Bible Study Ephesians 6: 1-24

 

A Commentary of the Book of Ephesians

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Ephesians 6: 1-24

Text:

Children and Parents

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the land.

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your [a]masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the [b]integrity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not [c]by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the [d]heart, 7 serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

9 And masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against [e]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 16 [f]In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, 17 also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

18 praying at all times [g]with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 as well as on my behalf, that [h]words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel— 20 for which I am an ambassador in [i]chains—so that [j]in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21 But that you also may know about all my affairs, [k]how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. 22 [l]I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know [m]our circumstances, and that he may encourage your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ [n]with incorruptible love.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

Children have responsibility for carrying out part of Christ’s plan to bring unity to the human race—this time, unity between generations. I remember my dad quoting me this verse many times. The home needs to be a place of refuge to refresh, recharge, and relate to family members. God’s plan does not fail and is perfect. There is no Biblical basis for disobedient children unless the parents are pushing the child to sin. In those cases, disobedience to parents is mandatory. 

Verse 2: “ Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),”

Although obedience and honoring your parents should first of all be for the Lord’s sake, He has graciously added the promise of special blessing for those who obey this command. Obedience creates peace in the home and places one in a position to receive a blessing from the Lord.

Verse 3: “so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the land.”

This is the promised blessing resulting from obedience to parents as described in verse 2. A long life that is characterized by the word “well” is a blessing from the Lord.

Verse 4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Paul commanded fathers not to create resentment in their children. This usually occurs when parents impose unreasonable demands without concern for the physical and emotional needs of their children. Parents are to train their children in spiritual matters and how those spiritual beliefs will practically work in their lives. But, this training should take place within the context of a loving, caring, forgiving relationship.

Verse 5: “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the integrity of your heart, as to Christ;”

One of the reasons I chose the Legacy Standard Bible for this work is how they translate the Greek word doulos. The King James Version translates it as “servant.” Other translations use the word “bondservants.” However, the correct translation is “slave.” Slaves in both Greek and Roman culture had no rights legally and were treated as property. There was much abuse and seldom good treatment of slaves. The Bible does not speak against slavery itself, but against its abuses. Paul’s admonition applies equally well to all employees. The term “obedient” refers to continuous, uninterrupted submission to one’s earthly master or employer, the only exception being in regard to a command that involves clear disobedience to God’s Word. Never are we to submit or be obedient to sin.

Verse 6: “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;”

“Eyeservice” refers to working well only when being watched by the boss. “Men-pleasers,” refers to working only to promote one’s welfare, rather than to honor the employer and the Lord, whose servants we really are. We are to serve doing His will from the heart. This speaks of actions done from love as opposed to a legalistic duty.

Verse 7: “serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men,”

God’s credits and rewards will be appropriate to the attitude and action of our work. We are to serve the Lord, and seek His approval, and not to please men.

Verse 8: “knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.”

We are to render service as though we are working for God, who watches at all times. Not only does God watch, but He rewards anything good we do. This applies to both slave and free, and both will be rewarded without regard to their social status. 

Verse 9: “And masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”

If masters can expect their Christian slaves to serve them willingly, slaves can expect their Christian masters to treat them the way Christ treats His own children.

Verse 10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength.”

We are not encouraged to face the evil hosts of darkness in our own strength, but in the strength that raised Jesus and believers with Him. Remember, we do not fight to win because our Lord Jesus Christ secured the victory for His children on the blood stained cross at Calvary. We fight to demonstrate the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and to resist Satan at every turn.

Verse 11: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

The new set of clothes now becomes a soldier’s battle gear. We have taken off the old clothes from our sinful past when we were controlled by our passions, and put on the new armor of our God that we will use to fight spiritual battles. To “stand” means to “withstand.” The armor of God will enable us to withstand the attacks from the enemy. 

Verse 12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The Greek word translated “struggle,” means a term used for hand-to-hand combat. Wrestling features trickery and deception, like Satan and his hosts when they attack. Coping with deceptive temptation requires truth and righteousness. The 4 designations describe the different strata and rankings of those demons and the evil supernatural empire in which they operate. Satan’s forces of darkness are highly structured for the most destructive purposes. While we want to know in general how Satan attacks God’s children, we should not get out of balance and focus on demons and demonology. The level of demon organization provide us a basic understanding how Satan’s kingdom is organized.

