1990 issue 9 - law and liberation: the fifth commandment - counsel of chalcedon

8/12/2019 1990 Issue 9 - Law and Liberation: The Fifth Commandment - Counsel of Chalcedon

1/4

aw

&

iberation

by Owen ourie

God, Family, and Property

God, .family, and pr?perty are inseparably linked.

M ~ s r n sees the link and works

to

destroy it.

U l t i ~ a t e l y Marxism will fail in its quest for

it

foolishly opposes the order of the Ahnighty triune

Creator-Redeemer.

God

.

The

importance

of

the link

between family and property can be measured

by the

fact . that four of the ten commandments protect

family and property. These are the fifth, the seventh

against ~ u l t e r y the eighth against theft, and the

tenth agamst covetousness. Interestingly, none of

the c o m m ~ ~ e n t s protects the State. Apart from

the prescnphon for pure worship

of

the true

God

the Church does not enjoy any protection from

Decalogue either.

One

would have to look

elsewhere in Scripture for the establishment and

maintenance

of

the State and the Church as God

give;n institutions in. society.

The

emphasis

on

the

family and property m the

Law

of

God

makes

it

clear

that the family is the basic unit of society. This is

God's order and any teaching

or

philosophy

or

ideology that kicks against it will meet with ruin.

The fifth commandment requires that parents be

honored. Such honor is given in the obedience of

children, and is further given by those same children

who in.adulthood render due respect toward and care

for therr aged parents. In Leviticus 20 :7-9 we read:

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and

be

ye holy: for I

am the LORD which sanctify you. For every one

that curseth his father

or

his

~ o t h e r

shall.be surely

put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother

his blood shall be upon him. The honoring of

p a r ~ n t s

is closely tied to the requirement

to

reflect

the

holiness of God and the penalty for cursing parents

is stated to be nothing less than death.

Here

we see

that to curse

~ a r e n t s

is t n t m o ~ n t to blaspheming

God. In Leviticus 19:2,3 hononng parents is given

equal status to sabbath-keeping: .. Ye shall be

holy: for the LORD your God am holy.

Ye

shall

fear every ~

his m o t h ~ r and

his father, and keep

my sabbaths. The social order ordained by God

must be characterized

by

due reverence

for

God's

name, works,

and

ways; sabbath-keeping; and due

honour to parents. Above all, the fifth

commandment, in laying the foundations of social

order, asserts

the

supreme authority

of

God.

n

this

yvay God's authority is taught

to

the youngest infant

m an .order that must be maintained by parental

authonty.

This commandment carries a promise. Honor thy

father and thy mother: TIIAT

THY

DAYS MAY

BE

LONG UPON

THE

LAND

WIDCH

TilE

LORD

THY GOD GIVETH THEE. The reference to

property in the family context of commandments

five, seven, eight, and ten within a broader covenant

nation context is unmistakable. Here is the link

between

fru;nily

and property; a link ordained

by

God

.

Whde

the

promise

of

material life and

abundance is given for obedience

to

the whole law

as in Deuteronomy 7:12-16,

the fact

that

such

a

promise is attached particularly to the fifth

commandment gives

it

a primacy that emphasizes the

~ o l e of the a m i l y in the matter of property. Property

IS a blessmg from God upon faithful covenant

families that live and work in obedience to God's

word.

n

such a godly order, we have the backbone

and foundation to which all good material progress

may be traced.

The Counsel of Chalcedon November 1990 Page

19


2/4

AUTHORITY AND

LffiERTY

There

can

be no doubt that the owner

of

property

also possesses a certain authority and liberty. To

surrender the covenant s t ~ w a r d s h i p o w n e r s h i p of

property would also mean a loss of liberty and

authority. Karl Marx summarized Communist

theory in a brief statement: abolition

of

private

property .

We

do

not

have

to

look further than that

to comprehend what lies behind the puppet ANC's

lately confused muttering about the nationalizationof

mines, banks and the means of production .

t

is clear that God has ordained the family as the

basic unit of society. Without the family and its

primary authority in God's law order, the control

of

a society will fall to whichever power-thirsty and

ungodly ideology would rise to assert its rule.

n

terms of the Dominion Mandate of Genesis 1:26-28

gi':en

to c;mr

first parents, family to

be

a godly

umt

ownmg property and

1t

1s to be mvolved in the

. economic realities

of

life, always subject

to

God's

law. The authority

of

the family is denved from

God and it is immediately vested in the

husband/father, hence I Corinthians

11:3: ..

