God established the home at the very beginning when woman was created to deliver man from isolation (Genesis 2:18-24). The joining of a man and woman in marriage brings about the family unit where children can be produced (Gen. 1:28) and reared having both father and mother (Prov. 1:8; 6:20). In addition to instructions and discipline, the home is also a place of wholesome entertainment such as music, merriment, and social humor (Lk. 15:23, 25; Ecc. 3:4). God intends for members of a family to care for the needs of one another first before another institution, such as the church, provides help (1 Tim. 5:3-16).
God established government to curb evildoing in society (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13:1-7). Christians must recognize this role of government, as Peter by inspiration wrote, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:13, 14). If human governments stay within the work of punishing evildoers and praising the good, then they are fulfilling this God-given role. God does not intend for a government’s mandates to take precedence over His own commands; Peter—when commanded not to teach in the name of Jesus—also stated by inspiration, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
God established the church in Acts 2 according to His eternal plan (Eph. 3:10, 11). He intends for the church to spread the gospel throughout the world (Mt. 28:18-20; 1 Thess. 1:8). The church may support those who are preaching the gospel (Phil. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 9:3-12). The church is to uphold the truth (1 Tim. 3:15), building up its members by speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:11-16; cf. 1 Cor. 14:26; 2 Cor. 12:19). As previously noted, the church also provides charity to those who are destitute, especially to those lacking family (Jas. 1:27; Acts 11:27-30; 2 Cor. 8-9).
Problems occur when any of these institutions established by God go beyond their arena of work and authority to meddle in the affairs of another realm. The devil has attacked the home for generations. The widespread collapse of homes functioning the way God intended has risen alongside increasing involvement of government into the domestic arena in our society. Examples of other governments throughout history show the trouble that comes when the home is supplanted. For example, when a government enters into a family’s decision of how many children to have, then bad consequences follow. We should remember that instruction of children is the responsibility of parents (Prov. 22:6; Deut. 6:4-9; Eph. 6:4; Heb. 12:9); if a child is trained by another, it is by the parents’ discretion (Gal. 4:2). The government usurping the role of the church in providing spiritual instruction was a tremendous problem throughout the Middle Ages. Likewise, the church should not venture into the realm of entertainment that the home ought to provide. While the church provides spiritual instruction, the elders of a congregation should not usurp the role of parents. They would be out of place setting a bedtime for each child of the congregation and taking all the disciplinary action of the home into their own hands. In the same way, they would be out of place if they usurped the government and punished criminals in society at large. So, let us make sure we fulfill the roles God has given us, respect the place of each institution, and beware of attempts of any institution to go beyond the boundaries God has intended. -Mark Day
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