Abounding Grace: The Grace of the Law - Relational Responsibilities

Sunday, we move into the second table of the law. The first of these six commandments is, “Honor your father and your mother, that you days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” The Westminster Divines understand the commandment to frame relationships in representative terms, saying, “The general scope of the fifth commandment is, the performance of those duties which we mutually owe in our several relations, as inferiors, superiors, or equals.” (Larger Catechism {LC}, 126) God communicates the responsibilities of our relationships in terms of “father and mother” as the fundamental unit of society and to communicate the “care” that should imbody our relationships. (LC, 125)

It directs how we respond to those with authority, how those in authority treat their wards, and how equals honor each other. Notice that the commandment uses the word “honor” instead of “obey” because God requires us to respond to each other out of a greater motivation than avoiding conflict. We’re called to respond in a way that recognizes God’s organizational structure. On God’s organizational chart, he has established appropriate structures of stewardship, each with various responsibilities. Failing in our stewardship, defies God’s rule. So, join us Sunday as we consider this critical commandment.