Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1
Does it bother you to see a child in a store throwing a tantrum because the parent refused to buy a particular toy or candy? It should bother you even more if the parent gives in to the child and buys the item, because such a child is extremely unlikely to grow up to be a pleasant or useful adult. Such children learn that they can control their parents and don’t need to obey them. And they actually have the government’s support in their disobedience and unreasonable demands. So they never learn that they have a responsibility to others. Unfortunately, we are raising huge numbers of children with these attitudes today, attitudes of disobedience that are identified in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 as being a characteristic of the last days. Children raised in Christian homes have a better opportunity than most others to be raised with a godly approach to obedience. Because godly parents know that godly children will obey them because it is right.
The book of Ephesians lists three groups who are to follow specific behaviour because of the Lord. With wives, the expression is to submit to their husbands ‘as unto the Lord’ (Ephesians 5:22). With servants, or slaves, they are to be obedient to their masters ‘as unto Christ’ (Ephesians 6:5). And in our text, it is the children to obey their parents ‘in the Lord’. The intent is the same. All three groups will follow the apostle’s directions to please the Lord. Just as there are good reasons for wives to submit to their husband’s authority, and slaves to obey their masters’ orders, there are good reasons why children should obey their parents, not the least of which is ‘because it is right’.
We are talking about children here, children old enough to read, or at least understand what is being read to them, children young enough to be still under their parents’ roof and provision. That is, a parent who is providing for the necessities of life for a child is entitled to the obedience of that child. Moreover, the epistle is written to Christians, so this verse applies specifically to children who are believers. Unsaved children are to obey as well, saved children are to obey as a vital part of their faith. There are obvious exceptions. Children who know the difference must never obey parents’ demands to do anything that is illegal, immoral, or unfair. Otherwise, they ought to obey their parents in the same spirit as they would obey their Saviour. In the Old Testament, children who were persistently disobedient and unsubmissive, and who cursed or struck their parents, were subject to the death penalty (Exodus 21:15-17). That’s a little too drastic for today, of course, but it indicates how seriously God takes the issue of obedient children. After all, honouring our parents is one of the Ten Commandments, and it carries with it the benefit of long life and prosperity (Exodus 20:12).
Our text contains a lesson for all of us, not just for children. After all, we are God’s children. And we ought to obey Him because it is right. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/iByD6ThKXNQ