The Family & the HomeThe Family & the Home

Lesson 1: The Home in the Beginning

The Home in “The Beginning” (review)

The home in “the beginning” was a…

Divine necessity, not a chance accident (Gen. 2:18-20; see also 1 Cor. 11:8-9; 1 Tim. 2:13)

Divine miracle, not an evolution of naturalistic processes (Gen. 2:21-22; see also Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7 and 1 Cor. 11:7)

Divine institution, not a man-made arrangement (Gen. 2:23-25; see Mal. 2:14-16 and Mt. 19:4-8)

House and Home

What is a house? What is a home?

House and home can be used to refer to the dwelling of a family (Mt. 7:24ff; etc.)

House and home can be used to refer to the family itself (Mt. 10:6; Lk. 10:5; Acts 7:10; 20:20; etc.)

Why Study the Family & the Home?

The home is important…

A place to teach God’s word (Gen. 18:19)

A place to train children (Prov. 22:16; Eph. 6:1-4)

A place to provide love (Eph. 5:22ff; Tit. 2:4-5)

God’s Marriage Manual

God knows what is best for mankind because he…

Created mankind (Gen. 1:26-28)

Expressed his authority (will / word) to mankind (Gen. 2:15-17)

Demonstrated his wisdom to mankind (Gen. 2:18-24)

Genesis 2:18-25Genesis 2:18-2518 And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the

man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him.

21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

22 and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Homo sapien

HeterosexualMonogamousPermanentPure

Genesis 2:18-25Genesis 2:18-25God’s Plan Man’s Plan1. Homo sapien Bestiality (Lev.

18:23)2. Heterosexual Homosexual (Lev.

18:22; Rom. 1:24-26)

3. Monogamous Polygamy (Deut. 17:17; 1 Cor. 7:2)

4. Permanent Divorce (Mal. 2:16; Mt. 19:3-9)

5. Pure Adultery (Ex. 20: 14; Heb. 13:4)

Matthew 19:3-9Matthew 19:3-93 And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and

saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,

5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?

6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

7 They say unto him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so.

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery.

Test QuestionAnswer

Rebuttal

God’s Marriage Lawfrom “the Beginning”

Patriarchal Mosaic ChristianGenesis 2:18-25

* * *Marriage is permanent

Deut. 24:1-4Mal. 2:14-16

* * *Marriage is permanent

Mt. 5:31-32Mt. 19:3-9

Mk. 10:1-12Lk. 16:18

Rom. 7:2-31 Cor. 7:10-

11, 39* * *

Marriage is permanent

Genesis 2:24 in the NTGenesis 2:24 in the NTMoses: Pattern(Gen. 2)

Jesus: Permanent(Mt. 19)

Paul: Purity(1 Cor. 6)

Paul: Peaceful(Eph. 5)

23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

3 And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?4 And he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,5 and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

15 Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid.16 Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

28 Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself:29 for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church;30 because we are members of his body.31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.

God’s Marriage DesignGod’s Marriage Designin Genesis 2:18-25in Genesis 2:18-25

Its companionship: help meet (help of his like, suitable, comparable), man (husband), wife

Its constituents: monogamy, heterosexual, homosapien

Its commitments: leave (severance), cleave (permanence), one flesh (acceptance), not ashamed (innocence)

1 Corinthians 7:1-51 Corinthians 7:1-51 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote: It is good

for a man not to touch a woman.2 But, because of fornications, let each man have his

own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.3 Let the husband render unto the wife her due: and

likewise also the wife unto the husband.4 The wife hath not power over her own body, but the

husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife.

5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.

Review Questions

1. Why is the home important?

2. What five things do we learn about marriage from Genesis 2:18-25?

3. What do we know about marriage from all three dispensations?

4. How is Genesis 2:24 used in the NT by Jesus and Paul?