BUILDING FIRM FOUNDATIONS

A Book Summary by James Tan
Lecturer, Bible College of East Africa, Kenya

Building Firm Foundations by Dr S H Tow begins with the intention of helping the Christian family, to begin the practice of family worship. Practically, it sets the guiding principle on how every Christian home is capable of having family worship, not just as a ritual, but a spiritual exercise. It is important that God’s children gather together with the Word of God and prayer.

The practice of family worship is a way to remind the family that God is honoured above all, where Christ is central, and the bond of all family relationships. It is the solution and cure to family problems and issues, and it is a means of equipping everyone for the day, and eventual edification to handle greater challenges and burdens in life. It even has a function as a witness and testimony to guests. It ultimately has an impact on the church as a whole through example, where if each family is faithful in such, the entire church will be greatly strengthened.

A warning is then sounded out since the church and country is built upon the family. There is the necessity of having strong Christian and biblical principles in the family, especially when there is an attack or evil influence on the family unit. The encouragement is given to parents to be responsible immediately for the “pastoring” of the home, without excuse. The foundation is not just merely built on Sundays in church, but daily by the teaching parents.

The Family Faces the End Times

The Christian family must be alert and aware of the signs of the end times (Matt 24). As one observes the events of the world, the family must look at it from the biblical perspective, and where all these disasters and turmoil in the world point to. This is part of the spiritual preparation, to have the family look to Christ’s second coming which is imminent and soon. If the Christian parent truly cares for the spiritual condition of the family, such a doctrine cannot be ignored, and must be learnt with great urgency.

Devotion and Growth in the Family

Central to every family member’s spiritual walk is the Word of God. One must truly learn to seek out God’s Truth in the Bible daily, and to do so with a hunger and thirst just as babies do for physical sustenance. There must be a heartfelt love for the reading and study of God’s Word, not merely as an exercise of duty. The wisdom that comes from God’s Word is the balm to every conflict and burden in the home. The more focus is put on the Word of God, the less would the family slide into sin.

The Provisions of God

The Christian family must also not take God’s provisions for granted. The daily giving of thanks before a meal is not mere ritual, but a time to reflect, and find contentment in God’s provision, whether there is more, or less. If the family does not appreciate God’s providence, and there is no thanksgiving, it would only be filled with constant discontentment, and even bitterness. A simple practice of giving thanks is a good simple spiritual exercise, to teach contentment and thanksgiving in great and harder issues of life.

Prayer in the Family

In a wider application, the prayer life of the Christian family is crucial. Personal prayer is a way of communion with God, and removes all worldly distractions. There must be the private prayer fellowship that each family member must cultivate in the Lord. It is also a means where the family is built up in love and concern, not just to pray and think of self only, but others. There is never a lack of items to pray for, and the needs and burdens of the family and of the church and of others are constant. This is also the family’s access to God’s power. At the end of the day, prayer is still an individual exercise, and a crucial part of each family member’s spiritual relationship and fellowship with the Lord.

The Lord’s Day

How the family observes the Lord’s Day is also crucial for the spiritual life of the family. Failure to do so results only in great trouble and misery. The family’s devotion and service during the Sabbath day would reflect the spiritual condition of the family, whether one is occupied and devoted to the world, or with the Lord. It is reflective of one’s view of service, and eternity. Children in the family can also be taught to love the Lord’s Day, to prepare for it and to enjoy it.

The Foundations of Marriage

The marriage relationship must be understood rightly and theologically according to how God instituted it. It is divinely instituted by God Himself, with man as the head and his wife as the support. It is monogamous, and heterosexual, and creates a covenantal bond for life. Life in marriage must be carefully guarded by biblical ordinances against sin, carefully maintaining the biblical pattern of the husband’s headship and the wife’s submission which is reflective of Christ and His Church. There must be godly contentment in marriage. The actions and spiritual state of one will surely affect the others, and would affect the spiritual condition and growth of all in the family.

The marriage bond must be an equal yoke and not an unequal one. A believer cannot be unequally yoked together with an unbeliever, where there is spiritual conflict with each other and against God. Marriage is not just mere affections and feelings, but obedience to God’s Word, and a reflection of Christ in testimony.

Before one enters into marriage, care must be taken to consider the spiritual reality of the marital union beyond the physical externalities. The foundation of the family and marriage is not built from the start based on looks, riches, or material things, but the spiritual. This will form the pattern of the family’s relationships in the future. Such a spiritual relationship founded in the Lord will leave no room for sin.

As for those who remain single, the Scriptures even describe it as advantageous (1 Cor 10), if such a life is spent to glorify and serve God. Those who are called to be single are still included in the larger family amongst Christian brethren, the family of the church, and can have a life of dedicated and effective service.

There are many issues that plague marriage. Sexual temptation and the lure of adultery will be present in marriage. These, however, have become the norm in society, where even sexual sin is easily dismissed. The Christian home must not follow the world but be a witness to the world of God’s good pattern for the family.

The Christian Home

The Christian home must be transformed to become a sanctuary and refuge from the sinful world. The Christian home is defined to be headed by Christ, and represented by the husband. The presence of Christ must be present, with a Christlike love expressed among the members of the house, which will then reflect upon the church.

The role of the father is spiritual, having the divinely appointed role of pastoring the family, setting the example of Christ, providing forand protecting the family. The task is difficult, and daunting, but not impossible with God’s help. The failure of the father to fulfil such a role will have an impact on the family, causing the family to sin, and even affect others. Mothers and children also have their own roles, where the godly mother would train up the child to be godly.

Ultimately, the family, and the children are meant to serve Christ’s purpose. There must be this utmost spiritual concern for the salvation and spiritual state of the children in the family. The instruction and training must be spiritual, with priority and emphasis on knowing God through the Bible and prayer. The parents’ constant concern for the child must always be towards salvation first, then spiritual growth.

The failure of the parents to train up a child would result in the child falling away into the world. Because of indulgence and negligence, needful discipline and instruction can easily be ignored. There must be this understanding that no child is truly innocent, as all mankind is born totally depraved. Christian parents should also set the example of humility, by being careful, fair, and measured in bringing up a child. Children in the family must also be taught to be temperate, and to understand the Christian love and forgiveness that can only be found in the Christian home. Children should honour their parents as unto the Lord, and learn to care for them, as their parents once did for them.

Parents must keep a constant vigilance, where worship and music are guarded, as well as worldly influences from all sorts of media. While these are things that can be difficult to avoid, the foundation of the home should not be built around worldliness. There are many temptations like alcohol and smoking to warn against, and even false doctrines can infiltrate the home, corrupting and causing doubt. There must not be a complacency to think that these are “external” temptations and would never afflict or enter the home. While the home can be foundationally built up to resist such, each family member has a part to play in this “defence”. The family must earnestly contend for the faith together, and to practice biblical separation unto holiness.

Salvation in the Family

The greatest concern in the family is the salvation of all members in it. This is possible only by the Lord’s merciful and gracious will, for parents cannot guarantee the eternal salvation of their own child. The understanding of the Gospel, of Christ’s redemptive work must be made clear and taught to the child simply, and as early as possible. While salvation is of the Lord who is sovereign, there is still the human responsibility to have the Gospel preached and lived out at home.

[You may download the book for free at https://calvarypandan.sg/resources/books.]