God has ordained the family as the
foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to
one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one
woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal
the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the
woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of
sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for
procreation of the human race.
The husband and wife are of equal worth before
God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models
the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ
loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to
protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the
servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the
headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus
equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to
serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next
generation.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a
blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their
children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children
spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example
and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to
honor and obey their parents.