Hymns 510
Scripture Reading:
Eph. 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise.
OBEYING YOUR PARENTS IN THE LORD
Verse 1 [of Ephesians chapter 6] says, “The children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” In exhorting the children and the parents, the apostle deals with the children first, since trouble comes mostly from them.
In this verse Paul does not simply speak of children, but of the children. By using the definite article before children Paul indicates that the children of believers are not common. They are different from the children of the people in the world. Therefore, the particular children, those in the families of believers, are exhorted to obey their parents in the Lord.
In this verse Paul says that for the children to obey their parents in the Lord is right. The Greek word may also be rendered just. To obey the parents is both right and just.
HONORING YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER
In verses 2 and 3 [of Ephesians chapter 6] Paul goes on to say, “Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” This is not only the first commandment with a promise, but also the first commandment concerning man’s relationship with man (Exo. 20:12). The promise, mentioned in verse 3, is that it may be well with the children and that they may live long on the earth. The first part of the promise is related to prosperity in material blessing; it also refers to living in a peaceful situation. The second part is to have longevity. According to this commandment, prosperity and longevity are God’s blessings in this life to those who honor their parents.
Honoring is different from obeying. Obedience refers to an action, whereas honor denotes an attitude. It is possible for the children to obey their parents without honoring them. In order to honor their parents, the children need a certain attitude, a certain spirit. All the children need to learn to obey their parents with honor.
If we would live long on the earth, we need to honor our parents. Those who fail to honor their parents commit suicide in a gradual way. They actually shorten their life on earth. If you wish to prolong your days, learn to obey your parents with honor. In the Bible this is the unique condition for having a long life. Anyone who desires a long life needs to fulfill this condition.
THE EXPRESSION OF DIVINE CHARACTER THROUGH HUMAN VIRTUE
Let us take another example, the matter of honoring our parents. The Bible surely teaches us to honor our parents. Confucius taught the same thing. But the difference between the honoring of parents that is in accord with the teaching of Confucius and that which is in accord with the Bible is that in the former there is no flavor of Christ, whereas in the latter there is both the flavor of Christ and the expression of the divine character. As we honor our parents, there should be the sweet savor of Christ. This is the expression of God through human virtue. Suppose a young man honors his parents from a spirit filled unto all the fullness of God. In this virtue there will be the divine character. This is the expression of God in humanity.
This expression of God is absolutely different from mere ethical behavior. Although the followers of Confucius may attain a high ethical standard, there is no flavor of Christ in their virtue. I repeat, in our virtue there needs to be the character of God and the flavor and taste of Christ. Such a divine expression through human virtue is conveyed by the Greek word for holiness in [Ephesians] 4:24. The church life must be filled with such an expression of divine character through human virtue. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 519-520, 791-792)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 62, 94
