Honoring Parents
is the First Commandment
with Promise

Honoring Parents

(Ephesians 6:2-3)

Of the two stone tablets Moses received, one contained five commandments about our relationship with God, and the other five about our relationship with people. What is especially noteworthy is that the commandment to honor one’s parents was written on the same tablet as the commandments concerning our relationship with God.

1. Honoring the Agent
“Honor your parents!” This commandment is treated as one of the commandments concerning our relationship with God. In the kingdom of God, parents are agents who have been sent by God. They have been entrusted with the authority to pass down God’s promise to their children and to teach them the Word that must be kept for its fulfillment. Therefore, honoring one’s parents is regarded as honoring God Himself.

2. The Foundation of All Relationships
It is the parents themselves who must teach their children the attitude of honoring their parents. And when they do this well, the benefit does not remain with them alone. Teaching children to honor their parents becomes the foundation of social order. Those who have learned this attitude grow up to respect their elders and value the rights of their coworkers. The humility and sense of responsibility they gain in the home shape how they respond to authority and how they build cooperative relationships—both in the workplace and in the community of faith.

3. The Blessing Enjoyed on the Earth
“Honor your parents, that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Eph 6:2–3). The quality of life we enjoy on this earth—and even the length of our days—has been promised to those who obey this commandment. This promise gives us confidence that, even in the midst of hardship, we are under God’s protection. And time after time, at life’s turning points, we come to experience the hand of our faithful God. The result of honoring parents is not merely about the life to come—it is a specific blessing we experience here and now. So that this blessing may be richly revealed in our lives, let us keep this first commandment with promise.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim