Do You Sin Against Your Parents?

   Young people, have you ever noticed how easy it is to take things out on your family? Often things that you would never say or do to anyone else, you would say or do to someone in your own family. While a certain degree of this phenomenon can probably be chalked up to the high level of comfort most of us feel toward our family members, we certainly don’t want to be guilty of committing sins against those we love. When we sin against anyone, we are also sinning against the Lord (I Cor 8:12).  So, how can young people sin against their parents?

   You may be growing up, but you are not too old to obey your parents. Lord willing the day will come when you will get married, cleave to your husband or wife, and make your own decisions apart from our parents. But until such time as you ARE an adult who lives away from home you MUST OBEY them! Paul taught us that this obedience is well pleasing to the Lord (Col 3:20), and that it is “right” to obey them (Eph 6:1-2). So, being constantly disobedient to your parents, or guardians, is more than just a bad habit; it will separate you from God.

   If you’re not careful, you will overlook an important piece of Paul’s statement in Ephesians 6:1. “Honor” is just as crucial as obedience for us to be pleasing to God. Obviously one can obey without giving honor. When was the last time you stopped to honestly think about everything your parents do for you? This makes disrespecting them that much sadder. You can disrespect and shame your parents by being lazy (Prov 10:5), by mistreating them (Prov 19:26), with the words you use and the tone with which you speak to them (Exo 30:11), and many other ways as well.  Ask yourself this: If you spoke to your friends the way you speak to your parents, how do you think they would react? Would they remain friends with you?

   John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (III John 4). It must equally be true that a godly parent has no worse grief than to hear that their child walks apart from God. Don’t miss heaven because of sins against your parents.