The American Family Association's office building has a prominent wall highlighting the organization's core mission and values. Among the words displayed is "Marriage and Family," which recognizes the sacred importance of the family unit.
This is not just an organizational platitude but a solemn truth that finds its roots in God's very nature and identity. Even apart from humanity, we see familial language and relationships within the Trinity - one Divine Person is the "Father," while another is the "Son." The gospel message is an astonishing invitation for sinful humanity to be adopted into God's divine family as beloved children of the Father and brothers and sisters of Christ.
The concept of "family" is imprinted into the eternal fabric of God's character, and Christians have the fantastic opportunity to live out this reality in their own families. The union of a husband and wife serves as a living picture of the relationship between Christ and His church. Families provide the ideal structure and environment to nurture and protect young minds from the evil influences of the world around us.
The family under attack
Unfortunately, it's precisely because of the family's divine origins and spiritual importance that it has always been a prime target for attack by Satan and the forces of darkness. The enemy seeking to destroy the witness of Christ and the gospel understands that undermining the family is vital to diminishing this powerful testimony. This is an ancient spiritual battle that rages on today.
For Christian parents, there is no greater mission field, purpose, or goal in this life than your own family. As Paul states, "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8). This tremendously strong language underscores just how seriously God takes caring for one's family.
Of course, it's easy to agree with this truth when we discuss those who abandon their families for clearly sinful and selfish reasons. But what about those supposedly "good" and "noble" reasons?
Satan is a master deceiver, and he craftily lures people away from tending to their family priorities through seemingly good and even godly things. Ambitions in career, ministry, or other pursuits can be used as a ploy to sacrifice one's family on the altar of a perceived "higher calling." Even Christians who wish to fulfill their God-given role in their family can fall victim to this deception without carefully guarding their priorities.
Is it okay to be spiritually or physically absent from your family so you can serve someone or something else? Is withdrawing from your husband or wife when they need you acceptable? Is it justifiable to neglect quality time with your children, ministering to and discipling them, so you can go and do other "good" things… even things that seem very godly?
In doing so, are you not contradicting and undermining the gospel truth your family intended to model and proclaim?
Even the most devout believer can allow seemingly mundane routines of family life to lose their profundity in the eyes of our fallen, sin-stained vision. This is when Satan slithers in, presenting new purposes and pursuits that can appear far more vital and important than caring for the family you already have. It is a crafty trap but one that has ensnared many well-meaning people.
The family is a battle station
Christian parents, husbands, wives… do not allow yourselves to be deceived on this issue. There is no higher calling, no greater moral imperative, than devoting yourselves to your family's spiritual and practical nurturing. This is a matter of obedience to the Lord and upholding the gospel you profess with your lips. Do not abandon the battle station divinely assigned to you.
This does not mean that you must devote yourselves solely and entirely to your family in a way that excludes all other services or obligations. There is an abundance of good works that Christians are called to engage in outside the walls of their homes, and there is undoubtedly an appropriate balance to be found… but not a single one should cause them to neglect the needs of their family.
When your children need quality time and engagement from you, that is an assignment from God. When your spouse struggles and needs your support, letting them shoulder that burden alone is not an option. There are times to make hard sacrifices and cut back on other good things precisely because your family is a sacred priority.
By living out your familial roles and responsibilities with excellence, you are putting the reality of the gospel on display. Your children, watching a marriage representing Christ's love for the church. An unbelieving world, witnessing a countercultural family unit that defies the discarded value systems of the age. This is what fighting for the family looks like.
Despite the world's rejection of the family, there is peace and purpose in embracing your family's mission field. The gospel is a reality that began with God's establishment of the family, and it will culminate in a great, interdependent family of believers for all eternity. What a privilege to participate in that sacred vision today by ministering within your family to the glory of God. Your family has been entrusted to you as your primary mission - do not neglect or underestimate its worth.
