Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:5. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:5

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart as you obey Christ” ( literally, “as to Christ”).

For those of us who have only lived in an individualistic, free economy, it is hard to put ourselves into the way thinking of a slave society.

Slaves were seen as part of the household, so the instructions in this section about domestic relationships is entirely appropriate.

Slaves were property, and therefore had no legal rights. They could be subject to corporal punishment, tortured, cooled, used sexually, all at the whim of their owner.

Slavery was a big contributor to the prosperity of the Roman Empire. Ephesus was the location of the biggest slave market outside Rome, and so it was quite possible that many of the members of the church there were, in fact, slaves.

Paul and the other apostles did not see themselves as political revolutionaries. They were more interested in the spiritual liberation of all people through the gospel of Jesus Christ than in the overthrow of the system of slavery.

So, rather than demanding that masters free their slaves, or that slaves run away from their masters, Paul applies gospel principles to their current situation.

His first instruction is that slaves should obey their earthly masters. Literally, the phrase is “ Masters according to the flesh.” Although they are slaves according to the flesh, they are also free people according to the spirit. They are in a relationship to their master determined by the ways of the world even though Christ has set them free.

Christian slaves have no choice other than to obey their earthly master. They also have a Master who is higher. Obeying Him will mean submitting to an earthly master .

They are to obey in fear and trembling. The word fear does not necessarily mean terror, but rather the kind of respect that we should have for people of position or rank. Slaves are to respect or honour their master .

The word “ trembling” does suggest fear as we normally think of that word. Slaves must always recognise that their masters have the power of life and death over them.

Christian slaves, therefore, are to obey their masters with both respect and fear, nursing their authority and also their power over them.

Slaves are to have “ singleness of heart” In obeying their masters. They were to be the best slaves that they could be, doing everything with purpose and enthusiasm.

The reason for this singleness of heart was that they were not serving the master according to the flesh, but serving Christ. They were to see their work as being for Christ as much as it was for their owner.

In our society, slavery is mostly eliminated, although there are traces of it everywhere through people smugglers and the sex industry. This tverse, then, does not apply to us directly. But we can make applications in the area of employees working for a wage.

The Christian is not to see their employer as a class enemy or a part of an oppressive system, but as a brother in Christ or a seeker in need of Christ.

Christians do not have a ministry life that is separate from their work- life. There is no sacred versus secular divide. Our work is our ministry.

Therefore, we are to honour and obey our employers unless to do so would be to disobey Christ. We are to work with singleness of heart doing the best that we can to serve our employer.

This is the so-called Protestant work ethic in which people give their best possible service because their work is their vocation, a service to the King.

Key points in this verse:

• In the ancient world, slavery was a big part of the economy
• We are to have singleness of heart in our work
• We are to respect our employers, seeing them as people for him Christ gave His life
• We should give our best possible effort to our employer

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:4. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:4

“And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

In the New Testament; responsibilities and duties in relationships fall to all parties.

Not only are children required to obey their parents, the parents have an equal responsibility to bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord .

The word translated as” fathers” in many translations can equally mean simply “parents.”

There is a tendency in many cultures to treat children as objects or possessions, if not as inconveniences. In such situations, children have few, if any of the rights that adults may have. In the christian community, however, children are to be treated as people made in the image of God.

Parents are firstly encouraged to not provoke the children to anger. This simple phrase covers a wide range of possible areas.

Discipline that is seen as unfair or excessive will breed resentment in a child. Children generally have an idea of what is fair behaviour by people in authority. If one child is treated differently from a sibling, or if a parent goes overboard in punishment, anger is going to take root in the heart of the child.

Parents have the capability of inflicting all kinds of abuse in a child – sexual, physical, or emotional. Clearly this is unthinkable behaviour for christian parents who are required to love their children as they love themselves.

Some parents can lash out in rage against their children over the smallest of infractions. This is not discipline but abuse.

There will be times when parents will necessarily or accidentally provoke a child to anger. What is in view here is the routine and regular stirring of conflict.

