I believe that a work of God sometimes goes on behind a particular man or family, village or district before the knowledge of the truth ever reaches them.
As members of God’s family, we are heirs of riches beyond our power to estimate, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order… that we may also be glorified with Him.
With all that the Lord needs and desires to do in the recovery of His first thought, His original idea for His people, not the least is the recovery of the spiritual family.
Any fresh movement of God which relates to His original thought will most certainly reintroduce the spiritual family, and all that that means.
There is a tremendous value connected with the spiritual family life and with the training in the family.
There is no training better than the training in the family.
Really, the Lord responsible and useful men and women are not trained in the institution; they are trained in the family.
It is because of the lack of that family background of training that so often those who go out into the Lord work break down in the matter of relationships.
The tragedy of so much of the work of God is the tragedy of broken relationships between workers who are put together in an organized way, and they have never gone through the discipline of family life to know how to live triumphantly with difficult people.
There is an immense value in the training of the spiritual family and that necessitates very close relationships.
He has a very peculiar family, made up of all sorts, and some of the sorts are very funny sorts; and that all provides the basis of a wonderful training.
It is the only sufficient tool we need as we address all the important issues of life, in a manner well-pleasing to Him: emotional issues; relational issues; family issues; social issues and spiritual issues.
Having been, born into His family, gained the wonderful birthright of eternal life, and made complete in Him, we too have a body that is being prepared for us, in heaven.
Confusion and Consternation
One area causing Christians confusion and consternation is – 'am I truly saved?' This is a question that bothers many believers. 'Am I really part of God’s family?' This is not just the few, but many born-again people just doubt their security in Christ.
Work of Christ
If we don’t repent or change our mind – we remain dead in our trespasses and sins. When we do repent or change our mind about God’s free gift of grace, that is offered to all sinners who are dead in trespasses and sins we are born again.. and the Holy Spirit places us in Christ as part of God’s family – FOREVER. Let us never add to the amazing work of Christ on the cross when by His blood alone He paid the price for your sins and mine. But rather let us simply accept God’s free gift of grace – by faith alone.
How quickly we rush to aid a sibling or other family member when sling-shots fly.
How much more protective we are of our own kith and kin when push comes to shove – but if this is the case in Adam’s fallen race – how much more in the family of God.
Jacob sought God for a blessing, a paltry, little, insignificant, pathetic, blessing: Save me and my family, save me from the wrath of my worldly brother, who seeks my life.
Life of Contempt
His could not have been an easy life, being the oldest in a family of brothers and sisters, and His virgin birth brought with it a life of contempt and accusation – for He was considered as the illegitimate offspring of a woman – pregnant before her marriage.
Only a family member could become, “a daysman” – “a goel” – “a kinsman-redeemer”. A beautiful example of such a “kinsman redeemer” is discovered in the book of Ruth..
the Church. Is this not a stupendous truth? Is this not something that should rejoice our very beings? Jesus, the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy (that’s you and me) are of the same family with the same Father – so He is not ashamed to call us brothers.
John 4:34. But assault after assault was made upon His faith and His obedience… sometimes through the direct taunts and attacks of the tempter and sometimes subtle suggestions of family and His dearly loved friends… to leave His path of total dependence on the Father. Sometimes through the persistent criticism and accusations of religious leaders – whose hearts were set to discredit and denounce Him.
It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself and which caused me the most severe mental suffering.
Rebelliousness
A multitude of reasons can divert our attention away from the important - Urgent pressures; family pressures; religious pressures; political pressures: financial pressures; social pressures; marital pressures - so many urgent pressures.
But we can still join with Joshua and others that listened to the voice of the Lord: 'but as for me and my house we will serve to the Lord.' As for me and my family we will trust His word and listen to His voice.
It was the eternal Son of God Who laid aside His glory to become the second Man Who would redeem the family of man from their sins, by becoming their substitute Sacrifice.
Free Gift of Grace
God’s wrath and condemnation for the sin of the world was poured out on Christ. All that man has to do to receive this free gift of grace is to believe on Jesus Christ – simply believing puts us in union with Christ and places us into the family of God.
The father is head of the family and his help-meet has an equal yet submissive role.
Wives should be submissive to the head of their family, united under Christ – and then children will have a secure foundation on which to build their faith.
Though my relationships are falling apart and friends and family are hostile toward me – thought pestilence ravage the earth, and apostasy and criticism is rife in Christendom.
Jesus Christ did not become a man for 33 years only – but a man forever. When the eternal Son of God was born in Bethlehem, as the perfect Son of Man, He became a fully-fledged member of the human family in a human body – with a human nature, which He will retain throughout the eternal ages to come.
Luke’s Genealogy
Luke’s family tree, was for Gentile readers, starting with Adam as federal head of the human race and tracing Christ’s parentage to Heli, father of Mary – not of Joseph.
Heed to Yourself
Oh, we all have many family and business, financial and relational problems, but it is giving these problems preeminence in your thoughts – in your heart.. lest at any time your hearts be overwhelmed with the cares of this life.
His family is to include both Jew and gentile; male and female; slave and freeman. Not only the Spirit’s life breathed into us but His very life indwelling our frame – and then the most astonishing revelation is given to the church – which is His body.
A holy temple set apart to Him, fitly framed together; Whose builder and maker is God – a body; a family; a household; a building; a dwelling – a temple for the Most High.
We who are His family are to be the building in which the family will be housed.
We were chosen by the Father and adopted by Him into His family.
Stunning Truth
When we first trusted Christ as Saviour we became a part of the household of God. When we initially believed in Jesus, the Spirit took up abiding residence inside us, and we became part of the family of God – and we became His permanent habitation.
Temple of God
The moment in time we trusted Christ as Saviour – we were born into His family - we became part of the household of God, in eternal union with Christ.
At a time known to God, we were placed in His family and in-dwelt by His Spirit. We were in-dwelt by the Spirit of God – the home and temple of Christ’s Spirit.
We needs must value His fellowship, more than that of friends or family, until like Abraham we would willingly give up ALL we hold and love dearest in this life.
Could it be possible that God would so love an individual as to give His only Son to die for him and still love him to the extent of following him with the pleadings and drawings of His grace until He has won that soul into His own family and created him anew by the impartation of His own divine nature, and then be careless as to what becomes of the one He has thus given His all to procure? -L.S.C.
Spiritual Discernment
And it is through Christ that we have been so endowed. It is by Christ that we have been brought into God’s family. It is in Christ that we stand and in Him that we are accepted by the Father. It is Christ and Christ alone that is the means that has brought about our eternal bliss. All Scripture is given by God to teach, train, and encourage the whole church of God, but the wealth of knowledge within its pages are only for those that trust in Christ. The unsaved man is incapable of trawling the depths of the wealth of Scriptures..
Spiritual Discernment
And it is through Christ that we have been so endowed. It is by Christ that we have been brought into God’s family. It is in Christ that we stand and in Him that we are accepted by the Father.
Magnificent Prayer
What a magnificent prayer to know that Paul was praying this for you and for me. What a wonderful prayer for us to pray for others dear believers in the family of God..
Believer’s Journey
Rebirth into the family of God is the first step on the journey of a lifetime that requires us to grow in grace and spiritual maturity.
