God’s Family Structure: A Father’s Role

Study Passages:
Proverbs 13:24, 22:6, 15; Ephesians 4:14, 6:1-2, 4; Colossians 3:21

A father’s role in a family has long been a source of discussion and high emotions in our society. A father clearly has an impact in his child’s life but what does God say about his role? How important is a dad’s involvement in the rearing of his children?

According to God’s Word, children are to turn to their dads in order to find a living definition of our Father in heaven. Men are required biblically to teach their children (Exodus 18:18), to discipline them (Proverbs 13:24; Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21) and to train their sons (Proverbs 22:6). Children are also required to honor and obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2).

The family structure as designed by God, and as outlined in scripture, supports the proper spiritual, emotional, and social development of a child: "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name." (Ephesians 4:14-15).

All of this is extremely important because the bible states that, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15). Solomon also said, "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

If a father does not take the disciplining of his child seriously (Ephesians 6:4), then the child stands a good chance of growing up to be a bigger “fool”. If we are reading the national statistics accurately, our young men may be falling into this trap. Most murder victims are black men between the ages of 15 through 24, and, according to the FBI, they account for more than 55 percent of all crime in America. Juvenile jails are over populated and in the city of Houston, we are considering building even more facilities.

Many problems in our school systems are caused by young boys experiencing behavioral or learning disorders. We must take the raising of our kids seriously, whether you are a single parent or married. If you are a single mom, I advise you to get the father involved in raising his child. If that is not practical, consider enrolling your son in your church’s male mentoring program or your daughter in a mentoring or etiquette workshop. Raising children takes time and sacrifice. Yet the rewards are remarkable!