by David E. Moss

We probably all learned in school that the scientific name for man is “homo sapiens.” We were also taught “homo sapiens” are part of the classification called mammals. In fact (so they say), while man’s species name is “homo sapiens” man is part of

• the genus Homo
• the family Hominidae
• the order Primate
• the class Mammalia
• the kingdom Animalia.

In other words, the label “homo sapiens” is the evolutionist’s classification of man as a species of animal.

In recent years, the designation of man as an animal has been used to justify immoral behavior as the mere expression of natural animal instincts. Sexual activity outside of marriage is not only socially acceptable now, but it is even expected — so much so that contraceptive devices are distributed to teenagers through public school systems. The immoral life styles of famous people are celebrated as role models for the general public. Such gibberish has contributed to the destruction of the family unit. The family unit is now being redefined to include homosexual “couples” and other groupings of people besides a husband and a wife and their children.

The Bible presents an entirely different picture. According to Scripture, man is not an animal, but a separate class of creatures, elevated above the animals and with the responsibility to exercise dominion over them. The family unit comes from a divine moral precept which is absolute and unchanging. With all the talk about family values, it is important that Christians be reminded that God intends His definition of the family to be the foundation of our human family values.

1. Human Ethics Differ from Animal Ethics

   1. Note the distinction God made at the time of creation.

      In Genesis 1:21-25, God ordered that each animal bring forth after his kind.

      And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

      This tells us that all species (kinds) of animals are defined in creation. The reproductive process for them works only within the species. A dog and a cat cannot mate and bring forth a cog or a dat. There are different breeds of dogs and cats, but dogs will always beget dogs and cats will always beget cats.

      Man, on the other hand, is never said to bring forth after his “kind.” This is because man is not an animal “kind.” He is a totally different type of creature. Man was made in the “likeness” of God (Genesis 1:26). And so when man reproduces, rather than bringing forth after his “kind,” he brings forth after his “likeness.” Consider Genesis 5:1and 3:

      This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;…And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

      The word “likeness” is very different from the word “kind.” The Bible word “kind” refers to a species or a group of living organisms belonging in the same created “kind” having descended from the same ancestral gene pool.¹ The Bible word “likeness” means similitude, like as, in the likeness of.² It is used in 2 Chronicles 4:3 where it refers to the likeness of an ox on the bottom of the laver made by Solomon for the new Temple. Imagine a father and son looking upon the new laver and the father says, “Look, son, there is an ox on the bottom of the laver.” When the son sees the image, he understands that it is not a real ox, but something that looks like a real ox. When God made man in his likeness, man was intended to be a creature that reflected the person of God. This is what tells us that man is not governed by animalistic instincts, but by a nature patterned after the nature of God. So when a man begets a child, the child is not God. So when a man begets a child, the child is not simply a reproduction of a physical being, but possesses a nature similar to his or her parent, which is supposed to be similar to the nature of God.

      God further indicated the distinction between man and beasts in the manner in which man was given consciousness. All the animals are merely made and set in motion in the creative process. But only man is said to have the breath of life breathed into him by which he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). As a soul man thinks and reasons, feels emotion, and makes rational choices; and in these capacities he functions as a moral being with a conscience. Animals are never said to be guilty or held accountable for their actions, but man is.

   2. Note the distinction in nature.

      In 1 Corinthians 15:39, we are told that all flesh is not the same flesh.

      All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

      This is offered as an illustration of the difference between the physical natures of man before and after the resurrection. Just as there is a distinction between the flesh of men and the various kinds of beasts, so there will be a great difference in the physical nature of man before and after the resurrection. Reversing the illustration, we are given a clear statement here of how much different even the flesh of man is from that of the various kinds of animals.3 Just as there is a great difference between the physical natures of man before and after the resurrection, as the difference between that which is mortal and immortal, and between that which corruptible and incorruptible, so there is a great difference between the nature of man and beasts.

      In Genesis 1:28 and 3:16, man is told be fruitful and multiply, just as the animals are said to do in Genesis 1:22. But while animals bring forth after their kind, man brings forth children after his likeness in a moral context.

