5TH COMMANDMENT (1)

Recently I wanted to show a Shakespeare film in school. Now like a lot of films, even contemporary Shakespeare one's seek the coveted R rating. Since last fall's production of Richard III had approximately forty-five seconds of what I thought was somewhat objectionable material, I composed a letter for my student's parents. To all but two students, that process was a real hoot. Why should I care what their parents thought, many of them didn't seem to pay any mind. Neither did the real "poor" Richard III of England.

In one vivid scene, Richard's mother cursed the day that she gave him birth. And as he had for most of his life, Richard ignored her reproach and wisdom to go on his merry way to hell. The final scene in the film shows a smiling villain as he falls into the very symbolic fires of hell. The double tragedy of the real historic Richard III is that not only did he reject the parental authority, but he also turned the regnal authority of his crown away from the purpose that God gives such authority down through the ages.

This last point is explained in the Larger Catechism (Q125) where we find that

"By father and mother, in the fifth commandment, are meant not only natural parents, but all superiors in age and gifts; and especially such as by God's ordinance are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth."

"it is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God ... to preserve that authority which God hath put upon them."

Herein is the real American crisis, the greater majority of baby boomer parents who have not a reputation of parental or even cultural respect have not understood their responsibilities of parenthood either. Like Richard III, a whole generation has imitated the Machiavellian life style that teaches "the end justifies the means." For the sake of convenience or career, not only nephews (as in Richard's case) but even their own children have been sacrificed. And I would not limit that sacrifice to the holacaustic abortuaries either. Far too many little children have never been taught even the essentials of respect for any authority!

Like Paul in this Galatians passage, those who have been given authority by God to preach and teach must spend years winning by love and example the authority of their office. In order to do that, like Paul, the other Apostles and Fathers of Christ's Church, real leaders must show their submission to the Lord of heaven and earth. And where there is lawful authority, respect and submission to brethren in the faith must also be modeled as well. Each and every one of us must learn to live under lawful spiritual authority within the true Church of Jesus Christ if this commandment is to provide the promise associated with it.

This fifth commandment is indeed, as the Scriptures say, the first commandment with a promise. The promise of of living in a fair and do I dare suggest, prosperous land. In our time, as this commandment fades into the background noise of historical "comedic relief" that the world has rejected, we may well wonder who will one day own America? During the Reagan years there was a rumor that enabling legislation had been prepared to promise American private property as collateral for continued loans. I have never been able to verify such a rumor. However, the national debt is now larger than the combined assets of all government buildings, parks and reserves. If there were to ever be a financial crisis on the scale of the Great Depression, that experience could well fade into insignificance.

The Hoover crisis in leadership was related to the premise that once and for all, the "incorporated government" had finally solved the question of poverty. Now that is heavy theology for politicians. You see, too many of our leaders have assumed the office of the Almighty and have taken themselves too seriously. Leaders in both parties have in this regard set themselves up as gods. Well might we be concerned for the souls of those who seek an earthy salvation in any corporate/socialist or government plan for creating a heaven on earth.

You see, that is what pagan sacrifices were usually all about, a form of taxation burnt as offerings to the gods and goddesses so that the potentates who lived on Mount Olympus might have regard for those making the sacrifices. Away with all of that Paul would instruct the Galatians. Away with the rituals and special days and seasons meant to manipulate the gods who should reward their worshipers. Away with all the trappings and begging for government rewards, funds and security for the socially minded.

In this passage we see a certain sense that Paul was able to wield the real lawful authority, in fact the Galatians may have thought a little too highly of him as we see in verse fifteen. Paul would go to the Galatians if he could, because in verse twenty we see that he is indeed perplexed about God's people. I wonder if his perplexion isn't in the worldly competition of those people in verse seventeen who would lead the Christians back into the slavery of Jewish ritual as we learn later in chapter five.

There was a real conflict of rightful authority in Christ's Church in Paul's time, just as there is today. We have to learn and remember that we are part of a spiritual kingdom living in two worlds - a material and an eternal. We must learn carefully to discern who has lawful authority and then go on to please the Lord of heaven and earth by cheerfully submitting to that "parental" authority in order that the Lord may bless us for so doing.

With that said, we can now tidy things up for today in this manner. The first point of our lesson in the fifth commandment is that there is lawful worldly authority that must be respected by all of God's people. Sometimes that authority is not in the hands of the Lord's own men. Martin Luther was once asked if he as a Christian could live under the rule of the prominent Moslem prince of that time. Luther admitted that if such a Moslem prince would limit his rule to the areas of rightful secular authority, if would be very possible, as long as the church was free to practice the faith once given to the saints.

The second point here is that those who exercise lawful spiritual authority must be very careful not to abuse it. God's own leaders must be exemplary in submitting themselves to the law of God as it is revealed in scripture, and to each other within the Presbytery and the Church.

Third, if all of those who count themselves as God's people do purposely ignore those two points, things will probably not work out well in the society and country where they have been placed by God's gracious providence.