Having said that, let us proceed to note that the next thing revealed in the New Testament is that this supreme truth in Jesus Christ is the birthright of every one born into God's spiritual family; the heritage of every truly born-again child of God.
I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. (Ephesians 3:14,15)
God is acting in this dispensation to get a family, and God present dispensational activity is not going to be defeated by death, and He is not going to be cheated of it by death.
He will get a Family, and will cheat death of that Family.
It is not God, Infinite and Mighty, as such, it is the Father; and it is a deathless Family that He is after.
This Family is never divided by death, this Family is never broken into by death, this Family knows no such thing as bereavement by death, this Family will never lose a child by death.
Of course, as the Family, when we enter into the appreciation of that, that is our comfort: that in this Family we do not lose anyone.
Death may touch things here, but the spiritual Family is no more separated in the spiritual reality and in the eternal oneness of the Father house, than they would be if they were still here.
Because we have a Father who has got a Family that can never be broken up by death and never lose a member by death.
Our hope is that the whole Family will be together with not one missing.
i>The whole family in heaven and on earth....That is a part of the meaning of Fatherhood, and that is what the Father is doing in this dispensation; getting that kind of Family.
We can never have a severe mentality in the right atmosphere of i>the Father.All these things have to be brought into that realm; the Lord dealings with us now are the dealings of the Father and are along the family line.
Justification and Sanctification
It is also vital also to rightly divide between justification and sanctification. 1) Justification – the salvation of the spirit : born into the family of God. 2) Sanctification – the salvation of the soul... living as a child of God. 1) Justification – born again once and in eternal union with Christ forever. 2) Sanctification – growing in grace throughout life.
You see it is strengthening the hands of the Lord's children, it is coming in to check the crushing overweight of the adversary, coming alongside to lift up the testimony in some life or home where the enemy is trying to crush the testimony out and the testimony is something maintained in domestic relationships, in family life, private life.
Many go on happily because their surroundings are happy, and they have no opposition to speak of - perhaps in a Christian family, or in a happy Christian fellowship.
It seems that when the Lord Jesus chose His twelve disciples there was, at the back of the choice and back of the purpose of having a company of men always with Him the intention of showing and expressing what the character of the Firstborn is so far as relationship to other members of the Family is concerned.
To put that in another way: if we study the characteristics of the Lord Jesus in relation to His own when He was here on the earth, we have a good example of what family characteristics are in the thought of the Father.
If we have been brought into the family of God, should we not obey His voice? Let us not disobey our Father’s instructions -but by faith rest in His WORD.
However magnificent a gift we receive from family or friends, it pales to insignificance in comparison with the inexpressible gift of Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God – for God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes on His name, would not be condemned (as he justly deserves) but be given eternal life.
God’s Inconceivable Gift
We are adopted into the royal family of God – as sons of God and children of light.
Noah, Daniel, and Job were Ezekiel’s – These three men…. These three men travailed in prayer. These three men worshiped the Lord. These three men lived by faith. These three men pleased the Lord. These three men were effectual prayer warriors. These three men were found interceding in the fiercest of times. These three men were found pleading for family; for friends; for their nation
And years pass and decades roll by and he looks back to that day of his salvation when faith was shared with friends and family and some joined and others refused.
Wise Preparation
Noah heeded the word of the Lord and made ready an ark of salvation for his family. Israel were ready to move camp in the wilderness, as soon as God’s pillars appeared. The prudence of wise preparation is a repeated warning in the book of Proverbs.
Family of God
But then, we were born of the Spirit, from above, becoming part of the family of God. And so as believers we walk in the self-same steps as our Saviour and King.
One Family
We are members of one body; united by one Spirit – one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
We are all possessors of the same life-force. We are all equipped with our own gift – for we are all baptised into the one family of God by the one indwelling Spirit.
Sometimes His temptation came through direct taunts and attacks from the tempter. Sometimes His trials came via a subtle suggestion from His family or a dearly loved friend. Throughout His life, Jesus was enticed to leave His path of total dependence on the Father..
Once we are justified and placed in the family of God, we are called by our Father to sanctification, which is a lifelong process in which we press on towards the goal of our heavenly calling so that we may gain the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The truth in this statement is not only evident in the leadership and statesmanship of entire nations and grand corporations, but can also be witnessed within the home and family.
As Christians, we have received the high privilege of being born into the family of God, baptised into the Body of Christ by the Spirit of God, and sealed by Him until the day of Christ.
He had lived there with His family, served the local community with His carpentry skills, and attended the Jewish synagogue throughout His early life, but had to experience terrible rejection on two occasions because the people of His hometown did not recognise the Prophet that was in their midst.
He came to His hometown but his family, childhood friends, and neighbours, spurned Him and treated His with unashamed contempt.
He had married wives and raised a family of eleven sons as well as daughters, but a grumbling hostility had erected a barrier between Jacob and his in-laws.
It happened, as he journeyed to Canaan, that the Lord met with Jacob at the ford of Jabbok... and after his family had crossed over the river, he was left alone to commune with the Lord.
It is the Spirit of God Who witnesses to our spirit and Who teaches and trains us to do the good and eschew the evil - and it is by the work of the Holy Spirit that we are born from above into the family of God..
We also discover elsewhere that His family and friends had arrived on this occasion because they were ashamed of Him and His ministry..
How shocking that even His own family did not understand Who Jesus was and Why He was here.
would become members of His heavenly family - All who believe in Him would be called His mother, His sisters and His brothers.
He details the wonderful truth of our acceptance in the Beloved and lists some of the many precious promises that we posses as members of God's heavenly family.
The curse of the Law has been lifted, the sting of death has been removed, and we have been born into the family of God and become part of a totally new creation in Christ, with our sins forgiven and our eternal life secure.As born again citizens of heaven, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Solomon acknowledged that paying heed to wise counsel is prudent, companionship is valuable, and friends and family bring encouragement in our passage through life.
When God is included in any alliance, partnership, family, or company, it is a successful association.
After his long treaties on our call to be holy, the need to submit to authority, the different role of family members, and a section on Christ's example of patient endurance in suffering, Peter finally begins to sum up his epistle with a series of short, simple statements on living a submissive Christian life.
How much more should we who have been redeemed by His blood, adopted into the family of the Father, and given eternal life, lift up our hearts and voices to the praise of His glory.
Had Rahab been truthful, the two Israelites would most likely have been captured and killed, but in lying to the guards she protected the men, herself, and the lives of her family.
But this unreachable goal is the impossible command given to all believers, and it not only applies to the natural loving kinship within the inner nucleus of beloved companions and best-loved family members, but the beggar in the street, the thieving politician, the accusatorial religionist, the enemy at the gate, the scoffer of our faith, and those that despise, reject, hate, persecute, and kill us.
One is a physical birth into the family of man, while the second is a spiritual birth into the family of God: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
he bewailed, Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.However, God in His grace gave this young man comfort and encouragement for the daunting task that lay ahead: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, were the Lord’s reassuring words to this young man, and before you were born I consecrated you.Jeremiah had been born into a 'priestly' family, from the tribe of Benjamin... but it was not his parentage, his lineage, or the dictates of a board of directors that secured his prophetic ministry; nor was he a self-proclaimed mouthpiece for the Lord, as so often happened in Bible times, and still happens today!He was called and chosen by the Lord... and those that are called and chosen by God for a specific task, are always sufficiently equipped by the Spirit of God, to complete the task before them.Do not say, 'I am only a youth,' Jeremiah was told by the Lord, because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak.He was not to worry about being too young or inarticulate, or because of any speech impediment.
