Parents and Children

Ephesians 6:1,2,3. There is a difference between obeying and honoring. To obey means to do as one is told, to honor means to respect and love. Children are not commanded to disobey God in obeying their parents. Adult children are not asked to be subservient to domineering parents. Children are to obey while under their parents care, but the responsibility to honor parents is for life. Some societies honor their elders. They respect their wisdom, defer to their authority, and pay attention to their comfort and happiness. This is how Christians should act. Where elders are respected, long life is a blessing, not a burden to them.
Ephesians 6:4. If our Faith in Christ is real, it will usually prove itself at home, in our relationships with those who know us best. Children and parents have a responsibility to each other. Children should honor their parents, even if the parents are demanding and unfair. Parents should care gently for their children, even if the children are disobedient and unpleasant. Ideally, of course, Christian parents and Christian children will relate to each other with thoughtfulness and love. This will happen if both parents and children put the others’ interests above their own-that is , if they submit to one another.
The purpose of parental discipline is to help children grow, not to exasperate and provoke them to anger or discouragement. Parenting is not easy, it takes lots of patience to raise children in a loving, Christ honoring manner. But frustration and anger should not be causes for discipline. Instead, parents should act in love , treating their children as Jesus treats the people he loves. This is vital to children’s development and to their understanding of what Christ is like.
Ephesians 6:5. Slaves played a significant part in this society. There were several million of them in the Roman empire at this time. Because many slaves and owners had become Christians, the early church had to deal straightforwardly with the question of master/slave relations. Paul’s statement neither condemns nor condones slavery. Instead, it tells masters and slaves how to live together in Christian households. In Paul’s day, women, children, and slaves had few rights. In the church, however , they had freedoms that society denied them. Paul tells husbands, parents, and masters to be caring.
Ephesians 6: 6,8. Christians employees should do their jobs as if Jesus Christ were their supervisor. And Christian employers should treat their employees fairly and with respect. Can you be trusted to do your best, even when the boss is not around. Do you work hard and with enthusiasm? Do you treat your employees as people and not machines? Remember that no matter who you work for , and no matter who works for you, the One you ultimately should want to please is your Father in heaven.
Ephesians 6: 9. Although Christians may be at different levels in earthly society, we are all equal before God. He does not play favorites: no one is more important than anyone else. Paul’s letter to Philemon stresses the same point: Philemon, the master, and Onesimus, his slave, were brothers in Christ.

Only a friend can betray a friend, because a stranger has nothing to gain……….

Image reference: truthpoint.org


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