Parents must empathise with their children. Love is about seeing another person from their own perspectives and not just from our own limited point of view.

Rather than a hostile or dismissive approach which generates anger in their children, parents are to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

The idea of bringing up a child suggests an active process. We do not ignore our children and expect them to work out the world for themselves. We provide them with food and shelter and meet their other physical and emotional needs. Beyond this, we invest ourselves in their growth towards maturity. We seek out what they need to help them grow.

We bring them up in the discipline of the Lord. We teach them the boundaries of life that are apart of living the christian life. We teach our children to consider other people, how to share, how to pray, how to worship, and so on.

The discipline of the Lord is the process of walking in discipleship to Jesus. This discipling is not optional for parents. Their first and most important ministry is to their children.

The Lord disciplines those whom he loves (Hebrews 12:6), and so parents must discipline their children so that they grow up to love the Lord and love their neighbours.

The instruction of the Lord is about teaching children the Word and the doctrines of the faith. Regular reading of Scripture and family worship times are essential duties for parents. It is not acceptable for parents to contract this out to the church, expecting children’s ministers and Sunday School teachers to fulfil this parental responsibility.

Having performed this responsibility, parents should not expect their children to be guaranteed to follow the Lord in their adult years. We can sow the seeds of the faith in their hearts, but ultimately every person must make the choice for themselves to embrace the gospel.

Key points in this verse:

• Christian parents must discipline their children fairly so as not to provoke them to anger
• We must see children as people who are made in the image of God
• Parents have a responsibility to invest themselves in bringing up the children
• Discipline in the Lord means that we set the right boundaries for our children
• We must instruct our children and teach them the ways of the lord
• Parents must not outsource to the church their own responsibilities

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:2-3. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:2-3

“Honour your father and mother- this is the first commandment with a promise- “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

The instruction to obey parents is now backed up by reference to the Ten Commandments. “Honour your father and mother so that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”

In the New Testament age, the Jews were scattered around the nations, and many did not understand Hebrew. The version of the Old Testament most widely known was the Greek version called the Septuagint. This version was not only translated from Hebrew to Greek, it was adapted a little for the readers who were dispersed and not located only in Israel.

This verse as quoted by Paul is the Septuagint version which replaces “ the land the Lord is giving you” with “ the earth”. From being a promise that originally meant that honouring parents would enable the Hebrew people to live long in Israel, it is now a promise for an extended lifespan regardless of geographic locaiton.

For any nation, orderly and stable family relationships are basic. We know in our own situation that single parent families are generally less stable and less prosperous then families headed by a married couple. For all kinds of reasons, a broken family leads to shorter lifespans.

This is more than a promise to individuals. It is a promise to people groups. Formation of stable families leads to stronger communities, more resilient in the face of natural disaster and conflicts .

Children can understand that if they obey their parents, they can contribute to the stability and prosperity of the family through the blessing of the lord.

There has been some questioning of the statement by Paul that this is the first commandment with a promise. They point to the second commandment regarding idolatry: “ You shall not make for yourself any Idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of their parents, to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who loves me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)

This commandment is not so much a promise as a statement about the nature of God. He does punish those who commit iniquity and He does bless those who obey him, and both of these consequences go through generations.

Another explanation of this is that the structure of Paul’s sentence allows a translation along the lines of “This is a commandment of priority for you and it has a promise.”

However we interpret the meaning of this verse, it is true that there is a promise for all who honour their parents. God promises that things will go well for us and we will live long in the earth.

One may ask what are the boundaries of the command to obey or honour one’s parents? As was stated in the previous verse, we must not obey our parents at the expense of obeying Christ. However, we can, and should, maintain a disposition of honour even while maintaining our fidelity to the Lord.

Key points in these verses:

• Honouring parents is one of the Ten Commandments that carries a promise
• Stable families lead to longer life and prosperity, as well as to stronger communities

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:1. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:1

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

Paul moves from the mutual submission of husbands and wives to the relationship of parents and their children.