God then told Samuel that a day was coming when judgement would fall on the house of Eli, because of the depravity in his family which Eli had failed to correct.
The 'door' of the house of the Lord would probably refer to the great curtain into the courtyard, but the revelation Samuel had received caused him great distress, and he was fearful of having to tell Eli all the Lord had said to him about the forthcoming judgement on his household and family.
But perhaps the more urgent thing to consider is that there are still family members, work colleagues, neighbours and people we pass in the street each day, who have not yet trusted Christ as their Saviour.
It was his game-plan to help execute the first murder in the Bible and to crucify the Lord of glory – and he uses it today in the fields of politics, religion, family, class, race, age, entertainment, schools, social media, and a host of other mediums.This nefarious strategy is designed to fracture a worldview, a power, a mind-set, a government, and even a family into smaller, more manageable segments so that they engage in internal fights.
Paul first identifies Abraham as the 'father of faith' and reminds us that when God called him to leave his home and family in Ur of the Chaldees: Abram believed in the Lord, and God reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Despite the many appearances of the Angel of the Lord in Old Testament times, He never appears in the New, after the incarnation of Christ, and we who have been born-again into the family of God, have no need for a visitation from the Angel of the Lord, because He was born into the world as Jesus Christ and because we have His Holy Spirit dwelling within, as our ever-present guard and guide.
From the day the Lord called Abraham to leave his family and his hometown of Ur and go and settle in a distant land that God promised to give him as an inheritance, to the day he obeyed His command to take his beloved son to a particular mountain and offer him to the Lord as a burnt offering, Abraham's faith in God was sorely tested in many ways.
He was also tested when he parted company with his nephew Lot and found it necessary to rescue him from a fierce enemy, when Lot, his family, and the entire city of Sodom, were carried away into slavery.
It is by grace that we enjoy fellowship with God, and through grace that we have a Heavenly Mediator because by grace, we were rescued from Satan's clutches, adopted into the family of God and have become a joint heir with Christ.
Psalm 127 is one such pilgrim psalm, which is attributed to Solomon and uses everyday activities such as house building, civil defence, manual employment, and the rearing of a family, to proclaim their dependence on God.The first few verses acknowledge reliance on the Lord and celebrate the benefit of domestic activities and daily work, when governed by God.
But it is also God who instils a deep hunger in the heart of the Christian and so, like Paul, they reach a point in their lives when they too cry out: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death. And the one who has been saved by grace through faith begins to learn that salvation is not only that exciting point of rebirth into the family of God, but is also a long and often difficult journey through life, where faith is tried and tested and God is proved to be faithful once again.
They touch on the roles of men and women in the home and within the wider church family, and they also address the issue of appropriate behaviour during the Lord's Supper and the use or abuse of the precious gifts of the Spirit.
She nurtures her children with godly wisdom and teaches them the things of the Lord – training them from infancy, in the way that they should go.She cares for the health and safety of her family, serving them and others with a gentle and loving spirit.
The men of the city even lusted after the two angels who entered the city to save Lot and his family from the judgement which was about to fall.When a person, nation, or faction of society becomes so degenerate, God not only gives them over to their evil pursuits, but finally destroys them by the breath of His righteous judgement.Jude used Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities around them as a warning to all who choose to turn the grace of our God into lewdness, by denying the shed blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sin.
And so we read, she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.
He used the death of their menfolk and a devastating famine to bring Naomi and Ruth back to the family's hometown.
In chapter 2 we read that, Ruth happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. What a coincidence, you say.
Little could she imagine what the Lord had prepared for her when she became the sole breadwinner of the household and departed that morning to glean the grains of corn, and went and into the field after the reapers - and just happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of her father-in-law, Elimelech.
And so, on the day she set out to glean, Ruth just happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz - who just happened to be her future husband - who just happened to be of the family of Elimelech her father-in-law.
We learn about his home life, family situation, and business assets.
He took the spiritual leadership of his family seriously, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings to the Lord for himself and his ten children.
Ezra made a very detailed record of every person who returned to the promised land and listed the names, status, and numbers of returnees, carefully recording all the people by their family ancestry or the city with which they were associated.
We note that it was the head of the fathers' family that took the initiative to worship the Lord with a cheerful disposition in giving their free-will offerings.
When church elders and/or heads of a family openly demonstrate their joy in the Lord, through cheerful giving and genuine praise, it has a wonderfully positive effect on the younger generation.
He had settled in the wicked city of Sodom and was taken captive by invaders from the north, along with the rest of his family and other citizens of the region.
And Christ, like David, was rejected by His brethren, despised by his family, and lived much of his life wandering from place to place with nowhere to lay his head.
Although our union with God can never be broken once we are born into His family, our fellowship with him can be broken when we leave the life of trusting God and dependence on His Word and start to rely on our own strength.
He had experienced the most devastating loss of family and fortune, had been struck down with a most painful disease, and was accused by his friends, that his misfortune resulted from his own sinfulness – which he felt was a gross misrepresentation of his character and situation.Job cried out for a Days-man.
God established the intimacy of family life, where father and mother bring up their sons and daughters in the fear and reverence of the Lord, and a godly man who fulfils his roles and responsibilities as God designed, becomes the praise and glory of his children and grandchildren.
We who were once dead in our sins and eternally separated from God, were drawn near to Him and placed in His family because we trusted in His Son as our Saviour.
He has covered us with the robe of His righteousness and adopted us into His holy and eternal family, and the glory of His supernatural life and His self-sacrificing love that is being formed in all those that are His, is the glory of the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth, shining through the lives of all His children, for we are one with Him.
The structure of the family and the conduct of each member is clearly outlined in Scripture, and those that embrace its instructions will live lives that honour the Lord and provide a godly witness to others.
In chapter 12, we read that he immediately left his home and family roots and set out to a land that the Lord would show him... where God would not only bless him but that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. And so, at the age of 75, Abram set out on his journey of faith towards the Promised Land.
Despite being justified in the eyes of God because of his initial faith when he left his home and family and set out for the Promised Land, the Lord sought to develop, deepen, expand, and enlarge his faith until Abram realised that the Lord alone could supply all his needs according to His riches in glory, according to His perfect timing, and according to His perfect will.
He had already promised one dying thief that he would be with Him in paradise when he acknowledged Jesus as Lord, and He had also made gracious provision for His grieving mother who would be adopted into the family of His servant, John, before His Father turned away from the Son of His love, as the sin of the world was laid on His shoulders.
I know that the Lord has given you this land, she confessed, and pleaded with the Israelites to spare her life and that of her extended family.
Please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to me and my family, and spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them.
It signified salvation for this sinful woman and deliverance all her family who believed God's Word.
The men had told Rahab that if any of her family ventured outside the door and away from the promised protection the crimson cord afforded, their blood would be upon their own heads.
Rahab can be likened to the Philippian jailer who cried out, What must I do to be saved? and was told, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ...you and your family.
You are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and each member of your family are to believe on Him to be saved.
Rahab believed on the Lord for her salvation, and every member of her family, including her father, mother, brothers, and sisters, and all who trusted in the God of Israel and joined her in her home, were also saved through faith.
