Is a family merely a group of relative? Or is it something more? Families were God's unique idea from the beginning. There is no greater institution, no better group of people to effect positive change in the world than the family. There is no better place to learn the essential principles of life than in the family. And nowhere can the truths of God's Word be more effectively taught and modeled.
Conversely, there is no institution, no group of people with the power and ability to destroy a person than the family. Physical and verbal abuse, as well as neglect, can damage the emotional well-being of a child well into adulthood, and often for a lifetime. The failure of parents to teach spiritual truths to their children directly impacts their relationship with God and how they treat others. Family is the environment that shapes a child's lifetime direction.
6 Now to you, children, obey your parents in the Lord because this is right in God’s eyes. 2 This is the first commandment onto which He added a promise: “Honor your father and your mother, and 3 if you do, you will live long and well in this land.”[a]
4 And, fathers, do not drive your children mad, but nurture them in the discipline and teaching that come from the Lord.
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
