I had in mind of speaking something else. But last night, when we were together during the time of fellowship, it came to me that I had to say something different.
I think the whole expectation, the whole atmosphere, is such that anything other than a matter concerning the family would be out of order. So this morning, I would like to share with you from the Word: the origin of the family.
Shall we read from the Book of Genesis? Genesis 1, beginning with verse 26:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the heavens,
and over the cattle, and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.And God created man in His own image,
in the image of God created He him;
male and female created He them.And God blessed them:
and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the heavens,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Then Genesis 2, beginning with verse 18:
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a help meet for him.And out of the ground the Lord 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.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.And the Lord 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:
and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from the man, made He a woman,
and brought her unto the man.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.Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall become one flesh.
Family is not something accidental. It is not something that originates from the will of the parents, nor is it something initiated by the emotions of a man and a woman. Nor is it governed by the customs of this world.
Family originates from God. It is a divine concept. I think this is very important to know.
Oftentimes we think of family as something purely human. And it is. But because it is human, we tend to think that it comes from the thought, the idea, of man. But the Bible tells us very clearly that family is God’s idea. It is not man’s idea.
Even in the very beginning, when God created man, He had a concept in Him. The Bible says God created man in His image. Now, what is the image of God?
Of course, it is impossible for us to comprehend the image of God. But one thing we do know: our God is a God of plurality. In other words, God said, “Let us make man in our image.”
There is only one God, and yet in the Godhead you find the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now, of course, this is a mystery to us. It is impossible for us to fathom this mystery.
God is one, and yet He is three in one. There is a unity in God, and yet there is a plurality there. In other words, you find one principle of the Godhead is corporateness—not individualism, but corporateness.
Because God is such a God, when He said, “Let us make man in our image,” you find that the man whom He made is also corporate. In His image He created man; He created male and female.
In the very creation of man, corporateness is there. The principle of corporateness is already in the creation of man. The male by himself is not complete; neither is the female by herself complete.
In the will of God, the man in the mind of God is a union of a male and a female. It is built on the principle of corporateness, and that is family.
So, brothers and sisters, we must remember that family is God’s idea, and it originates from God. In the very beginning, when God created man, the family was already there.
Now, of course, today family seems to be a big problem. And not only today, but even at the time of Christ, you find it was a problem.
You remember one day some Pharisees came to the Lord and said, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
And the Lord said, “In the beginning, God created male and female, and God joined them together.” What God has joined together, let not man separate.
The Pharisees said, “Well, why is it that Moses said to us that if we only give a letter of divorce to the woman, he can divorce his wife?” And the Lord said, “It is because of the hardness of your hearts. But in the beginning it was not so.”
“Anyone that divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another woman, commits adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
And you know, when the disciples heard about that—now remember, not the Pharisees, but the disciples—when the disciples heard about that, what did they say to the Lord? They said, “Now, if the relation between a man and a woman is such, then it is better not to marry at all.”
Even at the time of Christ, you find family had become a problem.
Some people will even go on to say, “Now, does not Paul say in 1 Corinthians 7”—our brother just quoted from 1 Corinthians 7—“did not Paul say that he wished everybody would be like him, that is, remain single?”
And he said, if you are not yet married, if you are a virgin or if you are a widow, then it is much better to remain as such, because the days are difficult, the time is shortened, and there will be lots of hardships. And Paul said, “I say this not to control you, but to spare you.”
So people say, “Now, if that is the case, is it not much better, in view of the difficulties of our time, in view of the soon coming of our Lord, that people just remain single and not get married?”
There are exceptions, and exceptions prove the rule. Even our Lord Jesus said, when His disciples complained about this matter of marriage, that it is a gift. Whoever is given the gift can remain single, but it is not a gift given to everybody.
Some are born eunuchs; others are made eunuchs by men; and some make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of God. But to whom it is given, it belongs to them.
And Paul, in saying these things, does not nullify marriage or family life. He only gives us the exceptions.
So, dear brothers and sisters, marriage and family originated from God, and the concept of family was there before sin ever entered into this world.
