MONROE – The concept of family is an integral part of our society and personal lives. However, in today’s society, defining what a family is and what its roles entail can be challenging. One way to expound on this concept is through the lens of the Trinity, and how it can provide invaluable guidance for family relationships.
The Trinity offers us insights into the importance of headship, submission, and obedience, as well as the need for spiritual growth and intimacy within a God-centered marriage. By looking at the characteristics of Christ's earthly ministry, we can see how they tie together the elements of the Trinity, and provide a clear example of how we should live our lives as family members.
According to Webster’s dictionary, family is defined as “the collective body of persons who live in one house and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children and servants, and as the case may be, lodgers or boarders.”
When I think of a family, I instantly think of the collective body, not just individuals acting separate from one another. In all the time I have spent teaching God’s word and thinking about family dynamics, I never heard the family dynamic related to the Trinity in such a fabulous way.
Bruce Ware of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary defines family roles in this way: “In each of these roles, the model of the Trinity provides invaluable guidance, for we see in the Trinity that the ones who submit are fully equal to the one who holds ultimate authority in their relationships. Equality and distinction, oneness and difference, unity and harmony, mark the Trinity. These same realities, in finite measure, ought to mark the family relationships we enjoy, as persons created in the very image of the triune God.”
Within the context of this Trinity, I believe that the topics of headship, submission and obedience are all displayed heavily. Christ was obedient and submissive to the will of the father (John 6:39-40), yet Christ was no less God, but worked as a cohesive unit to carry out Christ’s ultimate goal: redemption of sin for the world (Luke 19:10).
In Christ’s earthly ministry, we can also see discipline to the word (Matthew 4:1-11), diligence in prayer (Matthew 14:23), and also purposeful in the deliverance of the word such as the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7). All of the characteristics of Christ’s earthly ministry not only tie together the elements of the trinity but are a clear example of what our lives should be like as husbands, mothers, and children.
All members of the family have responsibilities spiritually and physically, but individually we must spend time with Christ to cultivate that relationship. Within a family, I do not believe a husband is a dictator of the home, ruling with an iron fist. Instead, I believe the husband bears the weight of leading the family in a Christ-centered fashion, loving unconditionally just as Christ unconditionally loves each of us.
Lastly, the family dynamic of intimacy and sexuality. I have always believed unapologetically that God created man and women (Gen. 1:27), and that mankind’s responsibility was to procreate and populate the earth (Gen. 1:28). The Bible is clear about the fact that intimacy belongs inside a marriage of a man and woman only inside the confines of a God-centered marriage (Gen 2:24-25, Proverbs 5:15-20,1. Cor. 7:3-5), and that deviance in a sexual or intimate way is a sin.
In conclusion, the Trinity offers a powerful model for understanding family dynamics. As Bruce Ware points out, we can see in the Trinity the importance of equality and distinction, oneness and difference, unity and harmony.
The Trinity provides us with invaluable guidance for understanding the roles of headship, submission, and obedience within a family. Moreover, the characteristics of Christ's earthly ministry show us how we can cultivate a Christ-centered family by being disciplined in the word, diligent in prayer, and purposeful in delivering the word. Ultimately, we must spend time with Christ to cultivate our relationships with Him and with each other. By following the model of the Trinity, we can build strong and healthy families that are grounded in God's love and grace.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Foley is Senior Pastor of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church of Monroe, MI since August 2022. He is a recent graduate of Liberty University with a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies.