In the beginning God began humanity with family.
"So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 1:27-28
The family is the first institution God ever put together.
"23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Genesis 2:23-24
Families have a lot of important roles to play.
Family:
"25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body." Ephesians 5:25-30
We are members of Jesus's Body.
Children:
"Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
'Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.' Psalm 127:3
The Inseparable Family -- God's plan:
6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’[a] 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,[b] 8 and the two will become one flesh.’[c] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10:6-9
The Family of God: All Believers:
Jesus is our Savior and Brother.
49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:49-50
From the very beginning God wanted us back.
"12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."
John 1:12-13
God laid out the natural family to help us understand the spiritual family.
Live as a family:
Spend time together; give each other the benefit of the doubt.
"14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name." Ephesians 3:14-15
Children of God:
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure."
1 John 3:1-3
Treat Each other like family:
"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10
"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." 1 Timothy 5:1-2
We are the Family, the Household of God:
"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:10