Not Optional Equipment

(Proverbs 10:1 KJV)  The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

This is not a statement of doctrine but it gives us an indication of what family should contain:  A “father” (1) and a “mother” (517).  We have plenty of examples in scripture of widows having children and orphans are given as a concern but the basic structure remains.  We live in a modern culture that is trying to restructure that.  The Bible standard is solid.  In spite of the scattered cases of multiple wives the basic example is still one man and one woman united for life.

We see this in the standards for leaders in the church.

(1 Timothy 3:12 KJV)  Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

And God is clear about marriage lasting a life time.

(Malachi 2:16 NAS77)  "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."

So?  Our standards and expectations should be coming from the Bible, not the culture.  This gets harder everyday.  That does not make it optional.