Family is a central theme throughout the Bible. God designed the family unit and intends for families to be a source of love, support, nurturing, and spiritual growth. Here is an overview of some of the key Bible passages that relate to family:
Husbands and Wives
Several Bible verses encourage husbands and wives to love and respect one another, and emphasize the importance of fidelity within marriage. For example:
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). This encourages husbands to sacrificially love their wives as Christ loved the church.
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). Wives are instructed to submit to their husbands’ loving leadership.
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4). This emphasizes the need to honor marriage vows and remain sexually faithful.
Overall, the Bible makes it clear spouses should prioritize and nurture their marriage relationship.
Parents and Children
There are many Bible verses about the relationships between parents and children, including:
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Fathers are urged to patiently discipline their children and train them in godliness.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). Children are instructed to obey and honor their parents.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). This emphasizes the parental duty to nurture children in faith from an early age.
Overall, parents are encouraged to lovingly instruct their children, and children are urged to respect and obey their parents.
Family Unity and Peace
The Bible encourages peace, unity, and harmony within families. For instance:
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). Christians are urged to be unified.
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). We are encouraged to actively pursue peace with others.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Kindness, compassion, and forgiveness help maintain family bonds.
God desires families to be marked by peace, mutual understanding, and forgiveness.
Caring for Family Needs
An important biblical theme is caring for the needs of our family members. For example:
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). Providing for family is an important responsibility.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). We should help and support those in need.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Family provides mutual support.
Part of honoring God is caring for the needs and welfare of our family members.
Being Examples
The Bible encourages parents and older family members to be godly examples for younger ones. For instance:
“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,” (Titus 2:7). Older members of the church should set an example.
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4). Fathers should example faith for their children.
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5). Younger family should respect their elders.
Setting a godly example enables us to pass faith on to future generations.
Loving Family
A constant refrain regarding family in the Bible is the importance of love between family members. For example:
“Let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1). Christians are called to ongoing brotherly/familial love.
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). We are to proactively express love in our families.
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). Loving family fulfills God’s law.
The Bible emphasizes that loving family relationships are integral to God’s design.
Correction and Discipline
The Bible indicates that, when necessary, family members should lovingly correct one another. For instance:
“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12). Discipline can demonstrate love.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16). Families should gently admonish one another.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Accountability helps us grow.
Discipline and correction should come from a place of love and aim to nurture growth.
Generational Connections
The Bible emphasizes the importance of maintaining godly heritage and generational connections within families. For example:
“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4). Faith should be passed between generations.
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers” (Proverbs 17:6). Grandparents and grandchildren are meant to share special bonds.
“Ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you” (Deuteronomy 32:7). Seek wisdom from preceding generations.
Staying connected across generations preserves faith and wisdom.
Family Worship
The Bible encourages families to worship God together. For instance:
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6). Families can worship together.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Parents can commit their household to serving God.
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Home discipleship is important.
Shared spiritual practices strengthen family bonds.
Redeeming Family Brokenness
Because we live in a fallen world, even godly families experience brokenness and dysfunction at times. But the Bible offers hope and redemption even in these situations through God’s healing power and grace. For example:
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). God’s forgiveness enables us to forgive family offenses.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God can bring renewal where relationships are broken.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). God redeems painful situations.
While family relationships may be strained and imperfect in this life, God’s healing and grace provide hope for mending even the most broken family circumstances.
The Church as Family
The New Testament refers to fellow believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. The church is described as an spiritual family. For example:
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Christians are members of God’s family.
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14-15). Believers on earth and in heaven are one family.
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Christians are urged to live as a family.
The church offers believers spiritual sibling relationships.
Hard Work and Responsibility
Several Bible passages encourage diligence, hard work, and responsibility—traits that contribute to healthy families. For example:
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). Our work ethic honors God.
“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). Providing for family is crucial.
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5). Diligence leads to provision.
Being faithful stewards of talents and resources benefits our families.
Strength in God
Since human strength and wisdom are limited, Scripture encourages reliance on God within our families. For instance:
“God sets the solitary in families” (Psalm 68:6). God establishes families.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Our labor is futile without God.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Bring family anxieties to God.
Leaning on God provides stability and direction for our family lives.
In summary, the Bible offers encouragement, instruction, and principles for navigating every dynamic of family life—spousal relationships, parenting, provision, love, discipline, worship, redemption, responsibility, and more. God’s Word provides abundant wisdom and guidance for families seeking to honor Christ.