Both Rahab and every member of her family who believed the promise of salvation from God and joined her in her home with the crimson cord hanging from the window, were declared righteous in the eyes of God, and saved.
And the Son who was to be born into his family was to be great David's greater Son.
The Lord suddenly appeared to this man in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, as the head of his family, was instructed to call this Child JESUS, God's Salvation, the name that is above every other name, for there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.
The hope of the world was born into the family of Joseph, the humble carpenter.
Yet by grace through faith in Him our sins have been washed as white as snow and we have been forever forgiven of our sin, adopted into God's family, placed into the Body of Christ, and reconciled to the Father.
However, when this verse is considered in its correct, biblical context, it is understood as an important strategy in equipping parents in the teaching, training, and disciplining of children within their family.
The Lord was long-suffering with the antediluvian population of the earth, but the wickedness of pre-flood people became so intense that the Lord finally poured out His judgement on a God-hating, evil world - but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and He protected Noah and his family with a godly jealousy.
Paul outlines the interconnections that should exist between wives and their husbands, fathers and their children, slaves and their earthly masters - and vice versa so that no matter what position we hold in our individual family or within the wider community, we may mature in the faith, live godly lives, and bring honour to His holy name.
We are to act wisely, work heartily, and do everything as if we were doing it for Christ rather than men, for when we behave righteously before the Lord we will automatically fulfil our wider roles and responsibilities within our own family and in the wider community.
When we fulfil our roles and responsibilities in our own family and within our wider community as instructed in His Word, we will certainly receive the reward of our inheritance but if we choose to ignore the Lord's instructions and walk in fleshly ways, He will judge us righteously and without favouritism - and the wrong that we have done will receive the consequences of our wrongdoing.
This is indeed a cause for rejoicing, for by faith we have been declared righteous and brought into the family of God, and it is by grace through faith that we have been made a joint-heir with Christ and given a share in His glory, when in fact we merited nothing more than eternal damnation.
Our God is a relational God, and He has made us to be part of a family and members of society, and we see in this verse a contrast between those whose lives are motivated by the futility of envy or isolated by selfish greed and inappropriate incentives, as opposed to the comfort, help, encouragement, and reward, which is gained in trusted friendships or a reliable partner in times of need.
But rather, let us declare the wonderful works of Him Who has saved us by grace through faith in Christ, adopted us into His own family, and covered us in Christ's royal robe of righteousness.
He would be born through the house of Israel, the family of Judah, and the line of David: And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
But now Christ is our merciful and faithful High Priest, for His death tore down the barrier between man and God so that all who believe on His name are born from above, adopted into God's family, are living stones, a spiritual house, and holy priesthood.
Like Paul, his readers had abandoned their respective belief systems and placed their trust in Jesus as Saviour and thereby become members of God's family.
Although there are many more qualities that Paul lists in later verses connected with a man's spiritual maturity, his reputation in the community, his behaviour at home, his relationship with his family, and his ability to act with self-restraint whether alone or in company, this verse deals specifically with the important issues of a man's moral attitude, ethical behaviour, and spiritual maturity.
The first was an assault on his family and possessions while the second affected his physical body and health.
God permitted the accuser of our soul to test the integrity of His servant which resulted in a shocking attack on Job's family, his body, and his reputation.
This unprecedented assault left this God-fearing man bereft of his family, stripped of his wealth, despised by his wife, physically afflicted, a social outcast from his community, and totally unrecognisable.
The barbaric suffering and humiliation that accompanied Christ’s cruel death at Calvary was designed to bring to completion God’s foreordained redemption plan which He purposed would bring many condemned sinners back into a right relationship with God, by faith, and adopt them into His family as His children.The death of His only begotten Son was acceptable to the Father, because He alone was worthy to pay the price for the sin of the world.
The perfecting of Christ was the glorious end and final consummation of the wonderful plan and faultless purpose of God in bringing many condemned sinners back into a right relationship with Himself and adopting all who believe in Jesus Christ into His family, as His sons.
Loving hospitality to strangers and a caring, Christian love for those close to us, should be the hallmark of all believers, for God may send holy angels, family members, strangers who come to our door, or people we interact with in the street, as ministering spirits to encourage, exhort, teach, correct, reproof, correct, or instruct in righteousness.
God is the source of all love, and herein is love: Not that we loved Him but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And we who have become part of His family by faith, are obligated to love as Christ loved us and to give our lives in sacrificial service for the benefit of others and to the glory of God.
He talked of man's relationship with God as His children, which was something that these idolators related to, but he did not mention that we were dead in our trespasses and sin which has estranged us from the living God until by faith we are born again into His family.
No family will flourish, no building will be sound, no city will be successful, and no church will be unified unless the Lord is the one who establishes it.
This first verse of Psalm 127 makes it very clear that unless the Lord keeps the home, the family, the city, or the church, the watchman’s warning or the minister’s message will be in vain – for neither diligence nor alertness will profit one whit without the Lord, Himself, at the helm.
How blessed, therefore, is the home, the family, the nation – the people, who have God as the Head of their house and Jesus as Lord of their lives.It is king Solomon to whom this psalm is ascribed, whose great wisdom was acclaimed throughout the world and many of his precepts and proverbs, which were inspired by the Holy Spirit, are contained in the Scriptures.
Whether we are building a family or a business, a home or a community, a website or a republic, a church or a nation, it is both foolish and futile to begin a building assignment - no matter what realm it may cover, if God is not the One Who builds it - if Jesus is not ascribed the principal place of honour that is due to His name.Should we not diligently seek to apply this truth in every corner of our lives, our homes, our work, and our world – for unless the Lord is afforded His rightful place in all our doing, we will labour in vain, Unless the Lord 'builds the house' our lifework will be fruitless and we will have laboured in vain.
It is God Who ordains the life of a family and the same God Who ordains the nation-state.
No family can thrive and prosper if God is not the Head of that home, no church community will flourish and become fruitful unless, personally and jointly, they have placed the Lord in His rightful place, and no country can be protected from the enemy or remain free from destruction if the Lord's authority is denied, for unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labour over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.
May we take this warning to heart and be diligent to establish our life and home, our family and marriage, our church and community, our country and nation on Christ - the only sure foundation.
In this verse, we find Paul once again bowing the knee to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and he has a special picture in his mind of God the Father as the One: from Whom the whole family of earth and heaven is named.
How we praise God that we were not only born into the human race but that by faith in Christ we were born again into His heavenly family and have become part of the new creation in Christ.
We will not all be required to be great leaders like Moses or Joshua, but we are all His people, members of the body of Christ who have been born into His family and created in Christ Jesus to carry out the work that God has prepared beforehand for us to do.
All the jailor needed to do to be saved was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and all his family needed to do to be saved was to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
He had been born into a highly respected Jewish family and from birth received the high honour of being a true-born Roman citizen, with all the rights, respect, privileges, and perks of the great Roman Empire.
We who gain Christ by faith may suffer much persecution and derision and we may lose everything that is valued by the world - indeed we may even be shunned by friends, family and colleagues alike - but let us all seek to echo the words of Paul..
It not only has a serious effect on a man's health and mobility, but is often the cause of a ruined relationship, the breakup of a marriage, distress in the family, the loss of a job, or the trigger for ungodly acts or criminal activities.
