What Is A Family

What is a Family?

This will begin a sermon series on what is a marriage and what is a family. This topic is too lengthy to cover in one sermon so it will be broken down into a series. We will first discuss the male partner and then the female partner. Pay close attention here. I purposely avoided the use of husband and wife. You see a marriage is more than that. A marriage is a union of two people becoming one. It is a union that will, most times, grow to a family union. We will start with looking at the man’s role both as a husband and as a father. Then we will look at the woman’s role both as a wife and a mother. We will look at what is love and how to love each other. Then we will look at the family union and how to keep the family united. We will be discussing this topic in detail. Today I am going to touch on several issues of marriage and family. This topic will not be easy for some and may at times seem harsh. However, God has laid this series on my heart and I will be delivering His message.

First lets look at what is a Husband? A husband is, as defined by Merriam Webster,

1: a male partner in a marriage

2: British: MANAGER, STEWARD

3: a frugal manager

Many people through out time have misinterpreted what a marriage consists of. So many of decided that it is a dictatorship and the husband is the dictator. Many have believed that no matter what the husband was in control and the wife was to be seen not heard. Often we see many issues where women have even stated that they stayed in abusive and adulterous relationships because this is how they were raised. They were not to question the husband and, no matter what, divorce was not an option.

Let’s get into the role of the man, the husband, in a marriage. First, he is the head of the wife.

I Cor 11:3

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God

Eph 5:23

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

The man is the head as just as Christ is the head of the church. So does this mean the man is the dictator? Absolutely not. This means that the man is the leader, he is the one accountable,just as Christ is accountable for us. Christ laid his life down for us. He was crucified for our sins. So the hsband, the man,is accountable for the family. It is the husband who must lead the family. This is not an iron-fisted approach which says that it is my way or no way. It is merely a role of leadership which leads by means of example and Christian living. It also is a leadership based off of love and submission. I will get more into the love in a relationship in a later sermon. The important message here is that you lead by example and that Christ gives the example. You lead through love and sacrifice. It is up to the husband to, through example, teach the Word of God and to follow in the footsteps of Christ as laid out in God’s Word.

Next we need to talk about the role of submission.

Eph 5

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Here we are told to submit to one another not just the wife submitting to the husband. There is a difference between worldly submission and Godly submission. Godly submission is that of being accountable, one that is serving and caring. Just as Christ is accountable for the church, so the man is accountable. This means that just as Christ submits to the church so must man submit to Christ, and woman submits to man. Man is not the dictator, he is a leader. This by no means is stating that the woman is beneath the man, that she is to be dominated, nor that she is to be seen and not heard. This puts a huge responsibility on the man. It puts the role of leadership and accountability upon him. It is a fine line that we walk. Men have to understand their role and understand the responsibility placed upon them.

You first have to understand we were all, male and female, made in God’s image. We are two different sexes with different parts. This also meant that God made us equally responsible for populating the world. He made male and then female. He created them equal with different tasks. He did not make man more intelligent then woman or vice versa, He did not make woman inferior to man, no, He made them equal. He did not condemn woman alone for the sins of Adam and Eve. He condemns all mankind. Adam could have made the choice not to eat the apple. But this is for another sermon.