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Let us visit for the moment the Elementary Doctrine of Christ, which for al intents and purposes is the doctrine from the Old Testament which Hebrews 6:1 tells us to leave, and let us consider the Commandment and the Law of honoring your father and mother. The Commandment, in Exodus 20:12, says “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” This is one of the Ten Commandments that Moses receives from God in the Tablets. Also consider Deuteronomy 27:16 which says, “Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.”
At first glance, the two seem to be saying two different things. The Commandment implies that it is to our practical benefit that we honor our parents. Honoring our parents involves listening to them, for after all, they have lived their lives to the point where what they’ve learned and experienced in their lives have enabled them to come to raise us in an upright manner.
Some may say there are parents who treat their kids rotten. This may be true in some instances, but their children, in their youth and inexperience are not in a position to judge how their parents raise them; that is up to older people.
As for the Law, it seems that Deuteronomy 27:16 implies we should honor our parents not for our own benefit, so much as for their benefit from our respecting them. But consider that we would be cursed if we don’t honor our parents. Seems this law is for our benefit too, inasmuch as if we don’t heed what our parents have told us, or respect them enough to follow their example, we would not be honoring them and we would therefore be cursed.
It is interesting that in Mark 7:5-13, Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes engage in a discourse concerning God’s Law, and the traditions the Pharisees and scribes abide by which they expect others to do the same. Jesus points out that they are engaging in traditions which are of men and are contrary to God. In Verse 5, they ask Jesus “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” Jesus calls them out on that by effectively asking them, via Verses 9-13, ‘And why do you hold to your tradition of men, and not abide by God, by enabling the children to say to their parents that whatever they would give their parents, such as honor, they give to God, whereas the Commandment says to honor their parents?' And to be sure, this isn’t an either-or, since the rest of the Old Testament plainly implies we are to honor God, and honoring our parents is one way of honoring God.
What does the New Testament say about honoring our parents? Well, Ephesians 6:1-3 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’” Imagine that! This passage is quoting the Commandment stated above, which is part of the Elementary Doctrine of Christ! I guess it’s hard to leave the Elementary Doctrine of Christ altogether, after all.
At first glance, the two seem to be saying two different things. The Commandment implies that it is to our practical benefit that we honor our parents. Honoring our parents involves listening to them, for after all, they have lived their lives to the point where what they’ve learned and experienced in their lives have enabled them to come to raise us in an upright manner.
Some may say there are parents who treat their kids rotten. This may be true in some instances, but their children, in their youth and inexperience are not in a position to judge how their parents raise them; that is up to older people.
As for the Law, it seems that Deuteronomy 27:16 implies we should honor our parents not for our own benefit, so much as for their benefit from our respecting them. But consider that we would be cursed if we don’t honor our parents. Seems this law is for our benefit too, inasmuch as if we don’t heed what our parents have told us, or respect them enough to follow their example, we would not be honoring them and we would therefore be cursed.
It is interesting that in Mark 7:5-13, Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes engage in a discourse concerning God’s Law, and the traditions the Pharisees and scribes abide by which they expect others to do the same. Jesus points out that they are engaging in traditions which are of men and are contrary to God. In Verse 5, they ask Jesus “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” Jesus calls them out on that by effectively asking them, via Verses 9-13, ‘And why do you hold to your tradition of men, and not abide by God, by enabling the children to say to their parents that whatever they would give their parents, such as honor, they give to God, whereas the Commandment says to honor their parents?' And to be sure, this isn’t an either-or, since the rest of the Old Testament plainly implies we are to honor God, and honoring our parents is one way of honoring God.
What does the New Testament say about honoring our parents? Well, Ephesians 6:1-3 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’” Imagine that! This passage is quoting the Commandment stated above, which is part of the Elementary Doctrine of Christ! I guess it’s hard to leave the Elementary Doctrine of Christ altogether, after all.
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