Click Banner to go to main page

Ephesians Chapter 6

By: Rich Puckett

As with most of my studies, my comments are in red. The blue is from Matthew Henrys and Believers Study Bible commentary.

Ephesians 6: (v. 1-4) The duties of children and parents.

(v. 5-9) Of servants and masters.

(v. 10-18) All Christians are to put on spiritual armour against the enemies of their souls.

(v. 19-24) The apostle desires their prayers, and ends with his apostolic blessing.

The duties of children and parents

Just as God has a plan for each of us in this family and roles we play he does for the children as well. After all our children are as much a part of the family as the parents are. And being we as parents are Gods children and must obey him our own off spring is told to obey the parents as well. Note that the words in the Lord are there also. There is a place where we should obey God rather then man, before we obey our dad's or mom's or bosses or governments or church rulers, that is when they go against Gods word or what his Spirit tells us to do. If a house was on fire and it had a sign that said keep out yet you saw that there was someone in the house, you would be right in breaking in anyway and rescuing that person. Once when I was asked to attend a governors reception word came down from my boss if offered a drink it would be best to take it and drink so as not to offend. Well I drank soda, and when the governor came by I talked to him bout his childhood and his family and he was not offended that I didn't drink the wine offered at all. I think you will find more people will respect the things you believe in if you are not to quick to compromise them and explain the reason for your sometimes lack of doing what is asked. Parents want there children to learn to say no to wrong things like drugs so you must first set the example by learning to say no as well.

Children are a gracious gift from God (Ps. 127:3, 4)and are to be trained carefully by the parents (Deut. 6:6-9; Prov. 22:6) so that they will become a joy to the parents and bring glory to God. They in turn are to be subject to their parents so that they may be so instructed. Two reasons are suggested for obedience: (1) it is right, and (2) it is an express commandment from the Decalogue (Ex. 20:12). The human parent-child relationship is a picture of God's relationship to believers, who are His children (John 1:12; Gal. 3:26) and undergo similar training (Heb. 12:5-11).

Eph 6:1: Verses 1-4. The great duty of children is, to obey their parents. That obedience includes inward reverence, as well as outward acts, and in every age prosperity has attended those distinguished for obedience to parents. The duty of parents. Be not impatient; use no unreasonable severities. Deal prudently and wisely with children; convince their judgements and work upon their reason. Bring them up well; under proper and compassionate correction; and in the knowledge of the duty God requires. Often is this duty neglected, even among professors of the gospel. Many set their children against religion; but this does not excuse the children's disobedience, though it may be awfully occasion it. God alone can change the heart, yet he gives his blessing to the good lessons and examples of parents, and answers their prayers. But those, whose chief anxiety is that their children should be rich and accomplished, whatever becomes of their souls, must not look for the blessing of God.

To treat ones father and mother as precious gifts for that is in deed what they are. Children should learn to show respect and this does not mean they will always agree but they should respect the position. Not always is the person living in such a way to deserve respect, child abusers are common today, yet if you can not respect the person respect the office in which the parent is in. Parents are human and make mistakes, so as you wish to be forgiven you too must learn to forgive the human flares in your parents. Sometimes they do dumb things, and even do something against all they have taught, try not to be to hard for you have done the same thing, forgive and love them even with their flares.

"Honor" means "to treat as precious." Such an attitude of reverence has a double promise attached to it. Those who act properly toward parents are promised well-being and longevity as a general principle (v. 3).

So many search for ways to live a long time, the fountain of youth. God gives you the formula for long life, honor and obey your parents.