All who believe on Christ are rescued from the bondage of sin, set free from enslavement to Satan, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and are adopted into God's family; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
For although our old sin nature was severed forever at the Cross when we were born into the family of God and given the new-life in Christ, our sinful nature remains with us, lusting against the new-life in Christ that is born from above.
He is the only Way to the Father, the only Truth about God, in Whom is Life eternal for all who trust in Him.And we, who by rights should have death as our payment for sin, have been redeemed by His blood, given the free gift of salvation in Christ, clothed in His perfect righteousness, promised eternal life in heaven, become part of a new creation in Christ, and adopted into God’s own family.
Some, like Peter, would believe on Him: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Many would reject Him, which would cause deep conflict and great division between friends and cause terrible family feuds.
Although Christ is Prince of Peace and will one day reign on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, He knew that His message of salvation would cause tremendous division, even splitting asunder precious family relationships, because the message of the Cross is diametrically opposed to the old sin nature of man: Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword, was His astonishing admission.
We are saved because God in His grace gave His Son to be the propitiation for our sins, and all we have to do is to believe this to be declared righteous by God and brought into His family.
the dispensation of the grace of God, and the precious mystery that had been hidden for ages and generations, but had now been revealed to him - that Gentiles should be brought into God's family and be made fellow heirs with Christ - that Jew and Gentile alike might become part of the same body and be made partakers of God's promise in Christ - through believing the glorious gospel of God.
John rejoiced because the truth of the glorious gospel of grace abode, remained, and rested in the heart of this precious sister in Christ and her family (as it does in all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ), and John gave additional assurance that this gospel truth would remain with them all forever.
and His glorious resurrection for life everlasting, we might be redeemed and adopted into the family of God and become part of the Body of Christ.
It was for our sakes He set Himself apart unto God, by going to the cross and by drinking the bitter cup - so that we could be set apart unto God, be adopted into His family and call our heavenly Father - 'Abba'.
As has been evident from the beginning of time, God has established certain fundamental principles and institutions to which we should all adhere - including marriage, family, leadership, and government.
We are blessed to know that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ. We have been born again into the heavenly family of God, as part of a new and better creation with a perfect Federal Head - we are members of the New Man, Christ Jesus.
However, they brought an offer of salvation to a sinner and her family, if they chose to trust in the God of Israel.
She informed them of the kingdom's defence strategies, planned their escape, and believed their promise to protect herself and her family if she agreed to their terms and did not expose their plans to the authorities; thus putting her heart faith in tangible action.
I wonder if certain family members refused to remain under the shadow of God's protective wings or if their faith was tried, and like Rahab, they came forth as gold.
the city of David in Judea, because he was of the house and family of King David.
Whether they remembered the prophecy or whether they wanted to get away from the disapproving comments of her unusual conception is unclear, but Mary needed to be in Bethlehem to give birth to Jesus, and so we read, Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David in order to be registered along with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child.
We have been made a new creation in Christ and have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb... and as saved saints, we should not be content to simply worship the Lord in the isolation of our own hearts, but should desire to rejoice in spirit and truth together with others who have, in like manner, been rescued from the pit of destruction and securely placed into the family of God.
Paul disclosed that this body of believers was part of a new creation who would be born again into the family of God, by faith in Christ's sacrificial work and glorious Resurrection.
He made it clear that support should only be offered to those who are genuinely widows, she who is a widow indeed, and who has been left alone.. A widow with children or grandchildren should be supported by their own family, who must learn to practice godliness towards their aging relatives - not only to repay their parents for giving them life, but because this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
Before we were born again into the family of God, we were without Christ, without a heavenly citizenship, without a covenant relationship, without God's promises, without access to the throne of grace, and without hope in the world.
Our home and happiness come under threat, our comfort and character are the target of their fierce arrows, our family and friends, our safety and security, and even our work and witness for the Lord seems to be the only target at which they are aiming their cruel condemnation and fiery darts of contempt and censure - and as a result our peace and contentment is shredded into distress and confusion.
Although he was considered to be the least important member of his family and regarded with distain by his more debonair siblings, David trusted the Lord.
And so Paul calls us all to reflect on what it means to be in the family of God; to know His grace, His affection, His compassion, His love, and to experience the benefits of the indwelling Holy Spirit (God's gift of grace to all Christians).
And so we read: Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David.
Jesus was born into a poor family who were despised and ridiculed, so He could identify with those that were broken and sad, weak and alone.
To fulfil Bible prophecy, Jesus was born into a Jewish family in the kingly line of David.
The challenges Jesus received to His Messianic claims, the accusations of blasphemy from the leaders of the Jews, the controversies that stemmed from His Sabbath-day healings, and His authoritative claim to David's throne, all combined to cause His family to come and speak with Him: Someone said to Him, 'Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.'
Whatever the reason for the visit of His mother and brothers, Jesus wanted to make it clear that family relationships, genealogical ties, human heritage, privileged parentage, or godly ancestry, provides no birthright for salvation.
Because we are His children and chosen by God, we are members of His family and will be part of that great Body of believers who will hear the trumpet sound and be raised incorruptible as the first-fruit of the harvest of souls that have a spiritual inheritance, which is kept for us in heaven.
How we praise and thank God, and glorify His holy name that by grace through faith in Him we were positioned in Christ, set apart unto Him, and brought into His heavenly family, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We do not know the identity of this chosen lady, but she was a woman who had loved and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for her salvation and had wisely taught this truth to her children, and John had no doubt ministered to her and rejoiced to see her and her family grow in a knowledge of the truth.
Because we simply believed in this finished work, we were catapulted into the family of God and His eternal kingdom, clothed in His righteousness, made to sit in heavenly places, and given an inheritance eternally secured in heaven for us.
When Paul instructs Timothy to: Honor widows who are widows indeed, he gives a very concise description of someone who would fall into this category: She who is a widow indeed, is one who has been left all alone with no family, but has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.
Widows who are 'widows indeed' are saintly old ladies who have no close family or other means of support and who honour the Lord with their righteous behavior, pious acts, godly attitude, and sincere prayers.
Sadly, the increase in feministic egalitarianism and blurring between the gender lines, has distorted the beautiful harmony of Scripture and the God-ordained, complimentary roles of men and women within the home and wider church family.
This verse is specifically dealing with legalists, law-givers, Judaisers, and false teachers, who tie up heavy burdens on others by forbidding certain food or demonising certain God-ordained institutions - such as marriage and the family unit, which have been graciously given by God for our benefit - and instituted for the good of mankind.
It was on the eighth day, when the baby John was to be circumcised in the presence of all his neighbours and family members, that Zacharias insisted, His name is JOHN.
Family tradition dictated that the firstborn son would be given his father's name.
Although Elizabeth insisted the baby must be called John, the great company of well-wishers and visitors insisted that 'Zacharias' was a more appropriate name, as no one in their family went by the name of 'John'.
For over one hundred years, Noah had been building an ark to save his family from the coming great, global flood, as instructed by the Lord.
By grace, through faith, Noah and his family were kept securely by the power of God, while the wicked were condemned for not responding to His offer of salvation: For whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned because he has not believed in the name of God's Son.
Noah deserved death as much as every other sinner, but he heard God's call, listened to Him, obeyed His instructions, and built an ark for the saving of his family.
How true is the saying, A prophet does not go without being honoured, except in His own hometown and among His own family members.
