Ephesians 6
CBCSection Two 6:1-4
The family relationship
Introduction to Section Two
As marriage is the picture of union between the husband and wife, signifying the union of man with God; the relationship between parents and children are to demonstrate responsibility in our experience as men before God the Father. Children are representative of the believer who is now reborn into the family of God.
As our Heavenly Father provides for us as His own children, so too are we to provide for our own children–for their growth, their nourishment, their strength of character, and for their inheritance. We are to give them our name and train them in the use of their personal talents and gifts of service. Every one of these elements is found in the assets of the believer.
Section Three 6:5-9
Sin’s deformation transformed by grace
Introduction to Section Three
We must remember that man as he is now does not reflect man as he was intended to be when created. Adam in the garden enjoyed mental abilities unsullied by sinful conditioning that assaults every child born into the world today. Even before coming into the world as a newborn babe, the developing child in the womb is being conditioned by elements of decay that work to mar and make less perfect the specific creative and reproductive work of God. The unborn will respond to sounds which are either soothing or agitating; to chemicals that find their way into the mother’s system as pollutants or elements of abuse; to genetic influences that are the result of generations of deterioration due to poor air quality, malnutrition, bad water, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, uppers, downers, aspirin, lead based paint, aluminum, etc.
Adam and Eve bore none of that burden. The only angst in their world was associated with that single restricted fruit tree. How pervasive that single test became–how it grabbed the attention of Eve and became the “foothold” which the Serpent used to bring them both down. It was one test; one failure; one all-pervasive flaw that brought Sin into man’s world and deformed it for all of time and history. It takes the power of God the Father and the end of time itself to rid man of this fatal flaw. Just as we are now made to be slaves to Sin in us from the moment of conception, in redemptive rebirth we are slaves to God as free men, bound no longer to that which Adam brought in and imposed upon each of us but bound inescapably to the Father “in Christ”.
SIX
Chapter 6:10-24
Conflict and the Way of Victory
Introduction to Division Six
Conflict and difficulty are brought into the believer’s life in order to reveal some new aspect of God and His character. The revelation may be to the one experiencing the problem, or it may be to another who is looking on. Whichever is the case, we are to stand in the strength of the Lord and not in our own abilities as men. Even though we might try to “give God the credit” for making us able to meet the test, it is important to realize where His strength is our refuge and where we are depending on our own genius and clever solutions to gain control of the situation. The acid test is always this; who gains the glory from the action? Do people compliment us on our insight, resolve, or even our faith?
Or, are they serious in their thanksgiving to God for delivering you or them through the circumstance? If everyone’s attention is caused to focus on the Father’s provision, then you can be pretty sure that your confidence was in His strength and not your own. Doesn’t seem quite fair, does it? There you are, trying with all your might to cling to your commitment to claim His promises and tough it out. And, now with it behind you, no one is going to be able to tell you how proud of you they really are. After all, isn’t that the very kind of positive reinforcement that we are told to use on our children constantly in order to develop in them a healthy and positive self-esteem?
Well here is a news bulletin for you–The Way and Means of Victory in life is not through a positive attitude! It is rooted in a positive expectation of our loving Father’s tender care and mercy towards us. It is not our attitude that wins the day, but the love of our Father. Knowing that truth, our attitude will improve, not as a source of our strength but as a result of His strength.
Ephesians 6:1
(6:1) The first command–“obey”. Obedience is a clear demonstration of submission to authority. It is especially true when you as a child disagree with the instructions of your parent. “In the Lord” refers to the quality of your obedience, not the condition of the parent’s relationship to God.
Ephesians 6:2
(6:2,3) The second command–“Honor”. “Honor” means to place in a position of high esteem, to cause respect to be shown. God rewards ton the part of children towards parents with personal peace and long life.
Ephesians 6:4
Now, pay special note that there are no instructions here for mothers. This is because the father is the head of the family and is in the position of authority over his wife and the children. God holds the father, not the mother, especially accountable for the well being of the family and the instruction of all family members. One of the greatest tragedies of this age is the absence of fathers as heads of their families in the black community. We have yet to see and experience the full impact that this is having on this generation of children, especially males, who are growing up without that authority figure and role in their training. Government will throw billions into the breach in attempts to accommodate the need, but there is no reasonable substitute for a stable nuclear family.
Instructions to fathers
(6:4) The reason “fathers” are mentioned specifically is because they are the head of the family. Fathers are charged with leadership of the family for one particular purpose; to demonstrate the authority that God holds over the entire family of man and that Christ holds over the entire family of the Church. Children are not to be abused (“exasperate”), but are to be given “training and instruction”. If children do not receive this from their earthly father, they will have great difficulty understanding it as to their Heavenly Father.
Ephesians 6:5
(6:5,6) “Slaves” were so for any number of reasons. They might have been drawn into slavery by debt, or by an act of war, or by purchase. This is not an endorsement by Paul of the existence of slavery, but of recognition that the condition was common and that the follower of Christ was likely to come from the ranks of slavery. If that happened to be the case, one was none-the-less under obligation to Christ to serve in their station of life in a manner consistent with the intent of their Lord Jesus.
In today’s free societies the attitudes imposed here on slaves would be applied to worker and manager or company. Our attitude towards the source of our sustenance should include “respect” for their authority and “fear”, not cowering, but concern for their approval and “with sincerity of heart”, which means a genuine effort on our part towards their profit and well being. Our service to our employer is to be performed with an eye towards “doing the will of God from within us”.
