By

Shelby G. Floyd

In Ephesians chapter five, Paul discussed the responsibilities of marriage. Therefore, it was quite logical for him in the next chapter to discuss the mutual responsibility and obligation of children to their parents, and parents to their children:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth (Ephesians 6:1-3 NKJV).

Children are a priceless possession; they are a heritage given to us by the Lord and when properly trained they are as arrows in the hands of mighty men: “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth” (Psalms 127: 3-4).

Parents have the responsibility of teaching the word of God in the home to the children. This grave responsibility was stated in the Law of Moses in the long ago:

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6: 6-9).

Paul commands the children to whom he wrote to honor their father and mother. To honor the father and mother means to revere, respect and venerate them. When the rich young ruler asked Christ what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, he told him to keep the commandments, among which was “honor your father and mother” (Matthew 19: 19).

Copyright © 2021 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142