What role did God intend for the Christian home and family to play in his salvation plan, the Gospel? (Part 1)

When my mother gave her life to Christ and started attending church every Sunday she had a husband, (my step dad) six children (ranging from toddler to adult) and a large extended family. She was understandably worried about how her new Faith would be viewed and if everyone would embrace it as well or reject it and her. She even started taking the youngest of my siblings to Sunday School on her own.

One evening not too long after her decision to live her life for Christ, no matter what the cost, she attended a Gospel dinner with a special Christian speaker. That speaker prayed for her and while he was praying, even though he did not know her or her situation, he said, “Don’t worry, today salvation has come to your house.”

My mother’s heart jumped, the tears began to flow and she started trusting God for her family. Within a year my step dad, all six of us children and a number of others in our extended family, had all become Christians.

Was this a special family blessing just for my mother and our family or does God’s Word teach that God deals with families and works in and through them?

In this three part blog series I want us to look at what the Bible has to say about this issue and see how it can and should affect what a Christian family and home is today. After all, God’s purpose for families should be seen in each of our homes.

Let’s start at the beginning and look at God’s history with families.

When Eve ate the fruit the Bible says that Adam was right there with her and that he ate as well. (Genesis 3:6)

The first horrific effects of their children’s separation from God happened when one of their sons killed the other. Not only one man, but also one family led us all into sin and darkness.

In the next big world event, although Noah was the one called to build the ark, his family helped and was included in the voyage.

Let’s look at God’s calling of Abraham. What exactly did God call Abraham to do and why?

Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” (Genesis 18:18, 19)

The Lord himself said that Abraham was chosen to direct his children and household after him to follow the Lord by doing what was right and just. God’s purpose for Abraham was for him to lead his family and for that family to become a nation of families that would do the same thing.

Then the story of our salvation begins with God using a family that started with Mary and Joseph. One family was involved in the fall of humankind, one family was involved in bringing it salvation.

In the first Gospel sermon, Peter said that the promise of the Holy Spirit (salvation) was for everyone and also for their children. (Acts 2:39)

In the book of Acts we see what Peter said was happening.

The first Gentile converts were a family.

He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ ”As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. (Acts 11:13 – 15)

Then read what happened to the jailor who was put in charge of keeping Paul and Silas locked up.

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God–he and his whole family.(Acts 16:29 – 34 emphasis added)

In our culture we tend to see salvation as such an individual thing but all throughout the Bible God shows us that his plan is to work with families.

Yes, there are many examples of families that had certain members who refused to hear and obey God. Jesus himself demonstrated that when our natural family tries to draw us away from God then our priority should be God’s family (Matthew 12:46 – 49).

These are realities in a fallen world where not all will listen but it does not change the fact that God wills and desires to bring families to himself.

The Apostle Paul wrote about how unsaved members of a family are sanctified by the believing member. (1 Corinthians 7:14) It is hard to say exactly what he meant by this however it does show us that God has a heart for working in the families of Christians and he does something special to help it along.

Here is a key to helping it happen. Paul admonishes the Christian in the family (Christian wife or Christian husband) to win over their unbelieving mate by living a life that reflects Christ.

The verse that was prayed over my mother is found in Luke 19:1 – 9. The story is about a tax collector named Zacchaeus who after hearing Jesus, announced that he would give half of his riches to the poor and repay four times the amount that he had cheated people out of. Then Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”

Jesus knew that Abraham had been called to follow the Lord and to teach his family to do the same, to do ‘what is right and just’. Here he basically supported the idea that when we follow God with all of our hearts, we set up God’s blessing and salvation to arrive in our families.

My mother had made a decision to follow Christ and live that way no matter what happened in our family or what we thought of her. As she did so, God brought salvation to her house.

Whether everyone in your household is saved or you are the only one, God wants to take your family further and use it for his Kingdom and glory.

In part two of this blog series we are going to talk about how God wants to go beyond blessing our families to working with them to reach and bless the world.

For more practical and Biblical Christian Parenting ideas we recommend the Christian resource, ‘What Mary and Joseph Knew About Parenting’.

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)