The Fifth Commandment: Lifelong Honor

READ: DEUTERONOMY 5:16; EPHESIANS 6:1-4

What does it mean to “honor” your parents? Following this command looks different depending on your age, but a few things remain consistent. Much like our obedience to God, honoring our parents flows not out of guilt but out of gratitude and trust that they love us and have our best interests at heart. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we honor the work and care they have poured into us by living lives that glorify God and point to His Son, Jesus.

As children, this means simply obeying our parents and trusting them to take care of us—pointing to our obedience to and trust in Jesus. As we grow older and our parents give us more freedoms, we can honor them by using those freedoms well—and by taking on more responsibilities around the house, helping our parents out of gratitude for all the ways they have cared for us. In the same way, as we grow in Christ, we can use the freedom from sin He has given us to better serve Him.

As we become adults, honoring our parents means spending time with them and, as they get older, taking care of them. This doesn’t mean you will never disagree with your parents. But it does mean relying on Jesus to help you resolve conflict lovingly and respectfully.

Honoring our parents can also look different depending on some other circumstances. Parents aren’t perfect. We are all sinners. Obedience to God—our good Father—comes before our obedience to our parents, so if your parents want you to do something that goes against God’s good law, it’s okay to disobey them in that case (Matthew 7:11; Acts 5:29). In situations of abuse, talk to a trusted adult immediately. Silence about abuse does not honor your parents.

By honoring our parents, we point forward to the day when our loving Heavenly Father will be fully united with His people, who will be free from sin and able to live in perfect obedience to Him. • Taylor Eising

• How does knowing Jesus affect the way you interact with your parents?

Honor your father and mother. Deuteronomy 5:16a (NLT)