What can be happier than a Christian home, where the Lord is known, loved, and obeyed? There is light in the dwelling_the light of heaven. It is a profitable study to go through the Scriptures and see God’s thoughts as to the family. We find that His grace reaches out to all members of the household, is offered to all. "Come thou and all thy house into the ark" (Gen. 7:1). "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31).

We also find that His claims for obedience are upon the entire family, and the parents are responsible to bring up the children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4). A man’s faithfulness is shown by the order he maintains in the house. "I know him that he will command his children and his household after him" (Gen. 18:19; 1 Tim. 3:4).

Nor does this mean that gloom and sadness will pervade the home, but exactly the reverse. God’s own joy and light, where He is known in grace, will fill each heart, so that even the little ones will share in it. Home thus becomes the most attractive of all places, the happy sanctuary from the worry and care of business, the nursery for the tender little ones, and the busy beehive of Christian industry. May our God make more such homes.

(Editor’s note:This article was first published 75 years ago. How much more are the truths and exhortations needed today!)

Nothing perhaps presses itself more upon the Christian mind than the subject of the children of Christian parents. We are living in "perilous times," and many Christians do not realize this enough. Apostasy in a multitude of forms is advancing with rapid strides under cover of Christianity, making it more necessary than ever that our children be well instructed in the Word of God. Nothing is so effective for this as the home, where the Christian father daily gathers his household for reading the Word and infusing it into their minds and lives. They may afterward depart from it in practice; yet the Word will abide in them and compel them, sooner or later, to yield to the hand of God.

The Sunday school is a blessed adjunct to this. Other witnesses there will add their testimony to that of the home; and we know the power of "two or three witnesses." Then there are the various meetings of the people of God, where the Scriptures are in constant use; how we should value all these means of instruction and have our children with us! If we think we can do without these helps we will surely find ourselves and our children the losers.

We are also living in days of great pride, when not only are men not subject to God any more, but are not even subject to rulers nor to parents. Thus we need to be all the more careful to instill obedience in our children’s minds_not tyrannize them, nor provoke them, but see to it that they obey, and obey cheerfully. Obedience is the very first principle, and at the root of all godliness. Many think that because we "are not under law, but under grace," to command and to govern are unworthy of a Christian. It is all wrong. Grace in nowise destroys government, whether government in the assembly or in the family. An assembly without godly government is a ruin, and so also a family. We have seen many a time a row of children sit quietly by their mother through a long meeting without a move from one of them. They were no less active than others when free, but they were under government, and knew where and when to be quiet and reverent. Will this be the exception! or will it be the rule! Beloved fathers and mothers, this will depend on how well we fulfill our responsibilities as such.

How encouraging it is to find in various places that many of the young recruits in the assemblies are from godly families, and from the Sunday schools! May the Lord increase still the labor and the fruit of both!

(In Help and Food, Vol. 29.)

"Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages" (Exod. 2:9). The New Testament tells us that "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4). With this in mind, may we "learn" as we consider some Old Testament scriptures, and may we be stirred in our souls as to our responsibility toward those who have been committed to our care!

The Lord said of Abraham, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him" (Gen. 18:19). May we as parents strive to order our lives and our households so that our children will "keep the way of the Lord."

There is much instruction in the Word with regard to parental responsibility. But it is only when parents know the truth themselves that they will be able to teach their children. We read in Isa. 38:19 that "the father to the children shall make known Thy truth." Along the same lines is the statement in Deut. 6:6,7:"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:and thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." A constant testimony to the children will bear fruit. Likewise, Deut. 11:18,19 puts upon the parents the responsibility of laying up the Lord’s words in their own hearts and souls, and teaching them unto their children.

Moses said to the elders of Israel, "And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses" (Exod. 12:26,27). Similarly, we read in Deut. 6:20,21,23:"When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. . . . And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He sware unto our fathers."

The twelve stones taken out of the midst of the Jordan and pitched in Gilgal were to be a sign among the Israelites, that when their children asked their fathers in time to come, "What mean these stones?" they were to let their children know of the mighty hand of the Lord which dried up the waters of Jordan, "that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever" (Josh. 4:21-24).

The Lord had promised to His servant David, "There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as thou hast walked before Me" (1 Kings 8:25).

May God graciously grant to us all the needed wisdom to teach our children, and to live before them in such a way that they might learn aright the ways of the Lord.

FRAGMENT "Job . . . rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings … for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned. . . . Thus did Job continually" (Job 1:5).

Job feared lest his children would sin against God or forsake Him in their hearts. He was so deeply conscious of the weakness of human nature that, even when he did not know of any particular sin, he interceded on their behalf before God. Every thoughtful parent knows there are times and places when their children may be more influenced to yield to temptation. A praying parent will do what Job did.

