Old Covenant: Honor Parents; New Covenant: Receive New Parent

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20: 12)

We all want to have long life, and by honoring our parents, the LORD promised this life to us.

Yet, under the New Covenant, everything is granted to us through the Gift of His Son,  by whom we receive the adoption of sons (Ephesians 1: 5).

Because of the Holy Spirit living in us, we have the witness that God is our Father:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

Later in Ephesians, Paul provides the commandment:

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." (Ephesians 6: 1-3)

Yet in the previous chapter, Paul provides the new motivation:

"1Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." (Ephesians 5: 1-2)

We love our parents because God our Father first loved us (1 John 4: 19). In Christ, then, we are more than able to honor our parents, because in Christ we have been seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).