Even though sin has entered into this world, marriage and family have become such a problem that sometimes you may think it is better not to enter into family. And God grants that there are exceptions.
And yet remember one thing: sin does not nullify family, which God had conceived even before sin ever entered into this world.
And thank God, in the redemption of our Lord Jesus, He is able to restore not only individuals, but He is able to restore our family into the original thought of God.
So, brothers and sisters, this is where we stand. We believe that family originates from God. And we believe that even though sin seems to have spoiled the whole matter of the family in this world to such an extent, yet the redemption of our Lord Jesus is able to restore it to the very thought of God.
Now, why family? Why is it that when God created man, He created a corporate man—not just an individual, but a union of two persons? Why?
Because man is not only created in God’s image, but man is created for a special work. God has a special task for man to fulfill.
You remember, after God had created man, God blessed man and said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.” Now, how can one individual be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth? That takes a family to do that.
And not only to fill it, just to fill it, but the Bible says to subdue it. That is to say, to bring the whole earth back to God, that God may be glorified in all the earth.
This is a tremendous task committed to the man whom God has created, and it can never be done by one individual. It has to be done corporately. It has to be done by the family.
As the family multiplies into many families, and as the family of God comes into view, then you find through the church, the family of God, the earth is to be subdued. The kingdom of God is to be brought upon this earth.
Brothers and sisters, family is the unit of God’s operation. You know, oftentimes we think of the individual as the unit of God’s operation. But if you see that the man whom God creates is a corporate man, then you have to come to the conclusion that family is the unit of God’s work. It is the unit of God’s operation.
If God could have a family, and families, and the family, His work can be done upon this earth. And that is the reason why Satan is trying his very best to destroy family—not just to destroy individuals, but to destroy family.
But thank God, the redeeming work of our Lord Jesus is not only for individuals; it is for families.
God created Adam. He used the red earth and formed the body of the man. Then He breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of this body, and man became a living soul. Here was Adam.
But after Adam was created, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” It is not good. Why? Because in God’s concept, it is a family; it is not just one man.
One man can never do the work that God will give him to fulfill. So God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”
You know, oftentimes we think when God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” it is because Adam was too lonely. He was lonely. But there is something more than just loneliness.
Because it did not fit with God’s concept, it could not fulfill God’s purpose. For God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helpmate, his like. I will make him a counterpart.”
He is just a part. I will make him a counterpart, to fit the two parts together and make it complete. And this counterpart is like him, just as he is. This counterpart is to help him.
Through the cooperation, the partnership, of the two, the work of God shall be done.
Because of that, you find God made Adam to sleep. God opened his side, took out a rib, and God built a woman with that rib. Woman is built with the same material.
And God brought the woman He made to Adam. Brothers and sisters, the Bible says God brought the woman.
Today, who is the matchmaker?
You know, according to our old Chinese custom, marriage in the old days was all done by the will of the parents and the word of the matchmaker. The man and the woman to be married never saw each other.
I remember my own father. When he was married, he had never seen my mother. It was his parents’ will; it was the word of the matchmaker.
My father was educated, and because he was educated, you know, he was a little bit uneasy about it, because he did not know the woman he was to marry. And he could not see that woman; it was against the custom.
So finally, he asked the help of a missionary lady and asked the missionary lady to visit that family and try to see the woman for him. My father had never seen my mother until the day they were married.
Now, this was the way it was done in the old days. In modern days, here in this country, it is no longer the will of the parents nor the word of the matchmaker. They do not need any matchmaker. Why? They match themselves.
You find they are trying and trying to find one another. It is all on their own. But, dear brothers and sisters, the Word tells us that in the matter of marriage, it is neither the will of the parents nor the will of the people themselves. It is God who is the matchmaker.
God brought the woman to Adam. Adam did not go around and try to find that woman. God brought the woman to him.
Some of the young people here are not married yet. Some young people have talked with me about marriage, and sometimes I will ask the question, “Now, have you prayed about it?”
