ...
/.../alexander/the boy and the sunday school/i the home and the.htm

The Return to Capernaum - Healing of the Centurion's Servant.
... There might have been something to incline him towards it in his early upbringing,
perhaps in C??sarea; or in his family relationships; perhaps in that very ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xix the return to.htm

Provoking Each Other to Love and Good Works.
... THIS day is usually regarded more as a secular and social than a religious holiday,
and given up to the enjoyment of family and external relationships. ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/xxiv provoking each other to.htm

Tryphena and Tryphosa
... mature, if they did not yield to the seductions of family affections which ... to infuse
a new constraint and preciousness into all earthly relationships, to make ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/tryphena and tryphosa.htm

Arise, and Go into the City
... The family was privileged in possessing means beyond a minister's salary, and ... Throughout
his life he maintained relationships with his Alma Mater, coming to ...
/.../herrick/frank h nelson of cincinnati/arise and go into the.htm

The Way to Honor
... it to be more general for there to be intimate friendly relationships between men
and their servants; I would fain see a restoration of family loyalty between ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the way to honor.htm