Sort of a follow-up to the reply thread above, but how then do you see the fifth commandment binding children of deceased parents? I’ve been thinking about the fifth commandment recently and have become more convinced of the perpetuity of this command, but your thoughts above seem to take this perpetuity to a whole new level that I hadn’t considered.
Hey Isaac, thanks for reading. Whew, good question. Yes, I think the commandment is much deep and wider than we think. How could it possibly "go well for us in the land" if we do not honor those by whom we inherited the land (our Father in heaven and, quite often, our earthly parents). Our relationship between earthly parents and heavenly Father is ritually connected. How we honor the former manifests in our relationship with the latter. And yes, I think this applies to deceased parents as well, since, at least in my understanding, they do not simply cease to exist when they die. We are made of relationships. There are no "individuals," strictly speaking. We cannot even honor ourselves if we cannot honor the peoples and legacies that comprise us.
Ross, I love this idea and was excited for this one! I feel like this is building the case, but I would love a pt. 2 on how we follow Jesus example in this kind of redeeming our parents. Also, per the footnote, what else do you mean by redeeming them other than just that their name may be recovered from a kind of disgrace (if they were dishonorable).
Sorry, William, just saw this. I shall definitely consider a Part 2. And it's a good question about what I mean by "redeeming our parents." The footnote is there to clarify that I'm not speaking *explicitly* about someone's eternal destiny, because I don't think, as Christians, we have much freedom to speculate with specificity on such matters. However, that doesn't mean that's not included in what I'm talking about. When Paul says the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse (1 Cor. 7:14), I think he's showing that the intimate ties between us *do* affect each of our relationships with God, i.e. that we're not quite as "individual" as the modern lens might make us seem. Paul's main focus there seems to be the holiness of the household, not, primarily, the eternal destiny of the individual souls within. But, in my view, the latter problem is tied to the former. To put it succinctly, much of what we are doing on this earth is helping others to face Jesus on the last day, and to face him well. Since I do not believe that day has come yet, even for the dead, I believe that when we faithfully fulfill and redeem our parents/ancestors roles in our bodies, they also become more prepared to meet him, because they are in us, as we are in Christ. Just as he helps us, we help them. We are connected by faith. *How* this works is still quite mysterious, but all I'm saying is the power that bind us to Christ, and the power that binds Christ to Adam, is not entirely dissimilar from the power that binds us to our loved ones. And through this transcendent bond, redemption becomes reality.
Wow. The original essay resonated with me, but reading this reply was like dropping some Mentos into a bottle of Coke. I’m gonna have to ponder this one for a while.
Sort of a follow-up to the reply thread above, but how then do you see the fifth commandment binding children of deceased parents? I’ve been thinking about the fifth commandment recently and have become more convinced of the perpetuity of this command, but your thoughts above seem to take this perpetuity to a whole new level that I hadn’t considered.
Hey Isaac, thanks for reading. Whew, good question. Yes, I think the commandment is much deep and wider than we think. How could it possibly "go well for us in the land" if we do not honor those by whom we inherited the land (our Father in heaven and, quite often, our earthly parents). Our relationship between earthly parents and heavenly Father is ritually connected. How we honor the former manifests in our relationship with the latter. And yes, I think this applies to deceased parents as well, since, at least in my understanding, they do not simply cease to exist when they die. We are made of relationships. There are no "individuals," strictly speaking. We cannot even honor ourselves if we cannot honor the peoples and legacies that comprise us.
This was an excellent piece that more people should read. If they have ears to hear.
Thank you, Sid!
Ross, I love this idea and was excited for this one! I feel like this is building the case, but I would love a pt. 2 on how we follow Jesus example in this kind of redeeming our parents. Also, per the footnote, what else do you mean by redeeming them other than just that their name may be recovered from a kind of disgrace (if they were dishonorable).
Sorry, William, just saw this. I shall definitely consider a Part 2. And it's a good question about what I mean by "redeeming our parents." The footnote is there to clarify that I'm not speaking *explicitly* about someone's eternal destiny, because I don't think, as Christians, we have much freedom to speculate with specificity on such matters. However, that doesn't mean that's not included in what I'm talking about. When Paul says the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse (1 Cor. 7:14), I think he's showing that the intimate ties between us *do* affect each of our relationships with God, i.e. that we're not quite as "individual" as the modern lens might make us seem. Paul's main focus there seems to be the holiness of the household, not, primarily, the eternal destiny of the individual souls within. But, in my view, the latter problem is tied to the former. To put it succinctly, much of what we are doing on this earth is helping others to face Jesus on the last day, and to face him well. Since I do not believe that day has come yet, even for the dead, I believe that when we faithfully fulfill and redeem our parents/ancestors roles in our bodies, they also become more prepared to meet him, because they are in us, as we are in Christ. Just as he helps us, we help them. We are connected by faith. *How* this works is still quite mysterious, but all I'm saying is the power that bind us to Christ, and the power that binds Christ to Adam, is not entirely dissimilar from the power that binds us to our loved ones. And through this transcendent bond, redemption becomes reality.
Wow. The original essay resonated with me, but reading this reply was like dropping some Mentos into a bottle of Coke. I’m gonna have to ponder this one for a while.