2. God Consistently Endorses the Family

   1. He ordained the family in the beginning.

      Consider God’s original intent for the family unit. He said it was to consist of one man and one woman in a one flesh relationship, bringing forth children.

      Genesis 2:24 — Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

      Genesis 3:16 — Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

      Consider also, that according to Jesus, original intent matters regarding marriage and the family unit.

      Matthew 19:4-5 — And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

   2. All family values taught in the Bible include a father, a mother, and children.

      In the New Testament, contexts which give instructions for the family include all the members of a family as God originally intended. Colossians chapter three is one such context where verse 18 is addressed to the wife, verse 19 is addressed to the husband, verse 20 is addressed to children and verse 21 is addressed to fathers.

      This same thing can be observed in the Old Testament as well. For example in Proverbs chapter 23, verse 22 mentions both father and mother, verse 24 mentions father and child, and verse 25 once again mentions father and mother.

   3. God used the family context to bring His own Son into the world.

      The biblical record of God’s Son coming to earth is found in Matthew chapter one and Luke chapter two. Jesus could have come to earth in many different ways, but God chose to have Him be born in a family unit, with a human mother bringing her infant son into this world, and a human adoptive father. This endorsement of the family unit could not be stronger.

   4. God uses the family relationship of father and son to describe a saved person’s relationship with Him.

      John 1:12 says that God gives power (authority) to those who receive Christ to become sons of God. Galatians 4:5-6 says that we were redeemed so that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, it says, there are benefits like the indwelling Holy Spirit. The point to note here is that without the family unit intact as God originally intended it, this concept of being a son, or child of God the Father, will be totally lost in the thinking of human beings.

   5. God laments any distortion of this order.

      God made the family unit the way He wanted it, and He does not want it changed in any way. In Leviticus chapter 18, with great specificity God defines who qualifies to establish a family and who does not. This is illustrated in 1 Corinthians 5:1ff where a violation of Leviticus 18:8 is identified as being tolerated in the church. The church at Corinth is rebuked for this and commanded to deny fellowship to this illegitimate “couple.” In Romans 1:26-27, God declares that some relationships contradict the natural order! Contrary to those who describe immoral behavior as only doing that which comes naturally, God says immoral activity is against nature and a departure from the natural use.

      Consider how you would feel if someone entered your home while you were away, and rearranged things in your house. You would feel violated. Someone has invaded your home and violated your privilege to have things the way you want them. This is how God feels when human beings mess with the family unit. God made the family. He arranged it the way He wanted it. It is a violation of divine privilege for man to alter the family unit in any way whatsoever.

3. God Extends His Blessing Through the Family

   The family unit has come from God. And if it is God’s creation, then He obviously has a purpose for the family.

   1. The family itself is a reward.

      God declares that having children is as much a blessing as it is to find fruit on healthy plants.

      Psalm 128:3 — Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

   2. The first commandment with promise is in the context of the family.

      Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, the fifth commandment, Honour thy father and thy mother, is accompanied by a promise. In Exodus 20:12, the promise is that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. In Ephesians 6:2-3, the promise is that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. This means that the promise which accompanies this family commandment is effective for everyone who obeys it.

   3. The family is the context of our spiritual heritage.

      God explained to the generation of Israel which was about to enter the promised land that He had chosen them because he loved their fathers (Deuteronomy 4:31-37). This principle of spiritual heritage being handed down through the family structure is taught in the substance of the ten commandments. In Exodus 20:5-6, God said that His mercy is extended through thousands of generations. This is evidenced by an unbreakable chain of a believing remnant throughout the course of human history. The unfortunate corresponding truth is that spiritual consequences can also be handed down through the family structure. For in the same passage, God says that the iniquity of a man can be evidenced through the third and fourth generation.

4. It Is Through the Family that We Promote God and His Values

   1. This is true in all aspects of family life.

      It is the duty of parents to know God. Deuteronomy 6:5-6 say,

      And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.

      Then in verse 7 it says that parents are to communicate these things to their children.

