When Should Loyalty to Our Blood Family Exceed Loyalty to God?

[PQT]

I ask this because there is so much which transpires within the Christian realm, at church and in the Christian home, which motivates me to ask this question. In the church we see parents and spouses propagating and manipulating circumstances to ensure that their children or spouse, however unqualified in consideration of other peers who God clearly has readied, get positioned into leading or significant roles, we see other favoritism being exercised because of familial (blood) allegiance and sometimes we even see the negative of this where loyalty to the "family NAME" or prestige of position predicates especially critical focus or condemnation in order to alienate a family member for pride's sake. It is not much different in similar home environments. Only there a parent or spouse can choose to enable (set a priority to seek to please and be accepted by one's child/spouse, make excuses for, bail out, cover up, deny, and a number of other behaviors) or empower and let their children or spouse be held accountable to God and the authorities, fore example. One would expect to see exuberant, no-holds-barred loyalty to family in the secular world where honoring and glorifying God in one's life is not a priority or even a consideration. You witness it at every school "team" sports practice or event, for example, and sadly not at just secular schools.

As this IS a Christian site and a Christians Only sub-forum I would certainly hope that every contribution would respond accordingly with God's Word to substantiate their response.

 

[Childofgodharrison]

I ask this because there is so much which transpires within the Christian realm, at church and in the Christian home, which motivates me to ask this question. In the church we see parents and spouses propagating and manipulating circumstances to ensure that their children or spouse, however unqualified in consideration of other peers who God clearly has readied, get positioned into leading or significant roles, we see other favoritism being exercised because of familial (blood) allegiance and sometimes we even see the negative of this where loyalty to the "family NAME" or prestige of position predicates especially critical focus or condemnation in order to alienate a family member for pride's sake. It is not much different in similar home environments. Only there a parent or spouse can choose to enable (set a priority to seek to please and be accepted by one's child/spouse, make excuses for, bail out, cover up, deny, and a number of other behaviors) or empower and let their children or spouse be held accountable to God and the authorities, fore example. One would expect to see exuberant, no-holds-barred loyalty to family in the secular world where honoring and glorifying God in one's life is not a priority or even a consideration. You witness it at every school "team" sports practice or event, for example, and sadly not at just secular schools.

As this IS a Christian site and a Christians Only sub-forum I would certainly hope that every contribution would respond accordingly with God's Word to substantiate their response.

Answer to the question is never. Nothing comes before God. Can you give an example of what you are talking about.

 

[GOD Shines Forth!]

I ask this because there is so much which transpires within the Christian realm, at church and in the Christian home, which motivates me to ask this question. In the church we see parents and spouses propagating and manipulating circumstances to ensure that their children or spouse, however unqualified in consideration of other peers who God clearly has readied, get positioned into leading or significant roles, we see other favoritism being exercised because of familial (blood) allegiance and sometimes we even see the negative of this where loyalty to the "family NAME" or prestige of position predicates especially critical focus or condemnation in order to alienate a family member for pride's sake. It is not much different in similar home environments. Only there a parent or spouse can choose to enable (set a priority to seek to please and be accepted by one's child/spouse, make excuses for, bail out, cover up, deny, and a number of other behaviors) or empower and let their children or spouse be held accountable to God and the authorities, fore example. One would expect to see exuberant, no-holds-barred loyalty to family in the secular world where honoring and glorifying God in one's life is not a priority or even a consideration. You witness it at every school "team" sports practice or event, for example, and sadly not at just secular schools.

As this IS a Christian site and a Christians Only sub-forum I would certainly hope that every contribution would respond accordingly with God's Word to substantiate their response.

Much truth in your post.

"God shows no partiality", per Paul (Galatians). But man does, and God allows it for a season. We have to bear up under the disconnect between potential in Christ and the reality of pushy flesh always wanting its way.

One could go mad trying to reform "Christian" family syndicates.

 

[PQT]

Answer to the question is never. Nothing comes before God. Can you give an example of what you are talking about.

