Skip to main content

Ephesians 6:1: Children, Obey Your Parents


Ephesians 6:1
[1] Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (ESV)

“I asked my brother-in-law, the father of four boys, “If you had to do it all over again, would you still have kids?”

“Yes,” he said. “Just not these four.”
- Sheila Lee, Lorain, Ohio (www.rd.com)

In this study of Ephesians, Paul now turns to the relationship of parents and children.  At the end of Chapter 5 Paul addressed the relationship of Husband and Wife. I will say that while we are going to talk today about the relationship of parents and children, it is no accident that Paul establishes what godly marriage looks like before speaking of godly parenting. If you want to be a godly parent you need to be a godly spouse.

Parenting is the hardest job you will ever love. Any parents know that there are times of great struggle and also times of great reward. And how we act has a great influence on how much reward or how much struggle we will have.

Paul begins his instruction to children by commanding them to obey their parents. In this particular instruction he gives a reason: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

I want to break this command down for you just a little bit. Children are to obey their parents in the Lord. That means that a child’s first opportunity to learn obedience to the Lord starts by obeying an earthly father. By obeying your earthly father you are obeying God. Now, does that mean that when you were 8 years old, picking up your legos off the floor, you were doing that for God? Yes! The act of obedience is one that is established by God, and he expects that children obey their parents.

Obey your father or mother as you would the Lord. Now, I did not say that your parents ARE the Lord. One of the most humbling things for a parent is leading our children, while knowing just how sinful and ungodly we are. Children, none of your parents are perfect, but your obedience to them is required by the Lord, and it is honoring to Him.

I can remember being frustrated with some of the demands that my father placed on me as a child. And it was easy for me to feel like I shouldn’t have to do them because my father wasn’t perfect. The fact is, God does not give children a free pass to disobey because the parents aren’t perfect. Believe it or not, children, eventually your parents are going to seem a whole lot smarter than they are now. Mark Twain, who wrote many stories about children, like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, said this:

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant, I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”
- Mark Twain

The command to obey our parents is from God. And there is a reason we obey. “It is right.” What does that mean? It means that the proper order of things in life includes children obeying their parents. It is part of having a healthy family. What God has ordained as “right” in relationships is the divine ideal. When we step outside of that ideal and rebel against it there are always consequences. It is not possible to disobey your earthly parents and not also feel the divine consequence of disobeying God. In Romans 1:28-32, Paul gives a list of evil actions that have incurred the wrath of God upon all mankind, the Apostle Paul specifically mentions disobedience to parents.

Children, you are commanded to obey your parents.  I know it is hard.  Do it as to the Lord.  No, your parents are not perfect. But your Heavenly Father is.  Obey him.  There is reward in obedience.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co

James 2:18: I Will Show You My Faith By My Works

James 2:18 [18] But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (ESV) There are certain things in life that go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Double stuff Oreo cookies and milk. Faith and works. James raises the point that someone might argue that faith and works can be separated. "One will say, "You have faith and I have works." Is it ok for works to be separated from faith? James is making the argument that faith and works are not to be separated. James is saying to the one who has faith only, with no works, that he wants them to see his faith by his works. In other words, if you are going to claim to have faith, but have no works, you have no evidence of faith. If I am to believe that a person has genuine faith I can only see that by their works. Faith brings action. There are so many people to claim to have some kind of faith, yet when it comes down to it, their