“To this estate of fatherhood and motherhood God has given the special distinction above all estates … for all authority flows and is propagated from the authority of parents.”

Martin Luther,  Large Catechism


 

Honor your father and your mother.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

 

 

 

The Fourth Commandment


In this Joy:Fully Catechized series, we’re going to walk step by step through Luther’s Small Catechism providing you with resources to give you a fuller understanding of each of the 6 chief parts.

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.

What does this mean? All Lutherans know this question well, and if you’ve been confirmed, you likely know the answer, too.

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.

But as you might also recall from catechesis, God’s Word is much richer and deeper, not only telling us what we should and should not do, but also outlining for us His many gifts and the ways in which He protects those gifts for us with His holy law.

Consider the following resources as you study God’s Word, reflecting especially on this third of His Ten Commandments:

 

TEXTUAL RESOURCES

The Small Catechism | Martin Luther
The 10 Commandments

The Large Catechism | Martin Luther
The Fourth Commandment

 

AUDIO RESOURCES

Sing the Faith: The Small Catechism Set to Music
Concordia Publishing House
The Fourth Commandment

 

VIDEO RESOURCES

Higher Things Video Catechism | Pastor Mark Buetow

  1. Recap of the First Table
  2. The Fourth Commandment

Higher Things: The Largely Catechized Life
Pastor Harrison Goodman

  1. God gave you your parents
  2. God works through sinful parents
  3. There’s more to life than winning the argument

  4. Serve God by serving your neighbor
  5. God works through government
  6. Your 3 Dads
  7. My first name is pastor
  8. With great power comes great responsibility
  9. Call the wambulance

Grappling with the Text | Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

  1. Honor is Greater than Love
  2. Luther and the Fountain of Love

Teaching Christian Basics | Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

  1. Three Functions of the Law and Intro to the Second Table
  2. The Fourth Commandment

Small Catechism Tuesday | Pastor Jacob Ehrhard
The Fourth Commandment

The Catechized Life | Pastor Matt Richard
Gifts of Authority