INTRODUCTION
In this lesson, we will explore the foundations of family and home. And make no mistake, the foundational principles upon which marriage and families are built are incredibly important. Foundations may not be the showcase of a house or for that matter of a home, but when they are not present the result is obvious to all. Culture is chipping away at the foundations of the home and is beginning to make in roads into families. It is important that we stand resolutely for the preservation of the family, and we can only do this when we understand the foundational principles of family living as God intended it.

The preperation for marriage
Many people struggle to understand how the study of history is relevant to the world of here and now. The pace of the present demands that we learn incredible quantities of emerging information. Yet without a foot in the past we are never quite able to stand in the present. History is the story of how we arrived at our present position. Genesis 2 is the historical record that reveals the roots of marriage and family.

Man and Woman Created by God
Mankind was designed with relationships in mind. The primary relationship was to be between God and mankind. God's daily time with Adam and Eve in the "cool of the day" illustrated this. But beyond that God ordained relationships between people. One of the points of Genesis 2:19-20 is that relationships between mankind and animals could never answer the relational need within humans. So God created woman. There are four interesting points to consider about the scriptural account of the woman's creation.
1 God initiated the creation of the woman. It was his plan. Adam did not see what was missing and petitioned God for a solution. God saw that it was not good for man to be alone.
2 God made the woman from man, from Adam's rib. She shares his physical make-up. She is different from but similar to man. She is more like him than different from him.
3 God brought her to Adam. Adam did not search the four corners of Eden looking for something he knew was missing yet was unable to recognize what it was. Rather, God brought her to Adam. It was God's plan; He knew Adam and therefore knew what Adam needed.
4 Adam was pleased with the workmanship of God. He knew Eve fit well into his life.

Marriage Is Ordained of God
The Pharisees had a difficult time with Jesus. He did not match their preconception of a Messiah. Consequently, they were always verbally sparring with Jesus. The opening verses of Matthew 19 reveal a plan concocted by the Pharisees to try to trap Jesus with a question they thought He could not answer without disagreeing with the law of Moses. They asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" Jesus pointed their attention further back than Moses. He appealed to "in the beginning" and then quoted from the Genesis account of the origin of marriage. Jesus added something to the Genesis account. He said, "What therefore God hath joined toghether, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:6). God initiated the sinstitution of marriage, and He is still involved in it. Something amazing happens when two people are united in holy matrimony. Heaven somehow joins two people together in a way that is designed to hold them together for a lifetime. God does not just permit families or allow them because of the weakness of our flesh. Rather, He designed families. They are His plan.

The Purpose of Marriage
Marriage provides a significant answer to one of the basic needs of mankind. God made man with an obvious need to develop relationships both vertically with God and horizontally with his fellow man. We were not designed to be alone; we were built for community. Marriage is the most intimate of human relationships, and it is the wellspring for most of our other close relationships. The second purpose of marriage is the propagation of the human race and the rearing of children. The family has traditionally been the basic unit of society and the best environment in which children can mature into adults. A third purpose of marriage is to provide an insight into the relationship God desires with His people. In the Book of Revelation John reffered to the church as "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 21:19). the marriage relationship shadows some aspects of the kind of relationship God desires with His people. The trust, intimacy, and unselfish love that are the bedrock of a good marriage are also the components of a close relationship with God.

Readiness for Marriage
There is either a prophetic component or an editorial comment in Genesis 2: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother" (Genesis 2:24). Adam, obviously, did not have parents to leave. It is , however, the normal pattern since that time for those who enter marriage. The ability of an offspring to leave his or her parents suggests a certain level of development. Babies are born utterly dependent. Without the intervention of another person they would die. Parents are usually the primary caregivers of young children. Gradually, the dependence lessens until a child is an adult. The nature of parenting is to work oneself out of a job. Successful parents rear children who can live mature, independent lives.

The Place of the Home
There is a big difference between a house and a home. Folk wisdom suggests that "home is where the heart is." A tin shanty or a palatial mansion can contain a home. Home is the place where people sense they belong.

The Place God Created for Mankind
The first three chapters of Genesis are crucial to understanding the rest of the Bible. The events of these three chapters set the direction for the remainder of history. Included in Genesis 1-3 is the story of the fall of man and his subsequent need for redemption--the master theme of the Bible. Genesis 1-3 also declares the reason for creation of the earth. The world was made for mankind's temporal home.

