OpenTheo

Q&A#87 The Church and the Natural Family

Alastair Roberts

Q&A#87 The Church and the Natural Family

November 2, 2018
Alastair Roberts
Alastair Roberts

Today's question:

"In the past two episodes of "Mere Fidelity" there was an underlying issue which was touched on, but not fully discussed. That is the relationship between the biological family and the New Family of which Christ is the firstborn. Examples I am thinking of:

1.) Does the Great Commission now call us to emphasize “being fruitful and multiplying” for this New Family through making disciples, over and against being fruitful in biological families?

2.) For those who cannot have biological families, how much should the church be relied upon to be family?

3.) The New Testament certainly seems to de-emphasize biological family to some degree, what do we make of this?"

Within the discussion, I reference my earlier discussion of the biblical theology of the household: https://alastairadversaria.com/2018/05/16/video-a-biblical-theology-of-the-household/.

If you have any questions, you can leave them on my Curious Cat account: https://curiouscat.me/zugzwanged.

If you have enjoyed these talks, please tell your friends and consider supporting me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/zugzwanged.

The audio of all of my videos is available on my Soundcloud account: https://soundcloud.com/alastairadversaria. You can also listen to the audio of these episodes on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/alastairs-adversaria/id1416351035?mt=2.

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditCopy Link

Transcript

More From Alastair Roberts

Q&A#88 Call No Man Father, Castor and Pollux, and Contraception
Q&A#88 Call No Man Father, Castor and Pollux, and Contraception
Alastair Roberts
November 3, 2018
Today's questions: "1.) How can Paul call Timothy his "true child in the Faith" (1 Tim 1:2; cf. 1 Cor 4:17, 2 Tim 1:2) when Jesus forbids calling anyo
Q&A#89 Man, Woman, Deception and Authority in 1 Timothy 2
Q&A#89 Man, Woman, Deception and Authority in 1 Timothy 2
Alastair Roberts
November 4, 2018
Today's question: "How do we explain 1 Timothy 2:14? On the one hand it appears to have a novel idea that Adam was not deceived in the fall. While on
Q&A#90 Legal and Natural Consequences of Sin
Q&A#90 Legal and Natural Consequences of Sin
Alastair Roberts
November 5, 2018
Today's question: "What is your understanding of the legal and natural consequences of sin? Should we separate the two? Is there any difference betwee
Q&A#86 Jairus' Daughter and the Woman with the Issue of Blood
Q&A#86 Jairus' Daughter and the Woman with the Issue of Blood
Alastair Roberts
November 1, 2018
Today's question: "What's going on with the story of the healing of Jairus' daughter and the woman who touches the hem of Jesus' garment? I know there
Q&A#85 The Cherubic Faces of Solomon's Water Chariots
Q&A#85 The Cherubic Faces of Solomon's Water Chariots
Alastair Roberts
October 31, 2018
Today's question: "Why are the stands and basins of the Solomonic temple decorated with bulls, lions and cherubim? The bulls have sacrificial associat
Q&A#84 Being Born Again, Baptism, and the Subjective and Objective Work of the Spirit
Q&A#84 Being Born Again, Baptism, and the Subjective and Objective Work of the Spirit
Alastair Roberts
October 30, 2018
Today's questions: 1. "What is your understanding of what regeneration, being born again, and the new birth mean in Scripture? And how do common conte
More From "Alastair Roberts"

More on OpenTheo

Why Is There No Effort Towards a Neutral Interpretation of Scripture?
Why Is There No Effort Towards a Neutral Interpretation of Scripture?
#STRask
March 9, 2026
Questions about why there is no effort towards a neutral interpretation of Scripture that doesn’t take denominational preferences into account, and ho
Is It a Sin to Feel Let Down by God?
Is It a Sin to Feel Let Down by God?
#STRask
November 6, 2025
Questions about whether it’s a sin to feel let down by God and whether it would be easier to have a personal relationship with a rock than with a God
Can Two Logical People Come to Conflicting Conclusions Without Committing a Fallacy?
Can Two Logical People Come to Conflicting Conclusions Without Committing a Fallacy?
#STRask
January 8, 2026
Questions about whether two logical people can come to conflicting conclusions on a topic without committing a fallacy, how Greg, as a public figure,
How Can I Explain Modesty to My Daughter?
How Can I Explain Modesty to My Daughter?
#STRask
November 27, 2025
Questions about how to explain modesty to a nine-year-old in a way that won’t cause shame about her body, and when and how to tell a child about a pre
Why Do We Say Someone Was Saved on a Particular Date If It Was Part of an Eternal Plan?
Why Do We Say Someone Was Saved on a Particular Date If It Was Part of an Eternal Plan?
#STRask
November 24, 2025
Questions about why we say someone was saved on a particular date if it was part of an eternal plan, the Roman Catholic view of the gospel vs. the Bib
Brian Miller: Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse Theory
Brian Miller: Fine-Tuning and the Multiverse Theory
Knight & Rose Show
March 7, 2026
Wintery Knight and guest host Terrell Clemmons welcome Dr. Brian Miller to discuss the the evidence for fine-tuning in physics and cosmology and the m
Does God Really Need a “Pound of Flesh” to Forgive Sins?
Does God Really Need a “Pound of Flesh” to Forgive Sins?
#STRask
January 12, 2026
Questions about how to answer the challenge that God doesn’t need a “pound of flesh” to forgive sins but can simply forgive, and whether the claim in
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 2
Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 2
Risen Jesus
March 18, 2026
Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels that bear their names? The texts themselves do not name them as the authors and were published and
Prove to Me That Jesus Is Not a Created Being
Prove to Me That Jesus Is Not a Created Being
#STRask
January 26, 2026
Questions about why we should think Jesus is not a created being, and what it means to say God became fully human if part of being human means not bei
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
How Should I Respond to an LGBTQ Person Who Says He Feels Good About Who He Is?
#STRask
March 2, 2026
Questions about responding to an LGBTQ person who says he feels good about who he is, and whether—since we all have sin in our life we don’t consider
Can You Provide Verifiable, Non-Religious Evidence That a Supernatural Jesus Existed?
Can You Provide Verifiable, Non-Religious Evidence That a Supernatural Jesus Existed?
#STRask
November 10, 2025
Question about providing verifiable, non-religious evidence that a supernatural Jesus existed.   * I am an atheist and militantly anti-god-belief. Ho
How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?
#STRask
November 20, 2025
Questions about how to advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life, and the differences between the mo
How Can We Know Who Is Teaching the Same Gospel Paul Taught?
How Can We Know Who Is Teaching the Same Gospel Paul Taught?
#STRask
February 16, 2026
Questions about how we can know who is teaching the same gospel Paul taught, and whether or not Jeremiah 1:5 supports the idea that we pre-existed in
Could the Writers of Scripture Have Been Influenced by Their Fallen Nature?
Could the Writers of Scripture Have Been Influenced by Their Fallen Nature?
#STRask
October 23, 2025
Questions about whether or not it’s reasonable to worry that some of our current doctrines were influenced by the fallen nature of the apostles, and h
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?
#STRask
December 4, 2025
Question about what tools of reasoning help us determine whether something is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad before bringing Scripture int