Ephesians 6

SUMMARY.--Mutual Duties of Children and Parents. Of Servants and Masters. The Warfare of the Saints. The Armor of God. The Sword of the Spirit. Constant Prayer Commended. Benediction.

      1-3. Children, obey your parents. The duty of obedience to parents is older than Christianity; as old as the parental relations. In the Lord. Unless they require of you things forbidden by the Lord. Our duty to Christ is superior, and if parents require us to disobey him, we must still be loyal to him. This passage has been thought to imply that all children of Christians are baptized in infancy into the church, but the children addressed are surely not babes, but old enough to hear and obey the apostolic command, and hence old enough to have heard and obeyed Christ. 2. Honor thy father and mother. Both of them, both alike. Which is the first. The first of the ten commandments which has a promise attached. 3. That it may be well with thee. Quoted from Exodus 20:12 . This is the promise. A temporal blessing was conditioned upon the promise to Israel, and to honor parents still brings blessing.

      4. And ye fathers. Parents have duties as well as children. Two are named. Provoke not, etc. Passionate and unreasonable rebukes, intemperate language, or cruel usage, would provoke resentment on the part of children. In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The Revision reads: "Nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord." Training and restraining as well as admonition are implied. The Lord holds all parties responsible for a Christian training of their children.

      5-8. Servants. The term does not refer so much to hired servants, as slaves, of whom there were many millions in the Roman Empire at that time. These were of all races, prisoners taken in war, or their children. Christianity did not violently destroy this relation, but regulated, mitigated and undermined it by introducing a new element into human life which would destroy it. Masters according to the flesh. Earthly masters whose dominion will go no farther than this world. With fear and trembling. Not for fear of punishment, but for fear that the service is not done right. As unto Christ. Christ will see and reward your fidelity to duty, even if an earthly master does not. 6. Not with eye-service. Service that seems faithful when under the eye of the master, but relaxes when he does not see. Such is the usual service of slaves, unless they have a high sense of duty. 7. With good will. With a well disposed mind towards the master. As to the Lord. It pleases the Lord, whatever may be the relations of life, for us to do our service well. We may engage in very lowly duties to the glory of the Lord. 8. Knowing that whatsoever, etc. If a man renders good service anywhere, whether he be bond or free, the Lord will see that he is rewarded.

      9. And ye masters. The Roman law allowed masters to treat their slaves as brute beasts, to abuse and even to murder them. But Christianity at once put Christian masters under restraint. Do the same things unto them. Act on the same principles towards them, that the Lord requires of them towards you. There must be mutual good will and mutual service. Forbearing threatening. The habit of cruel masters. Knowing that your Master. That you have a Master who sees you, to whom your slave is just as dear as you are, and who will hold you to account if you wrong him.

      10. Be strong in the Lord. He comes to his final admonition. They are engaged in a fearful warfare ( verse 12 ). They need to be equipped for it. Let them be strong by using the armor, weapons and means which are named in the next section.