A Place of Strength, Solace, and Security
Let us consider a number of elements that help a home become an ideal abode. The home should be a place of strength. The love and acceptance given to a person in a good home provide a foundation for the other arenas of his life. The opposite is also true. A home in which love is absent and acceptance is not granted produces offspring who almost never are able to face life with strength and confidence. Dysfunctional families almost always produce emotionally crippled children who do not cope with life as God intended. A child does not live long before he realizes that parents, especially mothers, are the primary dispensers of comfort. When a little boy falls and skins his knee, he runs to his mother to get her to kiss his hurt. There may not be any medical properties in her kiss, but there is an abundance of healing. What is true for skinned knees is also true for bruised psyches. The comfort provided in a healthy family restores and heals the lumps life places on individuals. An ideal home is a place of security. The world is often a hostile environment. The family can provide a safe harbor that shields a child from the worst storms of life. The protection provided by family is essential to the development of a well -balanced individual.

THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN HOME

The Christ Centered Concept
Jesus Christ should be the center of our homes and also the center of our lives individually. Families are extremely important to mankind, and they often are the primary channel for discipling people and developing them spiritually. However, as important as human relationships in the family, they cannot take the place in our lives reserved for God alone. Regardless of how intimite or fulfilling family relationships may be, they cannot compensate for the absence of a Christ-centered life. It is possible for a person to take God's gift of family and allow it to become an idol. Idols are not always pieces of carved wood or polished gold. An idol is anything that displaces God in our lives.

The Commitment Concept
A survey of young Western Christians revealed that the overwhelming majority believed love to be the critical component in marriage. The answer many engaged young people give when asked why they are considering marriage is that they are "in love." Without question, love is a vital component in marriage; however, the wedding ceremony is more about vows of commitment than love. Weddings are more than a celebration of love; they are about promises made to be kept. Marriage and family are about commitments, and individuals display the depth of their commitment should be to Jesus Christ. He should be the center of their home. He is not only to be a welcome and honored guest in our homes, He should reside there. Family members should make a firm commitment to, not only Jesus Christ, but also to each other. Marriage partners commit both to be faithful to each other and to love each other. Our present culture with its "rights" mentality often denies the value of this commitment. Still, we can only build strong homes when we make unconditional commitments to each other. Parents need to make commitments to their children--commitments to love and honor them. One of the most important commitments parents can make to their children is to commit to be faithful to each other. Children need the security of knowing that Mom and Dad will be there for them. Moreover, children mirror the commitments their parents make to them. A third commitment families need to make is to the church. Christians are called to community life. Nowhere does the Bible portray the life of a Christian outside the church community. In 1 Corithians 12 Paul pictured the church as a body. His most obvious point is that Christians cannot live apart from each other. They are mutually dependent.

The Caring Concept
A number of Greek words are translated "love" in the English Bible. One of those translated Greek words is agape. Agape is the unselfish love that God has for us. It is an unconditional, self-giving love. It can be thought of as the highest form of love. The Bible instructs us to mirror God's love. Paul the apostle wrote that husbands should love their wives,"even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25). Homes prosper when members are as interested in what they put into the relationship as they are in what they receive from the relationship. Love is the oil that lubricates the machinery of the home. Love was an earmark of the early church. The New Testament church met primarily in the homes of its members. Hospitality was an important characteristic of early Christians. The same should be true of the church today.

The Sharing Concept
We have spent the whole of this lesson stressing the importance of the Christian home, but let us briefly examine another important facet of the subject. A good thing improperly used can become bad or harmful. We have stressed the virtue and value of the home, but sometimes a person or a church can develop an "us four and no more" mentally. We can get turned the wrong way and always look inward and never outward. One of our greatest gifts could become our stumbling block when a family (family unit or church body) focuses too much on itself and not on others. One of the best lessons we should learn from family life is the value of sharing. God has called the church to reach out to those who have no family. He has called the church to repair families in trouble. This calling takes time and money, and if the church is not careful, family ministry can turn inward. It is dangerous when the hue and cry of Christians becomes "How does this program help my family?" or "What will we receive from it?" It is the responsibility of families individually--and the church family corporately--to reach out to the community with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no greater joy that can come to the family than when they lead other families to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

SUMMARY
Humans were made in God's image, and He designed us as relational beings-both vertically and horizontally. The primary relationship we are involved in is the family. The family is not a cultural development. It is God's plan for mankind, He placed the first family in Eden, and He still has an interest in our families today. His Word has much to say about family living. God is so concerned about the health of family relationship that He warns us that our spiritual life could be hindered if we fail to make good family life a priority. Possesing a good marriage and a good family is one of the greatest means of witnessing to the world. The world is hungry for answers to problems and dilemmas within their families. When Christians live authentically and transparently before the world, people will see that Jesus Christ is the center of their home. Moreover, He is the reason for much of our success as families.