God gives us parents some instructions here as well. Its necessary to sometimes punish our children but there is a way to do it and not to do it. We should not be so hard on them that we do not allow them to grow and make mistakes. After all God lets us make our own choices and thus our children have to learn to make the right choices. I think one of the worst things we can do is say no and not explain why we said no when a child wants to do something. If they understand the reason maybe they will make the right choice. Sometime we try to force our own convictions on our children and then they become stubborn and disobey our wishes. It has to be their convictions that stop them not mine. I made plenty of mistakes with this as my children grew up, I don't know that I ever got it correct, all we can do is try and trust God and pray for our kids. I remember once my youngest daughter wanting to go some place I didn't want her to go I told her all the reasons but left the choice up to her. It hurt a lot she chose to go any way, but I felt so much better when she came home and told me, Dad I wished I had of listened and stayed home it wasn't any real fun after all and I didn't feel right the whole time I was there. As Pastor of the church I didn't not think it would be right for me to go to a dance, though I have some misgiving with the very conservative teaching that is given, I asked my oldest when she got married not to have a dance but if she chose to, to respect the fact that I love her but would not attend. I don't know if she ever really understood the why of it all but I do hope she did and will always respect that there are times we as leaders cannot do as others would do.

This verse is a warning to parents not to direct their children toward the wrath of God. Rather, the parent is commanded to rear the child in the "training" (paideia, Gk.), i.e., the nurture, education, and "admonition" (nouthesia, Gk.), of the Lord. "Admonition" has the idea of "discipline" (lit., "to put in mind"), which is to remind the child of faults and duties by teaching him self-control.

Of servants and masters

All of us are servants to someone; we have bosses on the jobs we work at. We owe it to them and to God to do an honest job to the best of our abilities even if we disagree or don't like what we are told to do. We agree to work for a wage and they agree to pay it, do we really have a right to grumble when they don't give us more even though we think we should have it? I told my boss once that I would do my best job for him and all I expected was for him to recognize that and when he could reward me with out my asking. You know that boss gave me more raises then I ever had in my life. Often Pastors take a church and as soon as the numbers start to grow they start demanding more money. In my book this is wrong. You shouldn't ask and church you shouldn't put them in a place where it would be necessary to ask. I do not believe in strikes for more money, the only time I think that it falls within the Bible as being ok is when the masters abuse the workers.

Eph 6:5: Verses 5-9. The duty of servants is summed up in one word, obedience. The servants of old were generally slaves. The apostles were to teach servants and masters their duties, in doing which evils would be lessened, till slavery should be rooted out by the influence of Christianity. Servants are to reverence those over them. They are to be sincere; not pretending obedience when they mean to disobey, but serving faithfully. And they must serve their masters not only when their master's eye is upon them; but must be strict in the discharge of their duty, when he is absent and out of the way. Steady regard to the Lord Jesus Christ will make men faithful and sincere in every station, not grudgingly or by constraint, but from a principle of love to the masters and their concerns. This makes service easy to them, pleasing to their masters, and acceptable to the Lord Christ. God will reward even the meanest drudgery done from a sense of duty, and with a view to glorify him. Here is the duty of masters. Act after the same manner. Be just to servants, as you expect they should be to you; show the like good-will and concern for them, and be careful herein to approve yourselves to God. Be not tyrannical and overbearing. You have a Master to obey, and you and they are but fellow-servants in respect to Christ Jesus. If masters and servants would consider their duties to God, and the account they must shortly give to him, they would be more mindful of their duty to each other, and thus families would be more orderly and happy.

We owe to ourselves and to God to do our jobs with out the boss always standing there, its called integrity.

God will reward us for our work on earth and the attitude in which we do it. So here I may not have much money and drive a old wore out car, up there I will walk on streets of God and have more then I could ever want.

