This is our Absolute Beginner Bible Study for Ephesians 6.

Introduction

As we did for chapters 1–5, we will follow the section headings in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). They are as follows:

• Children And Parents (6:1–4)
• Slaves And Masters (6:5–9)
• Christian Warfare (6:10–20)¹
• Paul’s Farewell (6:21–24)

OVERVIEW

Ephesians 6 is the closing chapter of the letter. The chapter break is somewhat misleading because Paul is still on the same train of thought as he was at the end of chapter 5. He concludes the ‘household codes’ section by discussing two more relationships: children & parents, and slaves & masters. Afterwards, he concludes the body of the letter with instructions on spiritual opposition to the household of God. He concludes the letter with his final greetings and the extension of Christian peace in Christ.

Children And Parents (6:1–4)

The instructions for children and parents is rooted in the previous commands to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1), to walk in love (Eph. 5:2), and to Pay careful attention, then to how you walk– not as unwise people but as wise (Eph. 5:15). Paul explains how these commands are lived out through a layering of instructions that can be visually understood as follows:

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk– not as unwise people but as wise (5:15)
    So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is (5:17)
    And don’t get drunk with wine… but be filled by the Spirit (5:18)
        Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ (5:21)
            Wives to their husbands (5:22)
            Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church (5:25)
            Children, obey your parents (6:1)
            Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children (6:4)
            Slaves, obey your human masters (6:5)
            Masters, treat your slaves the same way (6:9)

Each indentation represents a layer of instruction. Thus, the ‘household codes’ explain how members of a household are to submit to one another in the fear of Christ, which explains what it means to be filled by the Spirit and to understand the Lord’s will, which explain what it means to pay careful attention to how they walk. Recognizing authority and submitting to it is part of living a faithful Christian life. On the flip side, there are incredibly heavy expectations for those who are in positions of authority. These expectations are often not communicated strongly enough, and it is too often that the consequences for abusing one’s authority are not strong enough.

The children are given one command: obey your parents in the Lord (Eph. 6:1). Paul anchors this command to the 5th Commandment in the 10 Commandments: Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you (Exodus 20:12).

Interestingly, his commands to the parents are actually only addressed to fathers: fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children (6:4a). This command has a followup that provides a contrast. Instead of stirring up anger, fathers are to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (6:4b). This concept is also rooted in the Old Testament.²

Slaves And Masters (6:5–9)

Obviously there is a barrier for us in this section. It is difficult for us to hear Paul’s message here because of the fact that he doesn’t condemn slavery. He doesn’t tell the masters to free their slaves. He doesn’t tell the slaves that they are created in the image of God and endowed with certain unalienable rights. It is difficult to imagine someone discussing slavery without strongly condemning it.

So, what do we do?

First, we need to recognize that slavery in the ancient world was different from the Transatlantic Slave Trade during the 17th–19th Centuries. That doesn’t mean slavery was good in the ancient world. It means we have a very loaded cultural understanding of the term slavery that the ancient world didn’t have. Slavery in the ancient world wasn’t ‘good’, but it was different.

We are working on a separate post explaining slavery in the ancient world. That link will be provided here when it is ready.

Second, we want to look at what is required of masters because it is interesting. Paul says And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him (6:9). Let’s look at this out of order. First, earthly slaves and masters share the same Master [God] in heaven. This shared Master does not show favoritism. That means God does not seek to win favor from ‘important people’ like humans do. He does not engage in ‘social-climbing’ or justifying morally gray behavior out of self-interest. The schemes powerful people are used to getting away with on earth will not be ignored in God’s kingdom.

Second, the earthly masters themselves are subject to a heavenly Master! Since they are subject to the Master, they should know what it means and feels like to be subject to a master; therefore, they should see their subjects (their slaves) through compassionate and empathetic eyes. This concept is deeply biblical.³ Earthly masters are to avoid threatening their slaves or lording their authority over them. Desiring mercy from God and then lording authority over humans is nothing but selfish hypocrisy. Paul does not allow earthly masters to forget this.

Third, earthly masters are to treat your slaves the same way (6:9). This means masters are to treat their slaves in the same way the slaves are instructed to view and respect their masters.

Slaves are instructed to obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ (6:5). That last line– as you would Christ– stands out. Again, Paul teaches that there is an association between our conduct and our commitment to Christ. Slaves are instructed to honor Christ through their earthly circumstances, and earthly masters are instructed to operate in the same way. Their earthly position as “master” should honor Christ, which requires them to treat their slaves with compassion and empathy.

Again, we will have more to say about ancient slavery in an upcoming post.

Christian Warfare (6:10–20)

Paul begins this section with Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength (6:10). Transitional words are alway important because they help us organize the writer’s thoughts; each transitional word is a clue into the writer’s mind about how the next thought relates to the previous thought(s). In this case, we have the word Finally. “Finally” indicates we have reached the concluding item in a list or sequence. A writer might say “First… second… finally…” to inform readers as to how they are to understand and organize the thoughts. Even if each point has 4 sub-points, the reader can follow the flow of thought if the main points are organized in this way.

This is exactly what we have in Ephesians 4–6.

