MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND PARENTING (1)

“And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” – Genesis 2:18

In making God-glorifying Impact, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, and PARENTING are vitally connected: “And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Gen.2:18). Family is Good and Godly! God instituted Family when He created Eve as a helpmeet for Adam. That is, the human Family is linked to Marriage, which is the oldest institution founded by God in the Garden of Eden. Biblically, the Family comprises those of the same household, and specifically the pairing of a husband (man) and wife (woman), along with their children.

A family unit is strong when marriage is strong. Our Lord Jesus also taught on the priority of marriage and spousal relationship: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Mt.19:5). After our relationship with God, the relationship of husband and wife should take the most priority; and when this is strong, it will only benefit the couple in setting sound biblical parenting guidelines. Often, the problem of not getting along with parenting or discipline issue is the result of not getting along with each other in marriage.

Marriage is a God-instituted, divinely-ordained lifelong covenant of companionship between a man and a woman created in His Image, that results in unity of purpose for dominion under Him. When the two come together in marriage to form a family, they submit to God for direction and understanding on how to function to glorify Him. Based on the desire to please and honour God, members of the family fulfil their unique roles, The man leads the family with love and sacrifice, the wife submits to the husband, both lead their family according to God’s instructions, and in return, the children honor their parents (Eph.5:22-6:4).  

Parenting is the process of raising children and providing them with protection, care, discipline, and instruction for their healthy development into adulthood. Parents, leading by example through their marriage, are to reveal to their children that God’s way is the best and disciple them in His Word. The example of parents’ love and godliness will encourage and uplift the children to nurture God-honouring relationships, as love and trust are built. With patience and prayer, parents work towards building a loving relationship with the children, fulfilling their responsibility in raising them for God’s Glory. Scriptures also set a biblical expectation for children, which is to obey and honour their parents – indicative of obeying and honouring God (Eph. 6:1-3).  

Ultimately, when our vertical relationship with God thrives, our horizontal relationships would thrive with Grace, Mercy, Love, and Impact. To the Glory of God, these have been our Marriage, Family, and Parenting testimonies for the past 38 years!