All Christians are to put on spiritual armour against the enemies of their souls

Eph 6:10: Verses 10-18. Spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering. Those who would prove themselves to have true grace, must aim at all grace; and put on the whole armour of God, which he prepares and bestows. The Christian armour is made to be worn; and there is no putting off our armour till we have done our warfare, and finished our course. The combat is not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labour to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee. If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armour, we give him advantage. The different parts of the armour of heavy-armed soldiers, who had to sustain the fiercest assaults of the enemy, are here described. There is none for the back; nothing to defend those who turn back in the Christian warfare. Truth, or sincerity, is the girdle. This girds on all the other pieces of our armour, and is first mentioned. There can be no religion without sincerity. The righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, is a breastplate against the arrows of Divine wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us, fortifies the heart against the attacks of Satan. Resolution must be as greaves, or armour to our legs; and to stand their ground or to march forward in rugged paths, the feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Motives to obedience, amidst trials, must be drawn from a clear knowledge of the gospel. Faith is all in all in an hour of temptation. Faith, as relying on unseen objects, receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, and so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a defence every way. The devil is the wicked one. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire of hell, are darts Satan shoots at us. Also, hard thoughts of God, and as to ourselves. Faith applying the word of God and the grace of Christ, quenches the darts of temptation. Salvation must be our helmet. A good hope of salvation, a Scriptural expectation of victory, will purify the soul, and keep it from being defiled by Satan. To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary. Prayer must fasten all the other parts of our Christian armour. There are other duties of religion, and of our stations in the world, but we must keep up times of prayer. Though set and solemn prayer may not be seasonable when other duties are to be done, yet short pious prayers darted out, always are so. We must use holy thoughts in our ordinary course. A vain heart will be vain in prayer. We must pray with all kinds of prayer, public, private, and secret; social and solitary; solemn and sudden: with all the parts of prayer; confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgiving for favours received. And we must do it by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, in dependence on, and according to, his teaching. We must preserve in particular requests, notwithstanding discouragements. We must pray, not for ourselves only, but for all saints. Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome. Wherefore we must stir up ourselves. Have not we, when God has called, often neglected to answer? Let us think upon these things, and continue our prayers with patience.

If you are to win the battle against sin then you must go forth to fight with all the armor of God in place. One reason many Christians fail is because they go to battle with out the armor they try to win a war with out being taught how to fight.

In the Christian's warfare against "the wiles of the devil," he is to arm himself with spiritual armor in the same way that the Roman soldier (perhaps one was chained to Paul at the moment of writing) was customarily equipped for his physical warfare. The term "wiles" is the Greek methodeias, from which comes the word "method." Thus, the Christian is to arm himself against the "methods" of the devil (diabolou, Gk., lit. "the one who casts through").

Have you done all to stand? Do you pray, I mean really talk and listen to God? Do you read his word and understand it? Do you attend church or gather with other believers? Do you lift one another up and help to carry each other load? Do you walk in love, show love are you known for how you care about others and show it? What are the attitude of your service to God and the condition of your heart when no one is around? Do you live his word, preach his word, and walk in his word? Do you compromise right and wrong in your daily living? Do you know what sin is? Do you live holy and right? When people see you do they see the fruit of the Spirit? Are you a light or a burned out candle? Do people hear you give praise of just hear you fuss? Do you go out to the highways and by ways and seek them out to come to your church? How important is money in your life and church? Do you understand God will for you? If you can't answer these questions and no they are the right answers get on your knees and pray and seek God before you try to fight against sin or Satan or you will lose every time.

The first wrote, wine is the strongest. The second wrote, the king is strongest. The third wrote, women are strongest: but above all things truth beareth away the victory.

Apocrypha. I Esdras 3:10–2.

The trouble with lying and deceiving is that their efficiency depends entirely upon a clear notion of the truth that the liar and deceiver wishes to hide. In this sense, truth, even if it does not prevail in public, possesses an ineradicable primacy over all falsehoods.

Hannah Arendt (1906–75), German-born U.S. political philosopher. Crises of the Republic, "Lying in Politics" (1972).

It is a pleasure to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tost upon the sea: a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle and the adventures thereof below: but no pleasure is comparable to standing upon the vantage ground of truth . . . and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, and tempests, in the vale below.

Francis Bacon (1561–1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman. Essays, "Of Truth" (1597–1625).

The phrase "having girded" (perizosamenoi, Gk.) refers to the way a soldier or laborer in the first-century world would draw his long, loose-fitting undergarment up between his knees and tuck it into his belt so that he might run or work unhindered by the garment, which might otherwise cause him to stumble or be hurt. Living an honest, transparent life according to the truth plays a similar role in the Christian's walk and service.

