Ephesians Chapter 6
Originally posted Wednesday August 27, 2008
Ephesians Chapter 6:1-4
Household code - Children and Parents
The
household code continues with a brief comment on the child/parent relationship.
Citing the commandment from Exod.
20:12, children are to honor both parents through obedience. As noted
this commandment contains the promise of a good and long life. "In
the Lord" does not appear in a number of good manuscript copies of
Ephesians and may have been added to make this part of the code consistent with
the spirit of 5:22. In any
case there is no doubt that the writer and reader would understand the implied
relationship of all Christians as children of God in terms of obedience. The
father is admonished not to "provoke [their] children to anger." The
writer doesn't describe what such provocation to anger means. The
better translation of vs. 4 is
"Fathers, do not make your children angry, but nurture them in the training
and admonition of the Lord." The father's approach is to be one
of nurturing the child in the faith through instruction. The overall theme of
the Christian household code applies to the father's role as one who imitates
Christ in marriage as well as raising a child. The father loves the child as
Christ loves the Church. As Christ nurtures the Church so the father nurtures
the child, with love. Even in pagan culture there were guidelines for raising
children. A 2nd century pagan philosophical work entitled "The
Training of Children," (Pseudo-Plutarch) encourages parents
"to worship the gods, to honor our parents, to reverence our elders, to be
subject to the laws, to obey our governors, to love our friends, to use
sobriety towards our wives, to be affectionate
to our children, and not to treat our servants insolently...nor in our
anger to be transported with brutish rage and fury." In Ephesians the
object is to bring up the Christian child with all due love and affection
as part of the family, the society and the Church.
Ephesians Chapter 6:5-9
Slaves and Masters
The
relationship between master and slave is also the subject of Hellenistic
philosophical writings. In Ephesians it is guided by the same principle as that
of husband/wife and parent/child - as between Christ and the Church, inclusive
of the believer and God. The slave obeys the master in "fear and
trembling," a phrase often used to portray the posture of being
in the presence of God (e.g. Moses on Mount Sinai). In this use it carries the
sense of sincere awe and respect. As with obeying Christ, obedience
is a matter of conscience, it is the right thing to do at all times and it
is to be done from the heart. The slave who renders enthusiastic
service to his or her master as if to the Lord does the will of God and in the
judgment will receive good for good.
The
exhortation to the master is briefer but just as demanding. The master treats
the slave the way the parent treats the child and Christ treats the church,
without threatening (provocation to anger), for both slave and master
will appear before the same impartial God.
Ephesians Chapter 6:10-20
The Whole Armor of God
In
a world of evil the writer adds his encouragement and warnings to be alert to
its powerful forces of temptations. They are not in a battle with flesh
and blood but with the devil himself, represented by
various satanic minions: rulers and authorities (earthly
powers enthralled to the devil), cosmic powers of this sinful age (the
demonic), spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (dark angels).
Earthly weapons will not suffice either for protection from or defeat of such
otherworldly figures. The "whole armor of God" will be necessary to
stand firm against their onslaught on the last day of this present age.
The
armor of God comes in many metaphorical forms, each for a purpose. To wear them
is to be as ready as any fully armed Roman soldier going into battle but now
for Christians advancing against a more terrible set of enemies than ever
faced Rome. What is portrayed is the final cosmic battle between the
forces of God and those of Satan, a scenario being written at about this same
time by John, an Ephesian Christian in exile on the Isle of Patmos
(Revelation). The weapons are spiritual being used against the spiritual, good
against evil: truth, righteousness, faith and the proclamation of the word of
God - the sword of the Spirit which is the "Gospel of
peace." As emphasis the writer places a great value on the shield of
faith to be used "in all circumstances" for protection against
the harshest assaults of "the evil one." Such a faith serves as a
foundation for hope - the belief that God will prevail. Surrounding and
supporting this preparation for spiritual warfare - and the warfare itself, is
the prayer of the community: prayer for readiness, prayer for one another in
all places.
Ephesians Chapter 6:21-24
Personal Matters and a Benediction
The
writer will send news of his work in Asia (western Turkey) by way of a fellow
evangelist, Tychius, who is a native of the area as indicated in Acts 20:4. He will serve as a
"circuit rider" and be responsible for carrying the letter to all the
church communities of Asia Minor.
In
typical Pauline fashion the letter closes with the writer's wishes for the
community to be in peace, for God's love to be displayed in their faith, and
for God's grace to be with all who love "our Lord Jesus Christ."
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