Ephesians 6:7
The source of our reward
(6:7,8) We are to “serve without reservation” as unto the Lord Himself, “knowing that the Lord will reward” for our efforts. There is a unique opportunity for the Christian in business today. We have the right to operate within the system that is in place, whether free market or managed market, in a completely free manner. This is true freedom in the business world–to know that we may expend our energies doing those things that are the “right” things to do and that God will be the rewarder rather than men. Further, that our reward will not depend upon our station among men, but on the merit assigned by God. We should work hard!
We should work harder than anybody else around us. And, we should do so without strings attached. We should remain confident that our reward is always governed by our Heavenly Father.
Ephesians 6:9
(6:9) If the slave is to grant respect and concern to the master, the master is commanded “not to threaten them”. This is because the “Master…in heaven”, the Lord Jesus, is Lord over all and does not view either of them in any sense of particular favor. Our standing in heaven is “in Christ” and inconsequential with regards to our standing among men on earth.
Ephesians 6:10
(6:10) Our strength is ultimately “in the Lord”. This verse recognizes that our human strengths have no substance in God’s realm nor in the sphere of Christian service. It is “His mighty power” that we weld and not our own pitiful human influence. The key to humility rests on our understanding of this principle. As we mature in age and knowledge and gain skill in dealing with people, it is increasingly difficult to remember that our skill is humanly engineered and is strength of the old nature. One good test is this; if the same thing can be accomplished by an unbeliever, then it is not based in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:11
(6:11,12) There is a “full armor” provided the believer by God that will protect us “against the wiles of the devil”. Satan is the master deceiver and the father of all lies. His deception is beyond the ability of man to withstand, but we are not left defenseless. Because the “battle is not against flesh and blood” we will need spiritual defenses. “Rulers…authorities…powers of this dark world…spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies,” these are all categories of fallen angels who make up the hierarchy of evil which we encounter in the world and against which we need the protection provided by God.
Ephesians 6:13
(6:13-17) Here then is “the full armor of God” for the Saint…It is given that you “may be able to stand…and having done everything you know to do, to remain standing.” The picture is one of victory.
“Truth”…is a belt around the waist. On this belt the weapons of battle are carried. Our strength then is to come from God who is Truth. We are to be armed with His very character.
“Righteousness”…is our breastplate. It protects us where we are the most vulnerable. To know the righteousness of God is to stand on the ground of peace with Him. It is only in that position that we have assurance of life.
“Readiness”…is our pair of boots. As God’s army, we are to be prepared to move across whatever ground is before us, carrying the Gospel of peace. In order to gain this degree of preparation we must “study to show ourselves approved unto God…rightly dividing the Word of Truth”.
“Faith”…is our shield. Where the breastplate protects in hand-to-hand close combat, the shield protects from those assaults lobbed from long range. In other words, “righteousness” protects from those enemies, which we see, but “faith” protects from those enemies, which we cannot see. It is “righteousness” which dictates our behavioral choices as we are confronted daily. It is faith that keeps us when we do not understand even the direction from which the testing is coming. Righteousness dictates that we are not drunkards or slovenly in our work attitudes; faith gives us the courage to continue without bitterness when loved ones hurt or our pathway is difficult.
“Salvation”…is our helmet. We are saved on the basis of what God has revealed to us of Christ; on the basis of what we “know”. Our will is now submissive to His will.
“Word of God”…is the sword used by the Holy Spirit in battle. This does not simply refer to the Bible, but to the living Word, the ascended Lord Jesus.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17
Ephesians 6:18
(6:18) Following the context of the previous verse, prayer “in the Spirit” is prayer within the sphere of the Word of God. It is not possible to read into this phrase a charismatic utterance. Our prayers and requests are to flow out of our alert minds and concern for other believers. We are to apply the Word of God actively “on all occasions” and in all manners of requests, but always within the revealed Word of God. Again, that speaks against ecstatic utterance or untranslated instruction. That means that we must know the Word and the intent of God regarding events in our lives and in the lives of other saints. Absent that specific knowledge, we should first pray for understanding and the revelation of His work and will.
Ephesians 6:19
(6:19,20) Look at the examples given by Paul of what the believers in Ephesus should be praying for regarding his needs… “that words may be given”. This is for specific knowledge for ministry of the Gospel, and for a spirit of “fearlessness” in the declaration of the Gospel. Nothing of relief or protection, for those are givens in the walk of the believer. And certainly not prayer for ease or prosperity.
Ephesians 6:21
(6:21,22) Paul is sending them a report in order that they might know how he is and what his work consists of. He is not partitioning for assistance or support. This is a testimony of God’s provision specifically for their encouragement. How different this is from the media evangelists and preachers to lace every time of testimony with requests and dire reports of need of funds in order to continue their work. Perhaps if it was truly the Lord’s work instead of their own, there would not be such angst.
Ephesians 6:23
(6:23,24) Note that “faith” is from “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is an important statement. “Peace and love” are declared to be their due as saints. “Peace” is their standing before God the Father in the Son. There is no more any animosity between the Father and the believer. “Love” is the substance of what they are, for “in Christ” we are joined to Him who is love. “Grace” is the summation of God’s provision for all who love the Lord Jesus Christ and are found in Him on the ground of peace.