In many parts of the ancient world, children were not regarded as autonomous individuals as they often are in the modern world. They were generally seen as empty vessels which needed to be filled with the family’s ways and values. For example, a father would train a son in his trade in the expectation that the son would grow up to help run the family enterprise, and perhaps take it on himself at some stage. A good child was one who became a copy of his father.

The word used for child here is the Greek word teknon, which can mean a son or daughter of any age. Children have a responsibility to “obey” their parents even when they themselves are adults.

The word translated as “obey” in many English translations actually has the broader sense of paying attention or listening. To obey means that we listen and then follow an instruction.

While young children need to understand the importance of obeying their parents, for those who are adults themselves the emphasis is on listening and paying attention. As adults, we still have obligations to our parents, but this obligation is more aligned with listening to their experience and gaining wisdom from them.

To obey our parents in the Lord means that we should count acts of obedience as a service to the Lord. Little children may not have too many opportunities to serve the Lord, but obeying parents is one such way.

Remembering that this letter is written to a church, it is probable that most children hearing this instruction would be from homes where at least one parent is themselves a follower of Jesus. To obey parents ”in the Lord,” then, means to believe that the parents are acting on behalf of the Lord in their intentions and instructions.

For older children and adults, the expression “in the Lord” is a reminder that all of our decisions have to be weighed up against the requirements of God. Our faithfulness to our family must never lead to sinning against the Lord. Our first loyalty is always to Christ.

Paul concludes this verse with the words ”for this is right.” It is the morally correct thing to obey our parents. We teach our children from a very young age that it is right to obey those in authority. We may later question the rightness of parents and other authorities in some of these decisions. However, our first response should be that it is right to obey.

To question and disregard all the instructions of people in authority leads to lawlessness in which everybody does what they like in the moment. This is contrary to God’s plan for humanity.

Key points in this verse:

• Children of all ages should listen to their parents
• To obey our parents is a way in which we may obey the Lord
• Adults need to obey their parents to the extent that they do not contradict the way of the Lord

Here is my commentary on Ephesians 5:32-33. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 5:32-33

“This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.”

These verses serve a summary of what has gone before in terms of marital relationships and the mutual submission of husband and wife.

The unity between a man and a wife (“one flesh”) is a great mystery, Paul writes. A mystery is something hidden but now revealed. To understand the relationship of a husband and wife needs the illumination of Christ’s relationship with the Church.

These two things, the human marital relationship and the relationship of Christ to His Body, illuminate and explain each other . It is not surprising that the Church is described as the Bride of Christ (see for example Revelation 19).

Christ is the Head of His church and He exercises that by first dying for it. The headship of a husband with respect to his wife starts with the husband laying his life down, and only then can he exercise leadership in a loving relationship.

When we see the deep love and united vision of a husband and a wife, our eyes are opened to the unity that exists between Christ and the church.

This interplay between the two realities is shown by the way Paul freely changes from one to the other in this entire section.

So Paul concludes with the exhortation for each man to love his wife and for each wife to respect her husband.

Though Paul uses different words – love and respect- the illustration of Christ and the church shows that they are the same idea in practice.

Christ died for his church; but the church dies to Christ in order to be born again. Both husband and wife lay down everything for the other.

Paul again uses the word agape as the love that husbands should have for their wives. This is the love that God shows towards us, his people. It is the unfailing love that gives regardless of the worthiness of the recipient. Husbands must seek to love their wives with the agape love of God.

Wives are to respect their husbands. The word here is phobos . It literally means fear. This is not the terror kind of fear, but the kind of fear with which we are told we should fear God and those in authority over us. It is the respect that is given because of the status of the person.

In any event, to love a wife includes respect. Respect for a husband also involves loving them.

Key points in this verse:

• The unity of husband and wife reflect the love between Christ and His church
• Headship comes from a place of self sacrifice
• The love and respect which husbands and wives are exhorted to show overlap and become the same thing.