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Roles in the Family
Parents and Children
All families are precious and incredibly important to Christians. They are seen as important for the following reasons:
- The family offers the most effective way of introducing children to Christianity.
- They are believed to strengthen society, offering a structure and support.
To find out more about the importance of family, please click here.
All members of the family are believed to have a role to play, with parents and children having specific responsibilities. When they meet these responsibilities, they are fulfilling God's will.
PARENTS
Many Christians believe that when a couple gets married, they have a responsibility to have children, as this is God's intention for marriage.The Bible teaches:
'Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.' Ephesians 6:4.
This shows parents they should:
- Love and care for their children, providing everything they need to grow up safely.
- Bring their children up to go to church, teaching them about Christianity, baptising them, and introduce them to the Christian community.
CHILDREN
Children have a duty to honour and respect their parents, obeying them in all things. Ephesians 6:1-3 teaches:
Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. “Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”
When their parents get older, children are expected to look after them and, indeed, any other relatives.
'But if any do not take care of their relatives, especially the members of their own family, they have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever.' 1 Timothy 5:8