Lots of young people really love the Lord and pray for different things in their lives. They know that they have to seek the will of God in their lives—about study, about this, and about that.
But, strange to say, they are very hesitant to pray to the Lord as to their mates. Sometimes you ask a young brother, “Have you ever prayed about it?” “Never.”
It seems to be something shameful, something that you have to do yourself. You cannot ask God for it.
Now, brothers and sisters, marriage and family—this is one of the greatest events of your life. It is a lifetime thing. How comes that you never really seek the Lord about it?
Why is it that in other matters you ask the Lord, you seek the Lord, and in this matter of marriage, in this matter of family, you do it by yourself? You do not seek the Lord’s face.
Instead of running around, you should really make it a matter of prayer. You should go to the Lord and tell the Lord that if it is His will that you should get married, then He should bring that mate to you.
Commit it to the Lord. Seek His mind; seek His will about it. And if you do, He will bring her—or him—to you.
But when God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helpmate, his like,” did God just go ahead and make the helpmate right away?
You find in the Bible, after God had said, “I will make him a helpmate, his like,” immediately after that, what did God do? God brought all the animals to Adam.
God brought all the fowls of the heavens, all the beasts of the field, and all the living things to Adam. God brought all these creatures to Adam and let Adam name them, give them their names.
I wonder, why did God do that? Immediately after He said, “I will make him a helpmate, his counterpart,” God knew there was no counterpart. God knew there was no wife made for Adam. Yet before God proceeded to make that helpmate, He brought to Adam all these living creatures. Why?
I think God gave man enough opportunities to choose. Even though God is the One who really matches the marriage, yet God does it in such a gracious way. He does not just force you into something. God never does.
He still gives you plenty of opportunities to make your choice. Brothers and sisters, if you commit your marriage, your family, to the Lord, you will find God will sovereignly raise up all kinds of opportunities for you to exercise your judgment.
It is not for Adam to be emotional to the extent that, when he sees something among them that is almost alike, he says, “That is good enough.” He will miss the whole will of God.
You find here Adam was looking at all these animals. You have to be before the Lord.
When Adam saw these animals coming by, he must be before the Lord. He was not emotionally motivated. He had to exercise a very cool mind.
He would look at everything and give names to each. Every animal has its place, but he could not find his help. There was no registration within him. There was no counterpart.
He was looking for a counterpart—no counterpart. And because there was no counterpart, no help.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes young people are all too impulsive. Oh, they jump into it: “That is good enough.” You cannot wait.
Do not be in such a hurry. Lay it before the Lord, and the Lord will raise up opportunities to enable you to exercise your judgment. You have to weigh everything carefully before the Lord.
And even if it may seem to be hopeless—all the animals had been there and there was none—do not give up hope. God will make an Eve for Adam.
So, brothers and sisters, especially in this matter of mating, you find that the Word of God shows us that it is something you should really be before the Lord about. You should really commit it to the Lord and seek the Lord’s will.
You know, oftentimes it is our own selves that confuse everything. But if we really seek the Lord, the Lord will provide opportunities for you to exercise your judgment.
And when the right person comes, there will be registration. When Adam saw Eve, was it not so? “This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. This is woman.”
The two are joined together in one. And, brothers and sisters, when God puts the two together into a family, then through that family God’s work is to be done.
So this morning I will just mention this: the origin of family. It originates from God, and it is for the work of God, for the glory of God.
Our heavenly Father, how we praise and thank Thee because family is Thy concept. How we praise and thank Thee. It is honorable; it is glorious. How we praise and thank Thee.
Sin cannot nullify it, but Thy redemptive work has restored it to its glory. Oh, how we praise and thank Thee.
We just ask Thee to remember our brothers and sisters who are going to enter into family. We pray that Thy glory will rest upon that family, that together they really may serve Thee and serve Thy purpose.
And Lord, we just commit the family of God especially into Thy hand. We pray that Thou, the Head of the house, may bless Thy house and bring Thy house into such a state that it may be a true testimony to Thy name.
We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.