They were so critical of this local lad with the shocking scandal that surrounded His conception and birth and the dis-interesting normality of His simple, family life with his younger siblings, who themselves were disparaging about His claims, that the people of Nazareth dismissed the possibility that this Man in their midst was the eternal Son of the Most High God Who had come to save His people from their sins.
May we be careful not to allow our own personal biases, nor those of our family, friends, or teachers, to distract us from the saving truth of the incarnate Word of God.
The Lord God established a number of divine institutions at the beginning including marriage, the family, nationalism, and governmental authority, and down through history, we see that basest of men are often those the Lord sets in positions of authority.
However difficult we find the circumstances of life, within our family unit, or our national boundaries, we must never forget that God uses the difficulties of life to hone and strengthen our faith, and to draw us into closer fellowship with and dependence on Him.
When we are physically born into the human race we become part of the family of man.
It is more vital than those precious links we enjoy with family, friends, spouses, children, parents, and colleagues.
The Lord Jesus was not dishonouring the people in His earthly family, but was demonstrating that the only way to get close to God is to make Him the most important Person in our life.
As believers, we are all members of His heavenly family but this passage makes it clear that those closest to Jesus are the ones that hear His Word and do it: My mother and My brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it.
We who are sons of God have been saved from the bondage of the world and adopted into the family of God Because of this, the world's hatred of God spills over to us and we too are hated by the world and its satanically driven system.
They were to rescue lost people out of paganism and bring them into the family of God and His holy Temple at Jerusalem, but throughout their long history, they did not obey the Lord.
Having been rescued from the slave-market of sin and adopted into God's family, we are called to be children of the light who live in spirit and truth and in accordance with godly principles and practices which are laid out, for our learning, within the pages of Scripture.
As members of the human race we have to be born into the human family.
As members of the human race we have all been born into the human family with a fallen nature, saturated with sin, at enmity with God and eternally doomed.
When we are born into God's family, the Holy Spirit comes to take up permanent residence within our hearts, and He starts a sanctifying work within our new, born again life in Christ.
The Church of Christ is made up of the family of believers that have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and God in this dispensation (from Pentecost to the Rapture).
Is this not the privilege of all privileges that we should be called the children of God, made joint-heirs with Christ, and be raised up to sit with Him in heavenly places as members of God's family?
Some years earlier, Paul had written extensively to this same Church to rejoice in their divine election, their adoption into the family of God, the privileges of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the spiritual blessings that have been poured out in such abundance on all who have trusted Christ for salvation.
Imagine your country being conquered, your homes destroyed, your possessions taken and you, along with every member of your family being led away captive, into a foreign land for 70 years.
The encouraging truth in verse 3, is that having been born again into the family of God by faith in Christ, we have an assurance that when we pass from this life into the next, we will be given a new, glorified state.
It is trusting that His atoning sacrifice paid the price for our sin, and that by faith we are born again into the family of God.
It is believing that Jesus took the punishment that we deserve, and that through faith in Him our sin has been blotted out forever, we have been declared righteous by God and covered in Christ's own, perfect righteousness. Believing on His name is the start of an amazing, everlasting journey that has given us the authority and privilege of being adopted into the family of God and being awarded the right to be called children of God.
He was highly respected by fellow members of the growing family of God, and although Moses received high honour and great glory for the part he played in God's plan of salvation, he was simply one little cog in the great wheel of God's vast redemptive plan which comes through Jesus Christ the righteous.
I wonder if his thoughts travelled back to the ark of Noah, after the grueling experience of the flood, when a little dove was released through the window of the ark and was the only bird that brought comfort and hope back to Noah and his family, as they waited for the waters of judgement to subside.
One could almost say we were 'baptised into Adam' - or 'placed into the family of Adam' at birth.
The moment that inner, heart-conviction takes place, we are born-again, born from above, born into the family of God, baptised into Christ - and identified with Him and His righteousness.
The mighty miracles Israel experienced when they left Egypt with great plunder, crossed over the Red Sea, were protected by the Pillar of Cloud and watched the pursuing Egyptians being drowned beneath the waves, was Israel's true 'baptism' into God's eternal family.
Although this was a command that was given to the chosen nation of Israel and related to the specific covenant that God made with them, it embraces an important principle for all God's children in this Church dispensation; There are important lessons to learn by all who have been rescued from slavery to sin and have been brought into the family of God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Even death is the doorway into the presence of God Who Himself has promised to finish the good work that He began in us the moment we came to faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour, and were born into His heavenly family.
The lilies are clothed and the birds are fed, and yet so often we, who are made in His image and likeness and have been adopted into His heavenly family, fret and worry about many things that should be handed to the Lord in prayer.
As believers, we are positioned in Christ, born into the family of God, made members of the Body of Christ, and placed in eternal union with our Lord Jesus - and as such we are called upon to glorify our Father Who is in heaven.
He did not know what the future held as he watched the construction of the tabernacle or witnessed the earth swallow-up the disobedient Korah and his family.
A son receives the same nature and essence of his father, while the servant remains detached, disowned, and disconnected from family ties.
A son is both rich and the heir of his father's inheritance because of their close family ties, while a slave is poor and is denied any right of succession or any part in the son's heritage.
We who have trusted Christ on the Resurrection side of Calvary, have been brought into God's family by grace through faith in Christ's finished work and are now children of God, through Christ.
Well, as members of God's family by faith, every believer was 'IN CHRIST' when He hung on the Cross and died - just as we were 'In Adam' when he sinned in the garden.
He has brought us into His own family and given us an eternal inheritance that is kept for us in heaven.
There is no disgrace in being a Christian, even though we may be despised by others for our faith, shunned by the world, deserted by carnally minded friends, shunned by family, abused by ungodly laws, or mocked by co-workers.
Abraham also realised that his son's wife must be brought into the family while Isaac needed to submit to his father's choice of a bride, and understood the dangers of associating with those outside the commonwealth of faith.
The promised Seed was to be born through Abraham's dearly loved son Isaac, of the nation of Israel, of the family of Judah, of the house of David - of the Son of Mary.
But Peter acknowledged that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and that God is no respecter of persons - and so Peter calls on his fellow elders to take the responsibility entrusted to them, to care for their Christian family, seriously and conscientiously.
He travels to and fro on the earth seeking whom he may devour, but we are called to resist him and to stand firm in the faith, knowing that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing similar kinds of persecution and pain, as together, we journey through life from the Cross to the Crown.
The shock-horror of the cruel Cross, the distressing denial of His Lord at the unjust trial, the bewildering amazement at His glorious Resurrection, the breathtaking baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the astonishing inclusion of the Gentiles into the family of God, and the many hidden mysteries of the Church that were almost entirely revealed to the apostle Paul, were all enfolded and yet enshrouded in one simple act - when Jesus rose from the Passover supper, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet.
It also appears there was a man named Onesiphorus who also remained loyal to Paul, for he closed this first chapter with a beautiful prayer for this loyal friend: May the Lord grant to him, Onesiphorus, to find mercy from the Lord, on that day. 'Onesiphorus' means 'bringer of help' and it is believed that he and his family ministered to the apostle at a time of great need.
