Obedience that comes from Faith

...the obedience that comes from faith.
- Romans 1:5b (NIV)

I was just pondering this this morning. Naturally, Christianity is a faith-based work; obedience comes after faith, in response to faith in God, and his Son, attested to by his descent from David and the power of the Holy Spirit.

But as I read it to Micah, I was considering the obedience that we want our children to have. Godly children should obey their parents. Does that obedience also come about through faith?

Perhaps that obedience comes about because of their faith in God, that they trust their parents.

But I think also that there's a certain trust-relationship that ought to exist between parent and child. Because I have shown my child(ren) love and gentleness and care and patience and attentiveness, they can trust in me, and respond in faith and thus obedience.

Do children tend to be more obedient when their parents are trustworthy? Do they obey parents they think are worthy of their faith?

Do children have faith at all in their parents?

Perhaps that's expressive of a relationship. God, Yahweh, is our father, and the perfect model of fatherhood. Fatherhood is a loving relationship of provision and care and love. If that sort of relationship exists between parent and child, then faith perhaps is the correct response.

How then to act in such a way as to provoke faithful response in the child?

(No answers here yet!)