Children, Obey Your Parents

In Ephesians 6:1-3, Paul addresses children as responsible members of the covenant community and gives them a command as children “in the Lord.” As the larger context shows, they too must live under the influence of the Holy Spirit in order to truly obey the command. The Apostle also explains that “obeying parents” is right because it is what God commands and those who conform to God’s purpose will not suffer many of the natural consequences of rebellion. The 5th commandment is foundational for all human relationships because, if children do not grow up honoring their father and mother, they will likely have no regard for others, finding it much easier to violate others by breaking the remaining commandments.