Nothing in particular, just a lot of stuff I am dealing with with adult children who have issues with me because my position and yours agree. When we raise children with that perspective in a world of enabling parents whose PRIMARY objective is to please, promote, gain acceptance from, tear down or remove any obstacle for, remove or pay or escape or evade consequences for, and such which instills a great sense of entitlement; our children face GREAT temptations to resent us and have contempt toward us and disrespect and even dishonor us. They see other parents making it easy for their children: getting into leadership roles and exercising favoritism toward them, getting close to or even threatening or coercing a school team coach to get their child treated with favoritism, attacking or intimidating a teacher for justifiably disciplining their child, doing school or even AWANA homework or projects for them (think about those adult-level crafted Grand Prix cars when the cars are supposed to be done by the children as there are several awards given to THE CHILDREN for design, speed, and such, or letting a capable, but lazy, child pass a verse with practically EVERY word being given to them,) being told that their work is great/excellent when it is not, being allowed to stay up way past a healthy night's sleep, being allowed to do just about whatever they want to do and so much more.

 

[PQT]

Much truth in your post.

"God shows no partiality", per Paul (Galatians). But man does, and God allows it for a season. We have to bear up under the disconnect between potential in Christ and the reality of pushy flesh always wanting its way.

One could go mad trying to reform "Christian" family syndicates.

All we can do is make sure that whoever needs to hear God's Word on the subject, does, every example, including Jesus telling a person who wanted to follow Him not to put burying his father first in the way, before he did. Jesus told him to leave his dead father to others to bury if the man wanted to follow Him.
Or the contrast between the OT priest who enabled his two wicked sons who even defiled the temple with prostitutes and wickedness and the barren woman who committed her child to a total life in the Lord 's service if she would only conceive, which the Lord did bless her with in Samuel (and later with 3 more sons and 2 daughters). the prophet of 1 and 2 Samuel.

 

[Childofgodharrison]

Nothing in particular, just a lot of stuff I am dealing with with adult children who have issues with me because my position and yours agree. When we raise children with that perspective in a world of enabling parents whose PRIMARY objective is to please, promote, gain acceptance from, tear down or remove any obstacle for, remove or pay or escape or evade consequences for, and such which instills a great sense of entitlement; our children face GREAT temptations to resent us and have contempt toward us and disrespect and even dishonor us. They see other parents making it easy for their children: getting into leadership roles and exercising favoritism toward them, getting close to or even threatening or coercing a school team coach to get their child treated with favoritism, attacking or intimidating a teacher for justifiably disciplining their child, doing school or even AWANA homework or projects for them (think about those adult-level crafted Grand Prix cars when the cars are supposed to be done by the children as there are several awards given to THE CHILDREN for design, speed, and such, or letting a capable, but lazy, child pass a verse with practically EVERY word being given to them,) being told that their work is great/excellent when it is not, being allowed to stay up way past a healthy night's sleep, being allowed to do just about whatever they want to do and so much more.

That goes to show you that the parent is not following the ways of God. One day sooner are later that child will embarrass them out in public. It's the way of the world.

 

[Believer000]

I ask this because there is so much which transpires within the Christian realm, at church and in the Christian home, which motivates me to ask this question. In the church we see parents and spouses propagating and manipulating circumstances to ensure that their children or spouse, however unqualified in consideration of other peers who God clearly has readied, get positioned into leading or significant roles, we see other favoritism being exercised because of familial (blood) allegiance and sometimes we even see the negative of this where loyalty to the "family NAME" or prestige of position predicates especially critical focus or condemnation in order to alienate a family member for pride's sake. It is not much different in similar home environments. Only there a parent or spouse can choose to enable (set a priority to seek to please and be accepted by one's child/spouse, make excuses for, bail out, cover up, deny, and a number of other behaviors) or empower and let their children or spouse be held accountable to God and the authorities, fore example. One would expect to see exuberant, no-holds-barred loyalty to family in the secular world where honoring and glorifying God in one's life is not a priority or even a consideration. You witness it at every school "team" sports practice or event, for example, and sadly not at just secular schools.

As this IS a Christian site and a Christians Only sub-forum I would certainly hope that every contribution would respond accordingly with God's Word to substantiate their response.

God should come before every one and everything.