The first four commandments, as we have already seen, deal with man’s relationship with God and the recognition that God is unique, is a spirit, is holy, and is infinitely wise and powerful. These four commandments can be summed up in this way:"The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deut. 6:4,5; Matt. 22:37). The last six commandments deal more with man’s relationship with his fellow man (do not murder, do not steal, do not lie, etc.), and are summed up as:"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39). If we truly loved our God as we ought, we would have right thoughts about Him and right attitudes and behavior before Him. And if we truly loved our neighbors_that is, our wives, children, parents, employers, employees, teachers, schoolmates, friends, leaders, and authorities_with the same amount of love (and care, concern, protection, and justification) that we typically have for ourselves, we would have little difficulty keeping the last six commandments.

The first commandment of the second set concerns our attitude toward those who, next to God Himself, typically have spent more time and energy showing care and concern and loving attention toward us than any others:our parents. If we do not have right attitudes toward our parents, it is likely we will have difficulty developing proper attitudes and relationships with other persons. "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exod. 20:12). Two questions must be answered to help us rightly to understand this commandment:First, what does "honor" mean in this context? and second, why is a promise ("that thy days may be long") attached to this commandment and this alone?

An insight into the meaning of "honor" is found in Matt. 15:3-6:"[Jesus] . . . said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother. . . . But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." A tradition had developed among the Jews that allowed them to make a vow dedicating to the Lord_or even to another person in payment of a debt_that portion of their wealth and possessions that ought to have been used to support their parents. This vow could be made simply by saying, "That which has been set aside for my parents’ support has been dedicated as a gift to the Lord." Such a vow was considered to be so binding that it took precedence over the ten commandments. Thus Jesus says, "Ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." By means of this illustration of how the fifth commandment was violated by the Jews, we learn that honoring one’s parents includes the thought of providing support for them when they are no longer able to support themselves.

This meaning of "honor" is also found in 1 Timothy in connection with widows and elders:"Honor widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first… to requite [or repay] their parents. . . . If any provide not . . . for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. … Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and, The laborer is worthy of his reward" (1 Tim. 5:3,4,8,17,18).

This concern that one’s parents be properly cared and provided for is exemplified several times in Scripture:Joseph gave his father, Jacob, "a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land. . . . And [he] nourished his father" (Gen. 47:11,12). When David was being pursued by Saul, "He said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother … be with you till I know what God will do for me. And he brought them before the king of Moab; and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold" (1 Sam. 22:3,4). In similar fashion, the Lord Jesus made provision for His mother:"When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home" (John 19:26,27).

Surely this speaks to us concerning our responsibility toward our parents, to make sure that they are properly provided for when they are up in years, just as they cared for us when we were young and incapable of caring for ourselves. This is not limited to a financial or material provision. Today, pension, IRA, life insurance, annuity, and social security payments can often adequately support persons during their retirement years. But what about providing emotional support, companionship, and transportation to those parents who are perhaps widowed, alone, or unable to get around independently? Let us not follow the trend of the world today by sending our parents off to a nursing home, forgetting them, and leaving them to die in loneliness and indignity.

The reason for the promise, "That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," attached to this commandment should now be evident. The Lord has wisely built the human race upon a family structure. The history of each family almost invariably follows a certain cycle; if the family is following scriptural guidelines, at each stage in the cycle each member of the family will have other members of the family caring and providing for his/her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. When the children are young, their parents care for them, while at the same time the parents, as husband and wife, care for ("nourish and cherish," Eph. 5:29) each other. Later, when the children are old enough to be developing self-reliance and independency_ and moving on to marriage and becoming parents themselves_the original parents now are free (and responsible) to direct their attention to their own parents who are now getting up in years, no longer able to work to support themselves, etc.

If we are faithful in continuing to love our parents in their retirement years and making sure their emotional, spiritual, and financial needs are being met, we will help them to live long and comfortable and fulfilled lives upon this earth. And when we thus "honor" our father and mother, the Lord seems to suggest that He will see to it that we will receive the same loving care in our old age. (For Christians, whose hope is for eternal life in heaven more than long life on earth, this promise may also include heavenly reward.)

We have been considering an aspect of honoring our parents that applies primarily to middle-aged children of elderly parents. Let us now consider responsibilities outlined in the Scriptures whereby the younger children can show honor to their parents. We will see that the promise of long life shows up again in connection with some of these.

Obey them. "Children obey your parents in the Lord:for this is right" (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20).

Receive their instruction. "My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother; for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck" (Prov. 1:8,9). "Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words:keep my commandments, and live. . . . Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be many" (Prov. 4:1-4,10). (Notice the promise.) "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old" (Prov. 23:22).

Observe their ways. "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways" (Prov. 23:26).

Fear (revere, hold in awe) them. "Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father" (Lev. 19:3).

Don’t smite or curse, but entreat them. "He that smiteth . . . and he that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death" (Exod. 21:15,17). (Notice that here we find the converse of the promise:If we dishonor our parents we may lose our lives.) "Rebuke not an elder [sharply], but entreat him as a father" (1 Tim. 5:1).

As a balance to the foregoing, we are not to put our parents ahead of allegiance and obedience to Christ:"He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:37); neither are we to put our parents ahead of allegiance to our own spouses:"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife" (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5; Eph. 5:31).

