The Institution of the Family
The Dominion Aspect-Part 1
Genesis 2:18-25
God created __________ institutions: ____________, ___________, ___________.
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I.
The family must be viewed in terms of _____.
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II.
The family was designed by God to be an _____________ of _____________.
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GENESIS 1:27-30
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed
them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you
every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you
it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon th e earth,
wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Man is dominion oriented both by _____________ and by ____________.
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III.
Man’s _____ was the result of attempting an ________________ dominion without God – Gen. 3:1-5.
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Questions to consider:
1. “Without the family, you cannot have a church or state and without the proper teaching, training, and
education, you cannot have either good Christians or good citizens. Children who have no respect for the
family will not have any respect for the church or civil government. Children who readily rebel against
parental authority also readily rebel against church and civil authority.” According to this quote by Pastor
Weaver, why is the family so essential to all of life? When the family is not held with a high view, what
happens to the family? What happens to the church? What happens to the state (government, cities,
counties, states, and country)?
2. Why must the family be viewed in terms of God? What have many socialistic philosophers sought to
do? In doing this, what happens to the sphere of the family?
3. Why is it that the meaning of the family not to be sought even in procreation, but in a theological sense?
What is the difference between a family that is God-centered versus man-centered/society-centered?
4. We find in the second point that the family is designed by God to be an instrument of dominion. How do
we know this to be true? Why is the dominion mandate essential to the sphere of the family?
5. Who is called to participate in the dominion mandate? What is essential to the dominion mandate?
Pastor Weaver says that “Any vocation by which man extends his dominion, under God and according to
God’s purpose without abuse or contempt for the earth is a holy calling.” Is this how you think of your
work, regardless of what you do? If not, what keeps you from doing so? Are you viewing your work
through the lens of God-centeredness or man-centeredness?
6. How does your view toward work or your vocation affect you effectiveness according to the purpose of
God? Ladies, if your husband is not satisfied or successful in his work, what is ultimate outcome? How
does this affect your view of yourself? What is one specific way that men can find satisfaction regarding
their family besides work?
7. The Fall occurred as a result of man attempting dominion autonomously without God. What happens
when we try to fulfill God’s purpose man’s way? What happens when we impose a man-centered
approach in the sphere of the family? Can you see this evidenced in our civil government and churches
across our communities and our country?