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Craig
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What's in a phrase?
4 stars|5 comments|January 23, 2009|204 reads
 

Here is a scripture worth blogging!  It's like quoting the verse "Children obey your parents!" to a group of kids.  That just demonstrates the fact that the phrase "in the Lord," that the verse ends with, has no meaning to the one giving the admonishment!

And so that leads to some rhetorical questions: "Does the phrase 'abide in him' or as it's interpreted in ESV, 'continue in him' actually have a real practical meaning?" Another question would be "Is is possible for a person to live what is thought to be a good Christian life without ever having actually done it?"

What would be the difference between "obeying a parent" and "obeying a parent in the Lord?" Why did Paul feel it important to add those phrases?

 

2:28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

 

 
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Mike n Laura
 Mike n Laura
January 23, 2009
Yes - some of those inspired writers certainly used interesting phraseology at times!
Kansas City Joe
 Kansas City Joe
January 23, 2009
Amen..
Craig
 Craig
January 23, 2009
Mike the has to be the shotest message I've ever see you write.  :-D  lol!

Your's even beat Mike's Joe! :-)
Deb Rockwell
 Deb Rockwell
January 24, 2009
To me, abiding in Him,  is being immersed in Him, being so "in" to the Lord that we eat, speak and breath Him in all we do.  A person can believe there is a God, they can believe in Him, but if He is not IN them, then it is nothing.  I believe in God, but I also believe He is in me...And I will continue to abide in Him.
Craig
 Craig
January 26, 2009
I asked this question when at breakfast with some of my male friends.  They all "re-interpret" the "in Christ" basically to "unto Christ."  So that a child obeying his parent in the Lord mean that I child should obey as unto the Lord.

Personally, I have come to see that it is more than that...Deb you spoke to it.  "Obedience" in children is something that every culture speaks to.  I'll say that if all "obey your parents in the Lord" means is to obey as if your parents are Lord then "in the Lord" might as well not be there.  But if "in the Lord" means "obey your parents" by abiding in the Lord and letting Him live through you; only then is that child's obedience something supernatural and not something that any child in any culture is called to do in the flesh.

Best regards,
Craig