If you understand God's will at all you know he taught us to be peace makers and to teach the kind of peace that enters the heart and carries us through the storms. So long as you have sin, hate, anger, bitterness, evil thinking, lust, and so on in your heart you can never have peace. When your heart is right with God you may live in a storm but your soul is at peace, you may be sick and dying but your soul is in peace, and though you may cry tears of sadness your soul is in peace, alone but still at peace. Peace what a beautiful place to live in and yet there are so few there. So before you try to preach to others find the way of peace in your heart and live it.

Often used to modify another noun: a gospel meeting; a gospel singer.

"Fiery darts" were arrows covered with pitch or tar and set afire. They were then shot into the bodies of enemy soldiers. Faith in a Christian's life produces a shielding effect that effectively deflects and extinguishes Satan's flaming arrows.

To know you are saved covered by his blood washed from your sins and made free and right with God. Having the word of God a part of your heart sharp from study and knowledge. If you follow these verses you will never lose a fight against Satan.

The "helmet of salvation" (perikephalaia, Gk.) is another extremely important piece of the Christian's armor. The Greek word literally means "around the head"; a soldier who had lost his helmet was in danger of receiving severe head wounds which would (at the least) disorient him and render him ineffective. Similarly, a Christian who has no assurance of salvation cannot be bold in resisting Satan, in strengthening believers, or in sharing Christ with nonbelievers. The three witnesses to the believer concerning assurance are (1) the witness of the Word of God (1 John 5:13), (2) the witness of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 5:10;), and (3) the witness of good works as a result, not a cause, of salvation (Matt. 5:16; 1 John 2:3-5). The "sword of the Spirit" (machaira, Gk.) is the only offensive weapon Paul lists. The machaira was a short, two-edged sword carried by Roman legionaries, who wielded it with deadly accuracy. This word is also used in Heb. 4:12, where the word of God is said to be "sharper than any two-edged sword." Jesus used the Word of God defensively and offensively against Satan in Luke 4:1-13 (see Rev. 2:12). It was extremely difficult to approach a soldier well trained in the use of the machaira; the sword was short and could be moved rapidly. The fact that it was two-edged made it possible to strike on either side without changing its position in the hand, and its razor-sharp point could pierce armor. Proper use of Scripture in spiritual warfare enables the Christian to stand fast "against the wiles of the devil" (6:11).

To make a humble, earnest petition; beg.

The apostle desires their prayers, and ends with his apostolic blessing

Preachers should take a lesson from Paul here. We should pray that God gives us what to say and we say it with frankness and boldly for the benefit of teaching our hearers the word of God.

Eph 6:19: Verses 19-24. The gospel was a mystery till made known by Divine revelation; and it is the work of Christ's ministers to declare it. The best and most eminent ministers need the prayers of believers. Those particularly should be prayed for, who are exposed to great hardships and perils in their work. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith. By peace, understand all manner of peace; peace with God, peace of conscience, peace among themselves. And the grace of the Spirit, producing faith and love, and every grace. These he desires for those in whom they were already begun. And all grace and blessings come to the saints from God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace, that is, the favour of God; and all good, spiritual and temporal, which is from it, is and shall be with all those who thus love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and with them only.

If your not preaching in the Spirit then you ought to shut up. If you're not teaching being led of the Spirit you ought to shut up. If you don't know his word then you shouldn't speak at all but to ask questions to learn. There is a time to speak and a time to just plain shut up. If your people aren't listening, shut up, if your dragging on to fill in time, shut up, if your telling funny stories and making jokes to be a good speaker shut up. If you think preaching is a place to teach politics, shut up. Preaching is teaching about the things that will help us grow and learn to serve God and anything else should be left for the talks under the shade tree.

A testimony is not preaching and there is a time and place to share with others what good things God is doing in your life or how you have fought some battles. Just learn the difference and how to separate them.

In Sincerity! Not every one that has a church, goes to church, reads the bible, preaches or teaches is sincere.