One of the most important ways that Christians identify ourselves is “in Christ.” We are united to Christ like a branch is united to a vine, like a husband is united to a wife. We depend on him like a building depends on its foundation or like one part of the body depends on the other parts of the body. Read More ...
Identity has a lot to do with what family you are in. If you are in God’s family, then you must believe what God has said and do what God commands you to do. As members of God’s family, we must be separated from the world and dedicated to the glory of our Father. Our identity comes from our relationship with God—he is our Father, and we are his children. That’s who we are. Read More ...
Christians must anchor their identity in biblical truth. Who am I? I am a creature created by God, dependent upon God, accountable to God, and reflecting the image of God. These facts give me both value and moral obligations. This is perhaps the most basic and foundational aspect of human identity, and we dare not deny it. Read More ...
We find our identity, primarily, by looking at these external sources. We don’t find our identity primarily by our internal thoughts and feelings about ourselves. We look externally at facts and reality, not internally at our own heart. We consider God’s providence in our lives—where has God put us? How has he equipped us? What opportunities has he given us? What are the physical facts before us? These facts tell us who we are. Read More ...
The world around us is identifying itself in ways that are indecent, immoral, and downright ridiculous. Christians must not affirm or accept these ways of identification. E.g., we do not affirm a man who is pretending to be a woman. We do not play along with a child who identifies as an animal. We do not accept immoral and indecent behavior as normal and natural. We do not accept the idea that a man can have a husband or a woman can have a wife. We refuse to use improper pronouns—a biological woman is a she, and a biological man is a he, no matter what surgeries a person has had, what chemicals they have pumped into their bodies, or how they dress. Read More ...
If your identity is in Christ, then you are obligated to live consistently with that identity. We must allow faith in Christ to identify us and to show us how to live. Read More ...
In a perfect world, divorce should not be an issue among Christians. Christians should have strong marriages that are not susceptible to divorce. That’s the ideal. But the reality is that divorce is common in our culture and it’s even common in the Christian church. Read More ...
The biggest spiritual threat against the family is the idea that the modern family does not need to follow biblical principles pertaining to the family. Read More ...
Christian parents are raising the next generation to know the Lord, to love him, and keep his commandments. This is the highest goal. We can’t force our children to do that, and we can’t guarantee that they will. But we can follow the biblical model and raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We can take steps that make it most likely that the children will be saved and will serve God throughout their lives. And we do that through proper discipline.
Lack of discipline reflects a lack of love. Withhold not discipline from the child. He who loves his child disciplines him promptly (Prov 13:24).
If we want a pleasant, happy, joyful home, and if we want our children to turn out right, we will be careful to discipline our children appropriately. Read More ...
The Bible warns us that “if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another” (Gal 5:15). Conflict has the ability to destroy the home. So we dare not ignore it or just live with it. We should be able to solve conflicts.
Because people are sinners, some conflicts remain with us. Some people will never submit to biblical standards for living, and they will thus continue to be a cause of conflict. You can’t change other people, and you can’t pick your relatives. All you can do is try your best to manage conflict and reduce it as much as possible.
Within your own, immediate family, you need not live with continuous conflict. If everyone in the family agrees to follow biblical standards, then conflict should be fairly rare and usually quite minor. It’s only as we stray from biblical standards that conflict becomes more significant. As a family grows in its commitment to God and his ways, conflict should reduce. As a family strays from its commitment to God and his ways, we should not be surprised if conflict increases.
And I should also say that if children are experiencing abuse within the home, they need to talk to someone outside the family—me or another authority. That’s one family secret that children do not need to keep.
Don’t tolerate continuous conflict in your home. Do what is necessary to address conflict and reduce it or even eliminate it. God wants the Christian home to be happy, peaceful, and harmonious. Don’t settle for anything less. Read More ...