The Book of Commandments
The Book of Commandments Section 33 - The Family
1Thus Sayeth the Lord; the family is the great and everlasting structure of nobility , both in the Heavens and upon the earth. The family is a Holy convocation and a necessary ordinance required of all who seek the kingdom of the most high God.
2The family is an ordinance required of all my priests. A priest shall not be accepted into the High Priesthood unless he is happily married and a devoted husband. He may not yet have children, but shall so be blessed if he keeps my ordinances and covenants. For I, Lord am merciful and gracious to all who love me and who follow me, humbling themselves before me, earnestly seeking first the kingdom of God.
3Thus Sayeth the Lord; I have set apart the family so as to be removed from the sins of the world and to become a strength among the children of men. For the bonds of the family shall not be shaken. They shall be protected and upheld by the word of my power, both in the heavens and here upon the earth.
4The family shall cleave unto one another, upholding their covenants of purity, chastity, cleanliness of mind, of body and soul. The family shall be founded upon the authorized and ordained marriage of one man and one woman. Yea, all families shall follow my word in all things.
5My dear Saints, even you who call yourselves after my name; be one in your families. Love another. Keep your covenants, keep my commandments, and work together for the salvation and exaltation of all who are of your families, all who are your kin.
6The family must be so, patterned after the celestial order of all that is righteous and pure. The structure of the family shall be the only structure permitted within my church. For the heavens and the Saints are of a great and noble family, stretching throughout the eternities, tasked with the greatest of responsibility and the greatest of gifts, which are only wrought and given in grace for those who follow the structures set forth by my word.
7Thus Sayeth the Lord; the family which follows my law and finds each other through the love and guidance of the Holy Ghost, shall prosper indeed. For a man shall leave his mother and his father and shall cleave into his wife, and they shall be one flesh. But the family shall grow evermore, knit as a celestial tribe, gaining blessings, wisdom and gifts from their father in heaven.
8My children, find your family. My sons, find your wives. My daughters, find your husbands. Find each other by the spirit and power of the Holy Ghost. Love each other evermore and be faithful and righteous in all things you do.
9The greatest gift and the greatest of all tasks given unto the children of men is the gift of children. The family shall care for the children, raising them in my word and in my presence. The family shall ensure the children are provided for in all things, both temporal and spiritual. Yea, the greatest sin of the family is to cast off your children, sacrificing them to the world. My Saints, care for your children, and they shall care for you.
10Build your families in my guidance and in my word. And then, my children, ye shall prosper and grow, reaping the blessings which shall be poured out upon you for your faithfulness and your devotion to the laws and ordinances which I have set before you.
11Yea, even the family who love each other shall be blessed and protected. The world shall not prevail against a family who never wavers in their commitment and devotion to one another and unto me, even Jesus Christ.