“ . . . and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:18
When we use the term, ‘broken home,’ we are usually talking about a home that has been torn apart by divorce. Indeed, divorce, no matter how amicable, shreds the love and stability that nurtures a healthy family through this fallen world. But a broken home can be the result of many things such as alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual sin, abuse, neglect, or rebellion. The term ‘broken home’ merely means that the home is . . . broken.
Marriage between one man and one woman was the first social institution created by God. The family was the second. Seeing it was God’s intention that this husband and his wife should be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28), this family unit, as created by the mandate of God, is not to be damaged or divided. Whether there is physical or emotional abuse from the top, down or from the bottom, up, the factors that typify such an unstable family condition stand in opposition to Christ’s very words -“But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” - Mark 10:6-9.
As I stated before, the human family has been one of the primary social units ideally designed to best serve the individual’s needs, the family’s well-being, and society’s best interest. Then came the Fall of Mankind and sin. And all things changed for the worse. The Fall explains things like sickness, neglect, drug and alcohol addiction, rebellion, sexual sin, and abuse. Just as mankind’s fall from grace was determined by his own willful actions, so are all the sins that go on to ruin relationships in and out of the family. “And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’” - Mark 7:20-23. They defile not only the person but everything within that person’s sphere of influence, including their family.
If we are living in a family that rejects God, embraces sin, and approves of a sinful lifestyle within the family, we are sinners who devoutly encourage others to sin! Romans teaches us - “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” - Romans 1:28-32.
Is this an example of the family we live in? Fathers, you will be held accountable. Mothers, you too will be held accountable. Children, despite poor Godless parenting, your sins will be your own. There will be no mitigation, no amnesty, no forgiveness unless you come forward and repent. As Jesus Himself said, “And he answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’” - Luke 13:2-3.
Sinners don’t see the writing on the wall because they are convinced that they know better. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” Isaiah 520-21.
Like a broken home, our spiritual life can be broken. But all is not necessarily lost; our spirits can be repaired. We don’t need hammers or buckets of paint; we need only what our Lord and Savior Jesus has already provided for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” - John 3:16-18.
Let us gratefully accept what Christ has done for us and begin to mend these broken homes.
No comments:
Post a Comment