Verse 13: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

Paul combines the weapons of a Roman foot soldier with a number of Old Testament images of God, or the Messiah, as a warrior. We are to take the “full armor” of God. Paul will describe each part of the soldier’s armor and how it will help them in battle. 

Verse 14: “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”

The Roman soldier’s leather belt supported and protected his lower abdomen, gathered his tunic together, and held his sword. Paul seems to have in mind the assurance that comes from certainty about the truthfulness of God’s Word. When you know in your heart that the Word of God is true, it will change you and how you read the Scriptures. What is our “righteousness?” Believers are protected by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and they can stand up to the accusations of the devil; devil in Greek means “slanderer”. Simultaneously, Paul sees believers taking on the righteous character of Christ, while their growing conformity to His image gives them confidence in resisting temptation. Believers enjoy two types of righteousness: imputed and imparted. Our righteousness is imputed because when the Father looks at His children, He sees the righteousness of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Righteousness is also imparted, that is, His children become more righteous in fact. God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, works on true believers every day to make them more Christlike everyday.

Verse 15: “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”

The image here is of the Roman soldier’s sturdy sandals, which gave him stability and protection in battle. A soldier must have solid footing to be effective in combat. The foundation of the peace referenced is the gospel. The “good news” of the gospel is our foundation to stand, to battle, and to overcome. Let us never depart from the message of the gospel.

Verse 16: “In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,”

The Roman shield was large enough to cover the entire body; it was made of wood, covered with skin, and bound with iron at the top and bottom. When dipped in water before a battle, it could extinguish fire arrows that had been dipped in pitch and set ablaze. The idea is that when you know that you have faith, you will be protected by your “shield.” No matter what the enemy throws at you, your shield will protect you. 

Verse 17: “also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

For Paul, salvation is a present experience as well as a future hope. It is the theme of "now” and “not yet.” Part of salvation we possess now and in glorification, we will receive the final salvation. The “sword of the Spirit” is the one offensive weapon in the believer’s arsenal compared to the Roman sword, short and designed for hand-to-hand combat. The sword of the Spirit should be treated like a weapon. You practice fighting and sparring. You memorize and speak God’s Word whenever you can.

Verse 18: “praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,”

This verse introduces the general pattern of a believer’s prayer life: 1) “all prayer and petition” focuses on the variety; 2) “all times” focuses on the frequency; 3) “in the Spirit” focuses on submission, as we line up with the will of God; 4) “being on the alert” focuses on the manner; 5) “all perseverance” focuses on the persistence “all saints” focuses on the objects.

Verse 19: “as well as on my behalf, that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel—”

Paul does not ask for prayer for his personal well-being, protection or prosperity (no airplanes) or physical comfort in the imprisonment from which he wrote, but for boldness and faithfulness to continue proclaiming the gospel to the unsaved no matter what the cost. Listen to what people pray for in church these days. It is generally for their fleshly desires. Bible saints pray for the gospel to be spread. The difference is as obvious as the final destination for both groups: saved versus unsaved.

Verse 20: “for which I am an ambassador in chains—so that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

The means by which believers stand firm is prayer, a necessary practice for the effective use of all the armor and weapons. Prayer thus epitomizes what it means to be strong in the Lord. Without an effective and consistent prayer life, the Christian will be weak and of limited use to further the gospel.

Verse 21: “But that you also may know about all my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you.”

Tychicus was a convert from Asia Minor (modern Turkey) who was with the Apostle during his first imprisonment in Rome, from where this letter was written. Also, he accompanied Paul in taking an offering to the church in Jerusalem and was sent by him on several missions.

Verse 22: “I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know our circumstances, and that he may encourage your hearts.”

We are not fighting the battle alone. There are other believers who stand with us in the fight, and we ought to be careful to encourage one another. The body of Christ is intended to work together to preach the gospel and make disciples. Tychicus helped Paul and now Paul was sending him to encourage the readers’ hearts.

Verse 23 & 24: “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”

This beautiful benediction sums up the major themes of this very personal letter, reminding readers of peace, love, and faith. Notice that the Apostle ends the letter with a reference to grace. Without the grace of God, we would be lost and without hope.