the

head of every man is Christ; and the head

of

the

woman is the man .. The authority of the family is

given material substance in the possession of private

property. The fifth commandment serves as the

b a ~ i s for God's ~ a w s which e s t a b ~ s h the family in

pnva e ownership

of

property w1th the right

of

i n h e n ~ n c ~ . Such authority and economic power in

a family

1s

very sure ground for the exercise of

godly discipline under which children thrive and

gtow to maturity with respect for parents and elders,

Consider Genesis 28:1, "And Isaac called Jacob

and blessed him, and charged him, and said u t ~

hUn,

Thou shalt not take a wife

of

the daughters

of

Canaan, and Proverbs 13:22, "A good man leaveth

an inheritance

to

his children's children. Isaac had

the power to insist on a godly marriage, Covenant

stewardship involved an inheritance which was. to

remain in godly hands, so Isaac exercised his

authority to the glory

of

God. That is true

' fatherhood with authority that requires

due

honor

from the child. Clearly, where man's calling to

subdue the earth r righteousness is believed, the

gqdly family, as the basic social unit

of a free

people, wi ll seek to fulfil its God-ordained authority

and responsibility. There will be an eye to the

future, a Christian future, and therefore there will be

a focusing on the service of the Kingdom of God

today

_and

tomorrow. Such perspective is quite the

oppos1te

of

the type of family system found in some

pagan cultures where the family looks back to the

past in. its crippling and immoral c.aptivity to ancestor

worship. Such enslavement depnves the family

of

a

future and that society can make no progress. Its

The

Counsel of Chalcedon November 1990 Page 20

only hope is the liberating trinitarian gospel

of

the

Lord Jesus Christ which can regenerate any fallen

c ~ l t u r e and make it a truly free society under God

Wlth

strong, godly, property-owning families.

Family

Life

Contrary to popular thinking, that much mentioned

and much misunderstood thing called love is not

the most basic ingredient for family life. Correctly

understood, love is the fulfilling

of

the law as Paul

tells us in Romans 13:10 and that is precisely what is

necessary for the restoration of

sound family life.

'Ybere God's word is the rule

of

the home, there

will be a godly law order, discipline, and the

security which so many lack today. Indeed, where

such conditions are found, love is greatly

in

evidence. But without God's word as the

foundation, whatever love there might be rests on

the shifting sand

of

elativism and changeable human

feelings. To survive and fulfil its God-given role for

the glory of God and the health

of

society, a family

must be God-centered and ordered by God's law

word . which requires the righteous and careful

behav1or of parents and the obedience of children.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is

right.

Honor

thy father and mother; which

is the

flrst commandment with promise; that it may be well

with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath:

but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of

the Lord. (Ephesians

6:1-4).

To the small child, the parent represents God and the

a u t h o r i ~ of qod. With awesome responsibility the

parent

1s

requrred to fulfil the role

of

being not only a

provider and a protector but also a teacher and a

lawgiver who loves the child. In such a context the

child is

introd1 1ced

to his first church where he is

taught to worship the triune God. That

daily

act of

family worship where the Bible is read and prayer is

~ a d e is a most vital act of godliness and

nghteousness that needs to be restored

in

every

home which.claims

to be

Christian.

It

is also in the

family context that the child has his first and basic

school on the lap

of

that most wonderful and capable

of all human

t e a c h e r s ~ t h e

mother--who

accomplishes the most gigantic task that no other

teacher can do so well--teaching her child the mothe

tongue. And with such a qualiflcation behind her

she is surely capable of teaching other subjects too.

The state of education in the land would be greatly

e n h ~ ~ e d under the control of godly , caring

Christian parents who can .appoint teachers who

s h a r ~ their faith and worldview. In fact, that is

p ~ c 1 s e l y where God has placed the responsibility

for d u c a t i o ~ : in the hands

of

parents. Deuteronomy

6 and Ephes1ans 6:4 are only some

of

the scriptures


3/4

which make this clear. It is also in the functioning

of the family unit that the child is properly motivated

and guided by the parents who have a direct and

God-given interest in his/her development and well

being.

In

the same vein, the family has a major

economic function which it can perform far more

efficiently than any other institution and, given

proper opportunity and godliness, it will put social

welfarism out

of

business. In the family, the child

finds his first government

as

the parents make the

laws, shape his attitude to be obedient to authority,

police him and protect him, always, of course,

respecting their own limitations in obedience to

God's law. Incorrigible rebellion, rare in truly

godly families, requires the action of a godly

eldership outside

of

the affected horne

(Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

Some might object and say, yes, that is all very well,

but surely you are spelling out the ideal situation

where there is a majority

of

godly families?

What

about those families where there is rank

ungodliness? What about the many broken families?

Surely they are far from fulfilling these functions?

Precisely

God

requires godly families who,

making

up

the church of God, will move as a mighty

army to evangelize whole families to procure their

repentance and their proper functioning.

Up, then, husbands/fathers, rise to your calling

You have authority given you by the sovereign

LORD

of

the universe. e "the head

of

the wife,

even as Christ is the head

of

the church" (Ephesi ffis

5:23). "Love your wives, even as Christ is the head

of

the church .." Ephesians 5:25) Without

provocation, bring your children

up in

the nurture

and admonition

of

the Lord." Ephesians

6:4).

