The Significance of Family Imagery in Biblical Theology

Abstract

It is possible to miss the overall message of the Bible unless one understands how various themes interconnect. Family is one of the themes that runs through the creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. It is presented as a typology in OT and NT, where God’s restorative work is presented. This paper examines the divine tapestry of Family and its significance in the grand redemption plan. It uses the Redemptive History approach to biblical theology to trace the development of the ‘Family theme’ from creation to the New Creation. The paper highlights that family is a creation ordinance that forms a foundational basis of redemption and that there is a shift in what the family is in the New Creation. In addition, it demonstrates that a proper understanding of the role of Family in God’s redemption story forms a foundation of Christian marriages and families. The paper advocates that since all believers will be part of God’s family in the New Creation, the functionality of earthly Christian families should be possible the fall of humanity. Thus, achieving functional families is feasible through the principles of Christ’s restoration and redemption work.