The Family

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it... Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
— Ephesians 5:25,28 (WEB)

Note

Article 18 was added in 1998 (between the 1963 and 2000 statements). The 2000 version added the Family article in full to the BFM.

Bible references

Genesis 1:26-28 · Genesis 2:15-25 · Genesis 3:1-20 · Exodus 20:12 · Deuteronomy 6:4-9 · Joshua 24:15 · 1 Samuel 1:26-28 · Psalm 51:5 · Psalm 78:1-8 · Psalm 127 · Psalm 128 · Psalm 139:13-16 · Proverbs 1:8 · Proverbs 5:15-20 · Proverbs 6:20-22 · Proverbs 12:4 · Proverbs 13:24 · Proverbs 14:1 · Proverbs 17:6 · Proverbs 18:22 · Proverbs 22:6,15 · Proverbs 23:13-14 · Proverbs 24:3 · Proverbs 29:15,17 · Proverbs 31:10-31 · Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 · Ecclesiastes 9:9 · Malachi 2:14-16 · Matthew 5:31-32 · Matthew 18:2-5 · Matthew 19:3-9 · Mark 10:6-12 · Romans 1:18-32 · 1 Corinthians 7:1-16 · Ephesians 5:21-33 · Ephesians 6:1-4 · Colossians 3:18-21 · 1 Timothy 5:8,14 · 2 Timothy 1:3-5 · Titus 2:3-5 · Hebrews 13:4 · 1 Peter 3:1-7