Bring Them Up

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Eph 6:4
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Bring Them Up
At the time of Paul’s writing his epistle to the church in Ephesus, Roman fathers had absolute power over their children. Paul urges restraint in imitation of God. He encourages them not to provoke their children, that is, to move them to anger or despair. Rather discipline and instruction are encouraged. The father is to work with his children through God’s Law and Gospel. And the children are to respond with respect and obedience. Our fallen nature often leads both fathers and children to be at odds with one another. Thanks be to God that our heavenly Father forgives our failures and is the perfect Father of us all. For our earthly fathers we pray that they would look to our heavenly Father and His treatment of us. His Law is good and only is harmful in that we don’t obey it, but His Gospel is salvation for all who hear and believe. The Gospel is the chief teaching of God’s Word. It is how He as our Father comes to us, and how we are to be brought up in our families as well as bring up our families. May God’s grace allow it to be so.
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