would think that this would discourage Satan from his grand plan of rebellion against God but you would be mistaken. You see, Satan has continued his assault on families for two reasons. First, he attacks Christian marriages and the institution of marriage in general because it is a picture of the gospel. Consider these words in Ephesians 5:22-33:
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
The clearest picture of Jesus’ love for his church, outside the gospel narratives, is the institution of marriage. When a husband loves his wife unconditionally and she responds with honor and respect, the lost world around this Christian couple encounters the gospel message in real life. No wonder Satan is doing everything he can to destroy Christian marriages! If he can distort this picture of the gospel or even destroy it then he has hope that his continued rebellion against God might succeed. The last thing he wants is a walking billboard proclaiming the great love Jesus has for his church.
He also attacks families because they are the seedbeds for gospel proclamation. As was noted before, the first place the Great Commission should be pursued is within the home. If Satan cannot destroy Christian marriages he will attack Christian families so that the gospel is not passed from one generation to the next. The last thing Satan wants is for the gospel to spread and we can be certain that our families are fair game in his rebellious scheme.
How Does Satan Attack Families?
Satan begins his attack on families by attacking the very institution of marriage itself. God created the institution of marriage and even performed the first wedding ceremony between Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:18-25. Not long after God brought Adam and Eve together, Satan unleashed his deceptive and rebellious plan. The beautiful institution of marriage God established quickly became a battlefield. Sin ravaged their relationship: they ran from God, attempted to cover up their sin and shame and blamed one another for their sin.
Since that time, every marriage is comprised of two sinners saying, “I do.” What began with the first married couple in the Garden of Eden has continued to this day. Satan continues to attack marriages. Through numerous schemes he convinces people that marriage is primarily about their personal happiness instead of God’s glory and spouses walk away from their marriage so they can pursue “happiness.” Satan knows that one of the keys to disrupting the spread of the gospel within the home is to destroy marriages. He is relentless and he is ruthless. We see this in rampant divorce (even among Christian couples), the pervasiveness of pornography and sensuality in our culture, the celebration of adultery in media and the current debate over homosexual “marriage.”
We are also witnessing Satan attack Christian families. Many parents have sacrificed the ability to disciple their children on the altar of busyness. We have bought the lie that our kids are successful because they are brilliant students and phenomenal athletes. We often pour all of our effort, energy and time into securing our kid’s “futures” while wholesale neglecting their spiritual growth and development. Parents are also tempted to abdicate their responsibility and expect churches to step in to teach and train their children in the ways of the Lord.
Broken and ineffective marriages mar the beautiful picture of the gospel (Jesus’ love for his church) and inhibit its spread. Busy, distracted parents neglect to train their children in the ways of the Lord, leading to a generation of “Christian kids” who do not know Jesus or the Scriptures. The alarm must be sounded – we must recognize that we are under attack!
Is There Hope?
You may have reached this point in the book and wondered if there is hope. If we are in a “no holds barred” wrestling match with the evil one, is it possible for us to save our marriages, disciple our children and make an impact for God’s kingdom? The good news of the gospel is that our victory over Satan is guaranteed and the Holy Spirit empowers us to follow God’s plan daily. However, we must get our heads out of the sand and prepare to do battle on behalf of our marriages and families.
Questions For Families To Consider
In light of what we have discussed in this chapter, I want to encourage you to consider the questions below. I believe the answers to these questions will reveal a great deal about the state of your marriage/family. Ultimately, I hope answering these questions prepares you to consider how vitally important a healthy marriage and family are to raising children who know God and his Word.
1 Do you recognize that you and your family are involved in a daily spiritual battle?
2 What are some areas of weakness that you see in your marriage that could be exploited?
3 What steps do you take to help fortify your marriage/family against the attacks of Satan?
4 Does your family tend to emphasize cultural success (sports, academics, etc.) over spiritual development and growth in the lives of your children?
5 What are you currently doing to help your children develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and grow spiritually?
Questions For Churches To Consider
My hope and prayer has been that church leaders would take the time to read this book and consider its implications for ministry. If you are a church leader, I encourage you to honestly answer the questions below with regards to your ministry setting. I believe your answers will serve as the starting point from which you can encourage families to take seriously their responsibility to be actively involved in the spiritual growth and development of their children.
1 Does your church recognize the battle that your couples/families are in on a daily basis?
2 What is your church doing to help strengthen marriages? Do couples know about these opportunities?
3 What resources does your church offer married couples that are struggling in their marriage? Do couples know these resources are available?
4 Does your church seek to equip parents to fulfill their role of being actively involved in their child’s spiritual growth and development?
1 James Dobson, Marriage Under Fire (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnoma Publishers, 2004), 4
2 Genesis 1:26-31
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