Caring for the church of God is the role of every elder, and Paul points out that the man who is unable to manage his own domestic circumstances and gain respect from his wife and obedience from his own children, is hardly equipped to gain respect from others, implement biblical discipline in a Church congregation, or provide leadership in the wider family of God.
Wise, kind, and careful leadership at home, should be the mark of every Christian family.
Like his father, Solomon knew that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and recognised that godly instruction is a family treasure that needs to be passed on from father to son.
Circumcision, like the sacrificing of animals, was given by God to Abraham and Israel as a sign between the Lord and His chosen people that they were to be a family that were separated from the world – a race that was sanctified unto the Lord – a peculiar people - an adopted son of God who trusted the Almighty Yahweh and not the world systems.
Let our lives demonstrate that we are a separated family – a chosen people – a new creation sanctified unto the Lord.
The Lord had heard the cries of His people and chose Gideon to free His desperate nation from the Midianite snare, and so the angel of the Lord came to Gideon as he was threshing some wheat in the winepress, in an attempt to save his family's crop from the Midianites.
May we, like Paul, bow the knee before our Father in heaven from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name, and let us pray that with us, they may be granted to know the riches of His glory so that they too may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth of God's love and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses all knowledge.
We are all part of His Body, and His Body is not divided up into little scattered and unrelated groups, but one family of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Even though Noah and his family had been declared righteous because of their faith, the fallen nature of every post-diluvian man and woman caused iniquity to fill up once more, resulting in the next judgement on humanity - in Babylon, where the one language everyone spoke was confused, to prevent them from pursuing doctrines of demons.
Just as the women at the tomb were told, He is My Father and your Father; My God and you God, so we, who have been born into His family, have access to His throne of grace and the authority to call Him Abba.
Instead of repenting and returning to the Lord, one man named Elimelech left his home in Bethlehem and took his family in search of a better life, in the pagan land of Moab.
The spiritual poverty of this displaced family declined further as they remained far away from God, and friendless in a heathen nation.
She had no land and was devoid of family support or help.
Had Naomi remained with her husband and family in the land of Israel, repented of her sin, and returned to God in faith, she may never have experienced the severe problems and pain she was now enduring.
Not only are we called His children and have been permanently adopted into His family, by grace through faith in Christ, but we are told what we shall be in the future - for the day is coming when we shall see Him as He is and we will become like Him.
We live in a world that has systematically eliminated the Creator and His Christ from every area of national, governmental, educational, social, scientific, and family life, and replaced it with a flawed system of rationalism and relative thinking.
The 'old creation in Adam', is part of the kingdom of darkness and can do nothing but sin, while the 'new Creation in Christ', has been made a child of the light and has become a member of God's family, and that new nature, that comes from Christ, cannot sin.
He had a family that scoffed at him, friends who betrayed him, a wife who scorned him, enemies who hated him, and some who even wished him dead - but David also trusted in the Lord his God.
And it was the Holy Spirit of love Who wooed us and challenged us, convicted and finally breathed new life into our fallen frames, birthing us into God's family, and enlightening us with the abundance of His life.
The last section of Proverbs is frequently quoted because it contains a beautiful description of a godly woman, who is worthy of high praise - both from her close family as well as those that are acquainted with her.
Lemuel warned that strong drink, and the alluring beauty of narcissistic women are equally dangerous, and can cause strife and destruction within a family as well as causing the downfall of a great kingdom or nation.
He likens her as a magnificent 'merchant ship', which travels far and wide, to gather the choicest things from her family.
There is a saying that behind every good man there is a good woman, and the description of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 presents the pinnacle of godly womanhood, who not only demonstrates personal wisdom, good home-making skills, significant graces, a striking talent and an industrious provider for her family, but also one who proves herself to be a mother who enables her children to thrive, a wife who encourages her husband to success and a valued neighbour who shows genuine concern and generosity towards others.
When we were saved by grace through faith in Christ, we were transferred from Satan's kingdom into the family of God, and accepted into the bosom of the Father.
As believers, we are saved by grace through faith, and once we are part of God's family, we are to mature in the faith and to live our Christian life as unto the Lord.
Praise God that a day is coming when we will be re-clothed in a new body, just as we were reborn into the family of God and became part of a new creation - IN Christ.
God purposed that fallen man could be forgiven of all his sins, redeemed from his eternal punishment, and even be adopted into His own family as His sons - if the price of man's accumulated sin was paid for by an innocent, sinless, perfect man.
He gave His life so that we might be adopted into His family, simply by believing on Him.
The Jews proudly relied on their family connection with Abraham and the keeping of the Law for their salvation, but we are not justified by works of the Law but by faith in Christ.
It was difficult for her to find a private closet in her busy home, but Susanna would sit in her kitchen chair and pull her apron over her face to indicate to the family that she was not to be disturbed, because she was in private prayer with her heavenly Father.
May our lives be so saturated with the attractiveness of our Saviour that His beauty is reflected in us, so that others may see our lives and glorify our Father in heaven, so that by grace through faith in Him, they may turn from their sinful ways, trust in the Lord with all their heart, and be born again into the family of God - to His praise and glory.
As children of the light, who have been saved from the slave-market of sin and adopted into the family of God, how unwise we are when we resent His correction - for the Lord disciplines those He loves, just as an earthly father admonishes the son in whom he delights.
We are called in this verse to develop a strong kinship with all members of the body of Christ and to engender a strong family relationship with other believers.
Our inner resolve and heart-determination should be to consider the needs of our Christian family before our own personal needs, in order to provoke others unto love and good works - by the gracious example we set in our own actions and attitude - our words and our motives.
In the period of the Judges: Everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and so in a time of spiritual, social, governmental, and moral decline in the nation of Israel, a certain man and his family took matters into their own hands.
Elimelech and his family were part of God's holy nation, but like every individual in the household of God, they were able to exercise their free will.
Like all of God's children who choose to live independently of His will for their life, Elimelech and his family were permitted to go their own way.
The family unit was instituted by God and one of the priorities of every parent should be to bring their children to Jesus and teach them the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been begotten of God, and that rebirth into the family of God has abiding and eternal results, for we are eternally secure in Him.
So much in the family of Abraham and the nation of Israel is used by God to teach us lessons on living a sanctified life that is honouring to Him, while highlighting many fleshly behaviours and carnal attitudes we should avoid.
The custom of the day was that the firstborn son would not only become the patriarch of the family but receive the blessing of his father, while any other sons would remain subservient to the firstborn.
Both the family rivalry and parental favouritism we see in Genesis 27 is something that each one of us should strongly reject - but the worst aspect of this story is the unbelief and rebellion against God's stated purpose that each one displays.
All believers are children (teknon) of God, for all have been born from above into the family of God and one day all believers will be conformed into the likeness and image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jacob had many sons, from four different women, but it was a troubled family and significant rivalry developed between the wives and the siblings - and Jacob's favourite son was Joseph.
Only God in the flesh could become man's Kinsman-Redeemer and shed His blood for lost humanity - but in so doing He would bring many sons of men into the family of God.
James was a half-brother of the Lord Jesus and could have boasted of their close family relationship or identified himself as a great leader of the Christian church.
James recognised it is not ancestry, family connections, worldly wisdom, or debating skills that are of consequence to God.
He came to understand it is only by faith in the shed blood and glorious Resurrection of Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, by which a man is redeemed and transferred into the family of God.
