New City Catechism #10

Posted March 4, 2026 by Jonathan Chadbourn
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Question: What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
Answer: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in worship of God. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother.

Authority. Would you say that people have a positive or negative view of it? There are some people who simply just want to be told what to do. They feel so much better when someone is in charge, as long as it isn’t them! However, in my experience, those people are in the minority. By and large, authority is viewed as negative today.

Why is this? Because our culture is dominated by an idea that Carl Trueman calls “expressive individualism” (In the Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self). This means that our highest values revolve around expressing outwardly the inner urgings of the self. It is about what I want. What I feel. What I view as truth. In short, the individual is of highest esteem. You don’t have to look far to see this demonstrated in society. A direct result of this cultural bent is a negative view of authority.

Of course, there are bad expressions of authority, but authority is good. Corrupt authority is what is bad. We must not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Godly authority causes things to flourish.

This is what we see in the 4th and 5th commandments. God is our highest authority and parents are authorities over their pre-adulthood kids. Is the emphasis of these commands to find your own way and do whatever you like? No! We esteem God as holy. We honor our father and mother. Even when we get to the stage where your parents aren’t your authority, the honoring should never cease. Honor does not have an expiration date.

As Christians, we must resist the tide. Godly authority is good! So, be careful to worship him as holy and have a lofty view of him. Then, recognize that your parents are worthy of honor, not because they are doing a good job, but because they simply are your parents. Honor them for who they are. If you are doing the 4th commandment, the 5th becomes much easier.