As

the king, the prophet, and the priest that you are,

rule your family

by

God's word, teach them the

word of God, apply it to everything in life, and

sanctify them in prayer. Fulfil your calling to

work

to subdue the earth for God

1

s glory, provide for

your family without debt, protect them, and set a

godly example for them to follow. This is your

calling under the authority of God. Any denial or

abdication of this must lead to anarchy: "As for my

people, children are their oppressors, and women

rule over them. 0 my people, they which lead thee

cause thee to err, and destroy the way

of

thy paths"

(Isaiah 3: 12).

Up, then, wives/mothers, rise to your calling God

has ordained

your

role. Submit to "your own

husbands, as unto the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22). You

are governed by the requirements of your bus band

and your children.

It

is a high and a holy calling Let

Proverbs 31:10-31

be

your model. The person

described there is far from inferior Without the

fulfilment

of

your role in the smooth running of the

home and much else besides, a godly society is

unattainable. Be the noble prime minister to your

kin

I

g.

Up, then,

you

children, rise to your calling God

has commanded your obedience. "obey your

parents." Honor thy father and mother" (Ephesians

6:1-2). A basic respect is due from you to the older

generation regardless

of

their shortcomings.

It

is in

your home that you must learn to respect auth9rity

and then carry this respect with you and show

it

to

all your elders and also to all

that

is

good

in your

cultural inheritance. The reward is great. Long life

in the land

of

your inheritance, godly peace and

prosperity. Reject the way

of

disobedience being

forced upon you by the ungodly

who

would have

you rebel and overthrow all authority

and

sell

yourselves to Satan, Ruin and desolation is the

earthly end of that way

and

the literal

Lake of

Fire its

eternity. Only in obedience and honor to parents and

elders will you have a blessed future.

Social Order Versus Chaos

Clearly, if parents are not obeyed, no other authority

will be. Of course, all obedience is subject to the

primary requirement

of

obedience to God and ffis

word (Acts 5 :29) just as all authority must be

subordinate to God and His word. Such obedience

nurtured in family units leads to godly order whereas

the breakdown

of

family life will lead to social

anarchy. Where the authority

of

the horne is denied,

there is revolution against the foundations of society

and

life itself. Destruction and death ensue.

For

godly social order, family life must be built upon

God's word, and parental authority

must

remain

strong and intact. Parental power cannot be

relinquished to any other body, neither the State, nor

the Church, nor the school, all

of

which have their

own lawful and limited spheres ofauthority ordained

by

od

Wherever the family is regarded as being of

declining importance, the creeping totali tarianism

of

humanism is evident. Family life is weakened and

eroded by taxation of property and persons and

inheritance, and children are made to hear voices that

contradict the faith and the standards

of

t}le godly

home.

In

this way, socialism, preceded

all

too often

by radical anarchy, eventually makes its mark as the

substitute for the family. According to the

commandment, the promise of life and landed

inheritance depends on the survival

of the

family

in

godliness and righteousness. Truly, a revolutionary

age destroys its inheritance

and

has

no

blessed

futl J.re. As R.J. Rushdoony states: The essence of

the revolutionary mind is the demand for instant

The Counsel of Chalcedon November 1990 Page 21


4/4

utopia, for instantaneous gratification, and a

destructive, infantile rage against any order which

fails to provide iC (Institutes of Biblical aw p

194). Today

our

children are being cultivated for

destruction

by

a tidal wave of corruption to which

their minds are perpetually subjected. There is a

libertarian free-market

of

perversions

in

sex, music,

and literature, and distortions of God-given values

right

down to New

Age toys.

The

revolutionaries

have actually

gone

as

far

as

to

physically train

many

children

for

violence, even thrusting them into

the

frontline.

Conclusion

Awake Awake, Christian parents and children

Your heritage is being destroyed.

The

restoration of

The Counsel of Chalcedon November 1990 Page 22

godly family life and its fruit, a godly social order on

God's earth, is long overdue. Rise to the occasion

for "blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that

walketh

in

his ways.

For

thou shalt

eat

the labour of

thine hands: happy shalt thou be,

and

it shall

be

well

with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine

by

the

sides

of

thine house: t y children like olive plants

round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the

man be

blessed that feareth

the

Lord" (Psalm

128:

1-

4).

So

far,

ye

enemies

of

the Almighty, and no

further The word of

God

shall slay thee He_that

sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall

have thee in derision (Psalm 2:4). Godly family life

over

all the earth shall

yet

be

a reality. Thy

Kingdom come, 0 God, Thy will

be

done on earth,

as it is

in

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1990 issue 9 - law and liberation: the fifth commandment - counsel of chalcedon

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