However, unlike the custom of the day, when the elder son would inherit the leadership role in the family, it would be the younger who was to be preeminent.
The natural order for man is that the oldest son becomes the head of the family, but throughout Scripture, we often see the Lord rejecting man's natural order and customs, and in the messianic line we read of men like Seth, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David - none of whom were first-born sons.
However, rather than making it a family affair, Isaac quietly instructed his favourite son to go and catch some game, and to prepare a plate of his delicious, home-made venison, after which he would bestow on him, his blessing.
No doubt, Isaac remembered the prophecy given to Rebekah, during her difficult pregnancy... that Jacob, their younger twin son had been chosen by God to be pre-eminent in the family.
It was Jacob, not Esau who was to take the family reigns of responsibility from his father, but Isaac dismissed God's command and chose to bless the son of his own choice, rather than being obedient to the Lord.
Isaac thought that his secret pact with Esau was outsmarting the Lord, but the blessing he bestowed on his younger son, made Jacob, not Esau the spiritual head of the family.
As we reflect on the foolish mistakes and selfish attitudes this family made in their relationship with one another, together with their disregard for God's almighty power and great wisdom - we can see that the sovereign will of God will always come to pass, irrespective of who tries to oppose Him.
However, women are to recognise there is a divine order in the family unit, an order that God Himself ordained so that the Word of God may not be belittled or even blasphemed.
Just as her husband favoured Esau, Rebekah doted on Jacob and it appears that this parental favouritism caused a deep rift to develop across the entire family.
And in Genesis 27, we read that under Rebekah's direction, Jacob willingly participated in an ungodly scheme to deceive his father into giving him the family blessing that Isaac was secretly preparing to give to Esau, his firstborn son.
The blessing Isaac would bestow on Jacob would be a double portion of his father's wealth as well as being given the coveted position as head of the family - but the deceptive manner in which the blessing was stolen would be recorded in Scripture as a testimony to Jacob's carnality and lack of faith.
What a sad, disunited, and maladjusted family this proved to be - and yet God in His grace was to use them to carry forward His plan of salvation and His redemptive purposes for man.
There was much intrigue and scheming found within the story of the stolen birth-rite, which is packed with plots and counterplots from every member of the family.
This may be the material for a thrilling, fast-moving, storyline in a gripping movie or a good subject for an enthralling novel, but it is a sorry state of affairs when God's people demonstrate such underhand behaviour, such rebellion against God, such contempt for His revealed will, such disregard for their own family members, and such a lack of faith in God's promised Word.
We also see the consequences of contempt for God's stated will, a disregard for God's order within the family, and the destructive element of sibling rivalry which is too often exacerbated by parental favouritism.
It was in the city of Philippi that Paul told the jailer at midnight: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and Paul had the joy of seeing this man and all his family place their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the father who should set godly standards of behaviour for his entire family, and he should be the one responsible to implement them.
Today there is an increasing disconnect between children and their parents, and Scripture indicates that one of the main reasons is that God has been eliminated from the family and a worldly mindset of selfishness and disrespect has replaced a biblical perspective.
Much doctrinal truth is reflected within the prayers that Paul prayed for the family of God, and much instruction and wise counsel on how to live the Christian life in a manner that is honouring to the Lord is similarly couched within the content of Paul's intercessions for the saints of God.
It is something they received the moment that they trusted the Lord Jesus as Saviour, were born into the family of God, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Paul wrote of the importance of guarding the truth of the glorious gospel of grace within the Church family - and so we read, but in case I am delayed, I write, so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God - the pillar and support of the truth.
But while it is still today, there are souls in need of salvation... family members who are not yet saved, neighbours who are not redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, colleagues who have yet to believe on Christ, and fallen men who have not yet seen the truth.
Praise God that by faith in JESUS we are also sons and daughters of God Most High, and He has called us, chosen us, and brought us out of bondage to sin and slavery to Satan, and adopted us into His family.
We were not saved from our sins and brought into the family of God because of our good works, righteous deeds, important heritage, or exemplary behaviour.
In His grace, He has forgiven our sins, adopted us into His family, covered us in the righteousness of Christ, and raised us up to sit with Him in heavenly places.
We have been brought into the family of God and intimately joined to Christ, as His Body and Bride, to be His eternal witness to His eternal goodness of His never-ending grace.
God instituted marriage and the family unit... and in this verse, we find him instructing older women to avoid getting involved with malicious gossips or to become enslaved to much wine.
I wonder what value you put in certain things: your home, your family, your relationships, your job, your reputation, your achievements, your talents, your education, your safety, your bank balance?
How precious to know that by His death and Resurrection we have been born into His family and have obtained the secure knowledge that we have an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will never fade away - and which is kept for us in heaven.
He was to be used to bring people from the dominion of Satan into the family God so that sinners may be sanctified by faith in Christ, receive forgiveness of sins, and a heavenly inheritance.
Rahab's own heart had become fearful for her life and that of her family, for she believed in strength and power of the God of Israel and was ready to risk her life, plan an escape route for the spies, and when necessary hide the two men from the authorities.
We have left the family of Satan to become an eternally adopted child of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
From the time of our rebirth into the family of God to the return of Christ for His Church, we are pilgrims, passing through a world of sin, en-route to our eternal home.
Many people agree that being, 'born of water', simply refers to the natural process of child-birth in the human realm - born of water, as opposed to the supernatural, spiritual birth into the family of God, when one is, 'born of the Spirit'.
born again into the family of God, becomes a new creation in Christ who will enter the kingdom of God.
He realised how insulting his behaviour had been towards his family - but he had to reach that point of utter desperation before coming to his senses.
Each of us who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ and have become a member of God's family, have some incredible privileges - one of which is fellowship with the Father.
The Son of God, Who is exalted above all, had to be made a little lower than the angels in order to be the sacrifice for the sin of the world and bring believers into the family of God - so that all who believe on Him would have the right to become children of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
They were born-again into the family of God and baptised into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit - and these men of Israel demonstrated their trust in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and life-everlasting by going through the waters of baptism.
When Paul outlines appropriate behaviour in a Christian household, he makes it very clear that there are fundamental guidelines for every member of a family, including the children.
In the Old Testament, we discover that disobedience to parents is a form of rebellion against the Lord Who ordained a particular 'order' in the family unit which was to be a reflection of Christ and the Church, which is His Body - His Bride.
The Word of God places the responsibility of bringing up youngsters in an ordered, family setting, and ordains that children should be reared in the fear and nurture or the Lord.
May we recognise the importance of family roles, biblical responsibility, godly discipline, and child training, as well as our accountability towards God... and may we as children of our Heavenly Father, be obedient to Him in all things - for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
However, by choosing to trust in God's Word and to live by faith in Christ, we are brought into the family of God, forgiven of our sins, and declared to be righteous in His sight.
Only by faith in Jesus will they be brought into the family of God, for He who BELIEVES in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God.
Indeed, the Lord Himself told us that in this world we would have tribulation and would be called upon to suffer for His names sake... But as members of His body, we know that the more we suffer for righteousness sake the more we are comforted by this great God of all-comforts, Who has purchased us with the precious blood of His only begotten Son, and has graciously adopted us into His heavenly family - so that we may now address Him as Abba-Father.
And as we examine the whole counsel of God's Word we understand how God turned evil to good and used Joseph in saving the 70 members of his immediate family.