      And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

      From this verse we must see that it is not enough to have a brief devotional time at home with the family. For a long time now, Christian parents have been told that they must have family devotions, or a family worship time. While there is nothing wrong with this advice, it has been misapplied in too many homes over the last 30 or 40 years. Somehow, the message has come across that a family will be okay spiritually as long as they have a little box called family devotions. Dutifully, families have spent 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes together several times each week (on rare occasions on a daily basis) reading the Bible and praying together. Then satisfied that they have fulfilled their “obligation,” the rest of the family’s week outside of church is spent in purely secular contexts, without the mention of God or biblical principle.

      Deuteronomy chapter six tells us that we as parents must be communicating the reality of God and His principles in every context of our lives. The devotional life of the family is to be in the house when you are sitting together, outside of the house when you are traveling on the road, in the evening when you are preparing for bed, and in the morning when you are arising from a night’s sleep. We must pass on to our children everything we understand about God, and how to apply His principles in every aspect of daily living. Otherwise, important concepts about God and His nature, and His expectations of us will be lost.

      This is precisely what happened early on in the nation of Israel. In Judges 2:10 it says,

      And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

      If parents were loving God with all their heart and teaching their children as they were supposed to, how could a generation arise that knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done?

      In the New Testament, the duty is the same. Ephesians 6:4 says,

      And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

      Do you see what are identified as opposites here? Either you bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (in the spirit of Deuteronomy 6) or you provoke them to wrath. The word “nurture” refers to the whole education of a person including every aspect of life’s experience, just as in Deuteronomy 6:7. The word “admonition” refers to the process of nurturing. It is do be done in an assertive, confrontational manner which teaches truth, reproves and corrects error, and instructs in righteousness.

      Consider your own family situation. What percentage of your family life is secular and what percentage is God focused? The answer to this simple question may be very telling.

   2. This is practiced as an example of commitment and loyalty.

      Joshua challenged the people of Israel to make some choices. He said in Joshua 24:14-15,

      Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

      The choices we make will have a great bearing on the choices our children make. If they are to recognize God in their lives, they must see the evidence of Him in ours. Why did the next generation after this not know the LORD and not have any knowledge of his works? It was because there was a breakdown in communication from one generation to the next and somewhere in the process, they stopped hearing the Word of God (Judges 2:20), and lost the concept of faith (Romans 10:17).

Conclusion

What is at stake? What do we lose as human beings if the family unit does not exist in the form which God originally gave it? There are two primary things at stake. One is a basic understanding of the likeness of God, and the other is an understanding of the nature of the
relationship a believer has with God.

There was a girl in the touring choir of the college I attended many years ago, who had spent her entire life in the city. She had never been to a farm and had never seen a cow in real life. On one of our first trips with the choir, we passed a field where cows were grazing. She screamed, “A cow!” She was so excited to see a cow in real life for the first time. But wait! How did she know it was a cow if she had never seen one before? She was able to recognize he cow because she had seen likenesses of cows in picture books. The same is true with our children regarding their ability to recognize God. They will know God in their own lives, if they have seen a likeness of Him in the lives of their parents. God made man in His own likeness, but due to the fall of man, that likeness can be camouflaged by the sin that corrupts us. We beget children in our own likeness, but if we do not love God and seek Him, the likeness our children will reflect will be seriously flawed. Parents must be in a right standing with God and live their lives as a reflection of Him so that their children will be able to know the God who made them and to whom they are accountable.

Equally important is the relationship between parent and child. If the relationship between parents and children is flawed, children will have a difficult time understanding the concept of being born-again and becoming a spiritual child of God the Father. A young woman of my acquaintance some years ago did not want to be born again because she did not want to enter into a relationship with God the Father. Her earthly father had painted for her an ugly picture of fatherhood by being abusive and mean and hurtful. She assumed that all fathers were the same, including God the Father. I do not know if she ever came to Christ.

Any distortion of the family unit as God ordered it in the beginning will create a crisis in the human mind and heart. God ordered the family as a teaching tool for some very important divine concepts. This is why the family itself is the primary family value and must be preserved as God intended it.