January 11, 2016

Ephesians 6:1 NLT - "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do."

Commentary:

We come to the effect that fathers and mothers can have on their children and others around them.  When Dad and Mom are walking with the Lord and sharing life together as godly parents their influence on their kids is awesome!!  Praise the Lord for Christian families where the parents take the initiative to lead their children to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. 

It's not just to bring them to church, as we often put it.  But, it's more in living out the life of Christ in the home.  One thing the Church got wrong over the past years is making the church building the center of a child's Christian education.  And that includes Christian schools as well.  According to Deuteronomy 6 and several passages in the New Testament the HOME is to be the focal point of instructing children to walk with Christ.  (More about this in a future study). 

Here, Paul is speaking to children and making them realize they have a responsibility before the Lord to obey their parents!  And the way Paul stresses this is not so much pointing out that the kids belong to the parents!  No!  He is saying that the kids "belong to the Lord"!  This is, of course, assuming the personal salvation of each child.  But when a child becomes a believer in Christ they enter into God's family.  And their Heavenly Father takes very seriously their conduct before Him.  And God has placed the parents in the position to make His Word clear and His will known to their children.  Children are to obey what their parents teach them.  Why?  Because "this is the right thing to do", that's why!  But this means that parents need to be careful that they are setting the example by obeying the Lord too.  Why?  Because that's the "right thing to do" too!