Ephesians 5:18
: As in previous discussions, the key is being
filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:21
: Submitting to one another follows this infilling.
Romans 1:18 ,30
; II Timothy 3:2: In the end days, times of
apostasy, when you have ungodliness, you will always have unrighteousness.
One of the most striking manifestations of this lawlessness
is "disobedience to parents"
Unrighteousness is always the result of ungodliness and the
only hope is to have a revival of godliness.
Ephesians 6:1
: As in the marriage relationship, submitting
also applies to children.
To obey parents is to listen, realizing one is under authority,
to listen "under" their authority.
To honor parents is to respect and reverence them in the spirit
of the law, to rejoice in it, and to regard it as a great privilege.
"For it is right;" this is essentially right and
good in itself.
Genesis 2:24
; Romans 13:1-2
: The principle of "order
of nature." As with husband and wife, so with children. Without
order, life would be chaotic and would eventually destroy itself.
The first four commandments deal with our relationship to
God and the fifth begins our relationship with one another. God
gives a promise in order that it may be reinforced to encourage
us.
When neglected, these laws lead to the collapse of society.
God's order of nature has been violated from Genesis onward.
When the family idea, family unit, family life is broken up
there is no allegiance to anything and chaos is the result.
Acts 17:28
; Ephesians 3:14-15
: Relationship between parents
and child is a replica, a picture of the Christian relationship
with God the Father. God, Himself, is the Father and all of us
are His children.
Ephesians 6:1
: "In the Lord" obeying parents is
required in the "order of nature" (Genesis), "in
the law" (10 Commandments), today (in Grace).
Obey, honor and respect parents because it is part of our
obedience to our Lord. He asks us to do it. It is His commandment.
Romans 8:4
; Ephesians 3:10
: Obedience is proof that we are
like Him. To obey is to do what Jesus did when He was on earth.
DISCIPLINE INVOLVES THE WHOLE OF LIFE...
Ephesians 6:4
: The father has the authority and the position
to exercise discipline and this verse deals with the whole problem
of discipline.
The breakdown of society involves the whole problem of discipline.
In fact, the whole future of civilization, it appears, rests upon
this!
The Bible deals with right, truth, justice, and righteousness.
Proverbs 13:24
; Ephesians 6:4
: The problems of discipline
lies between these two verses, going from one extreme to another;
e.g., Victorian age of austere discipline to Dr. Spock's "no
spanking" philosophy. Rebellion ensues in either case.
Popular psychology states that human nature is essentially
good. It just needs to be drawn out or encouraged, so don't punish.
They say to punish leads to repression.
Allow children to decide and choose for themselves because
human nature is good. All you have to do is to appeal to it.
The opposite of wrong discipline is not the absence of it,
but the right discipline.
Ephesians 6:4
: Discipline a child in the nurture and the admonition
of the Lord.
I Corinthians 9:21: We are under the law, the discipline of
it, to Christ. A Christian is to be more disciplined because he
sees the deeper meaning of it.
Romans 1:18-32
: God punishes sin by abandoning the world to
its own evil because the world refuses to submit to Him.
Biblical teaching recognizes man is in a state of sin which
requires that laws be enforced in order that man can see and know
God; then man can be brought into the grace of God to get to know
the higher law of God and delight in pleasing God by doing His
commandments.
BALANCED DISCIPLINE...
Ephesians 6:1-2
: Don't exasperate your child. Repeated attacks
on the child provokes a child to become resentful.
We are incapable of exercising true discipline unless we are
first able to exercise self-control, controlling our own tempers.
Negatives:
An unpredictable and moody parent is a real chore for a child
for he doesn't know from one day to the next what is expected
of him. Parents can be harsh on some minor offense and casual
on a major offense another day.
Parents must develop a listening ear and never be unreasonable
or unwilling to hear a child's case.
Possessive or domineering parents impose their personality
on a child which crushes his own identity.
Parents expect and demand everything from the child. The child's
whole life is to be lived for the parents sake; whereas, they
are only custodians and guardians to insure God's life flows through
the child.
Parents are to punish for correction's sake not to inflict
harm and not to humiliate in front of others.
Positives:
Recognize growth and development in your children and treat
them accordingly. Don't treat them as small children all of their
lives. Allow them to develop a conscience of their own.
Don't impose your will over the child. Allow for him and the
grace of God to operate through him to allow him to make mistakes
and hold himself accountable in order to develop a conscience
and self-discipline.
"Nurture." A general term which includes the whole
process in the cultivation of the mind and spirit, morals, and
moral behavior; the whole personality of the child dealing with
conduct and behavior.
"Admonition." This puts greater emphasis on speech,
things addressed to the child, words of exhortation, encouragement,
reproof, etc.
"Of the Lord." Not simply good manners, but brought
up in the knowledge of the Lord as Savior and Lord, that the child
may come to know Jesus personally.