As a further balance to the above-mentioned responsibilities children have toward their parents, let us conclude by briefly noting responsibilities parents have toward their children:Teach them God’s Word and God’s ways (Deut. 6:7; Eph. 6:4); exhort, comfort, and charge [or bear witness to] them (1 Thess. 2:11); correct, chasten them (Deut. 21:18; Prov. 3:12; Heb. 12:7); have compassion or deep love for them (Psa. 103:13; Isa. 49:15); forgive them, seek the return of the wandering ones (Luke 15:11-24); do not provoke them to wrath (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21).

The commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother" is stated unconditionally; that is, without demanding certain behaviors and attitudes on the part of the parents. We are to honor our parents even if they have been mean and nasty parents to us (just as we are, generally, to love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them who despitefully use us and persecute us, Matt. 5:44). But on the other hand, let us who are parents take care to give our children a much more positive motive for honoring us, by faithfully carrying out our God-given responsibilities toward them, and manifesting the same love and respect for them as we expect them to show to us.

It is a strange and humbling fact that few Christians understand their own Christianity. Yet it is true that there are many brethren in the Lord who know more about the Jews than they do about their own Christianity. Pay close heed to this lest it be your own case. It is always the truth most important for us that the devil tries to hide from us and turn us bitterly from it. Nor is it only the bad things that he perverts to hinder our blessing. Many true believers are kept back because they refuse to look for more than the forgiveness of their sins through the gospel. Let us zealously seek to be taught of God. Let our eyes be fixed on the Lord that we may be filled with fervor of spirit and purpose of heart. The question for our faith and practice is the attitude that God assumes toward us, and our relation to Him while Christ is above on His own right hand. How is the answer to this great truth to be carried out on the earth in the heart and ways of those who believe? We will consider some verses in Eph. 1 in this regard.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. … In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (verses 1-14).

At a time of utter evil it suited God to divulge the secret of His purpose. From before the foundation of the world He chose us Christians, in Christ, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love. He would surround Himself above with beings like Himself:holy in nature, blameless in ways, and with love as their animating principle as it is His own. Such we shall be when His purpose takes full effect. We are sadly short now, but God’s purpose cannot fail; and Christ will make every word good when He comes to receive us to Himself and to be like Himself for the Father’s house.

God will surround Himself, not merely in heaven, but in its nearest circle of His own, with those capable of holding communion with Him about everything that concerns His nature, counsels, and ways. Can anything be more wonderful than the place He designs for Christians? We ought to be therefore engaged in a course of spiritual education for it now; but until we are like Christ at His coming, none will have yet arrived at the fulfilled purpose of God. But then we shall be absolutely holy before God, and not a single thing to blame will be found in us, according to the working whereby Christ is able to subdue all things to Himself. Instead of vanity or pride there will be love that delights in God and His goodness without alloy. Even now our hearts are won to all this by divine grace in partaking of a divine nature; but we justly feel how poor is our manifestation of it now. How comforting is the purpose that every son of God will be absolutely thus according to God’s nature.

Surely it is important for every true Christian to know what his new nature and relationship with God are. God forbid that we should ever neglect or forget these things. As we consider God’s purpose for His chosen ones, how deeply we are made to feel that all is ruin at the present time and how deeply we are fallen from our true estate. Where, among those who bear the Lord’s name, can be found anything similar to what is here revealed to the saints? The rarest thing to find in Christendom is any answer to the description God gives of the Christian. Is it not so? What can we say to such a fact? At best we are only learning what it is.

Having considered, briefly, God’s purposes for His sons and heirs, let us now consider His purposes concerning the inheritance itself. This future inheritance is so immense, so illimitable, that it embraces all heavenly and earthly creation, all that is to be put under Christ and consequently under those who are united to Christ. Do Christians realize that they are to share it all with Him? He would have us to apprehend it in all wisdom and intelligence. We need to know our personal blessing first; but next we need to know what we shall share with Christ when He takes the inheritance of all things. Spiritual understanding is requisite but is also abundantly given for this express purpose.

We may be helped in this if we look at the first Adam. When God made the first man and put him into the brightest part of the earth, or paradise as it is called, everything was "very good" (Gen. 1); but the very best were collected by Jehovah Elohim in His power for the head of mankind. So He planted the garden for Adam with special provision, not for every use only, but for delight and enjoyment also. And as Adam was constituted the lord of the lower creation here on earth, he was enabled in God’s goodness, through the wisdom and intelligence conferred upon him, to give the proper names to all cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field; for all these were subjected to him. This is the more important because it is the appropriate sign of the dominion given him. In Adam there was no question of sin. Adam herein assumed nothing in pride. It was the Lord God that brought to him the animals to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, it had His sanction. As master by divine appointment, the right or title was recognized, as he had the wisdom and intelligence for that function. Divine goodness had pleasure in it.

So Adam gave these names, and God recognized them. Very far greater are the things God has done in Christ for us. A fair and beauteous scene it was with every creature in it that God subjected to Adam. But what is that compared with the whole universe of God, and every creature above and below, after all the ruin, gathered into united blessedness under Christ’s headship, and ourselves associated with Christ in that place of honor over all things? God therefore caused grace to abound toward us "in all wisdom and intelligence" that we might be capable even now of entering with spiritual understanding into a scene so boundless.