The command to be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength is the final main-point-command / overarching command in a series of commands that began in Eph. 4:1– Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received. Since then, Paul has been introducing instructions as main points and sub-points. Here is a visual outline:

The followup command is to put on the full armor of God, and the purpose is so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil (6:11).

Verse 12 provides the rationale for putting on the full armor of God: for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens (6:13). This concept is really important for Paul, especially in Ephesians.

Paul has been directing his readers’ attention to the heavens throughout the entire letter (cf. Eph. 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 4:10; 6:12). In Eph. 3:10 specifically, he says the church is to make God’s multi-faceted wisdom made known… to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. Here in chapter 6, Paul teaches that Christians are in conflict with spiritual forces in the heavens, not with other humans. Christian lives and lifestyles should contrast the lives of non-believers, but the conflict is with spiritual forces. The teaching throughout Ephesians has been about 2 overarching things: (1) God’s cosmic plan for redeeming creation, and (2) the relationship between Christ and the Church. The section on Christian Warfare in Eph. 6:10–20 appropriately merges both topics.

God is unveiling and implementing His plan of redemption; that plan confronts and conquers the evil spiritual forces that are in rebellion against God; the Church is comprised of God’s people, and its formation plays a role in God’s redeeming plan; the evil spiritual forces are actively working against God (because they are in rebellion against Him), which also makes them actively against God’s people (the Church). This is why Paul has repeatedly addressed the rebellious spiritual forces, described their influence over the humans who are outside of Christ, and has instructed the people of God to walk worthy of their calling in Christ by living in contrast to those outside of Christ.⁴

In verses 13–17, Paul provides a visualization of the full armor of God. 

Truth	Waist belt
righteousness	Chest armor
Readiness for the gospel of peace	Sandals
faith	Shield
salvation	helmet
The word of God	Sword of the Spirit

I believe the purpose of this illustration is to provide instructions that prepare the Ephesian Christians to engage the evil spiritual forces as opposed to a battle-plan of countermoves once the evil forces have already engaged Christians. In other words, Paul instructs them to build themselves up in truth, righteousness, readiness, etc. so that they are prepared to resist and to take your stand (6:13) against the enemy.⁵

Paul’s final three pleas are fore the Ephesians to pray at all times in the Spirit… and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints (6:18) and to pray also for me [Paul] (6:19). In light of everything he’s taught in this letter, he wants them to respond by walking worthy of their calling (cf. 4:1) and to pray in the Spirit with perseverance and intercession for one another. In other words, they are to live worthy of Christ and to turn always to God for strength to stand against the enemy so that they can continue to walk in their faith. This is the very thing Paul himself is trying to do, and he knows how difficult it can be.

Paul’s circumstances are bleak– he is in prison at the time of writing this letter (cf. Eph. 6:20)– but he does not seek to use Christ’s power (cf. Eph. 1:18–23; 3:16) as a means to freedom. Instead, he hopes to be bolstered by Christ’s power and the prayers of God’s people so that he may continue to boldly proclaim the message of the gospel. Paul was fully committed to God’s plan of redemption through Christ, and he wanted to stand on that truth no matter what. You and I probably aren’t called to preach to the nations in the same way Paul was, but we are commanded to stand in the truth of the gospel. May we stand with the same boldness that Paul did.

Paul’s Farewell (6:21–24)

The closing verses of the letter are simple, but they do reveal some valuable insights. First, Paul is sending Tychicus to Ephesus so that you may be informed… and to encourage your hearts (6:21–22). Tychicus isn’t arriving in Ephesus as a guest speaker. He is going to bring updates about Paul. It is likely that he provided encouragement through his words, but his presence in and of itself was also an encouragement. This illustrates the real human relationships behind the letter. Paul, Tychicus, and the Ephesian Christians were real people. They lived real lives, felt emotions, developed relationships, experienced worry and loss, etc. These relationships illustrate the bond that was formed because of faith in Christ.

Second, Paul closes his letter similarly to how he opened it. He extends the following to his readers: peace, love, faith, and grace. Paul ascribes all of these to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (6:23–24). Paul didn’t write a letter containing abstract ideas and lofty ideals. The gospel of Jesus Christ is real. The mystery of God has been revealed. People are transferred from darkness into light in Christ. Christ is our peace, the One who tore down the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles. Peace, love, and grace are only found in Christ through faith, and Paul’s final greeting reminds us of that truth.

Concluding Thoughts

That’s chapter 6 and the book of Ephesians!

I hope you’ve found these walkthroughs helpful. Our goal is to help you see the message of Ephesians and how it flows from topic to topic through each chapter. It can be discouraging to read 20 verses and not understand what’s being said. Hopefully you feel like that is less of a barrier now.

Here are some final takeaways from the material in chapter 6:

• The household codes are difficult to hear in our context, but they describe a crucial component to the Christian life: we are called to live in submission to Christ and one another. Authority is not intrinsically bad. God has always been in authority over creation, even before His creatures rebelled. His expression of authority is good. It is the enemy’s twisting of authority that makes it unappealing. We are called to be imitators of God, and this pertains to our expression of and submission to authority.
• Following the household codes is not easy, and it won’t naturally happen on its own. We need Christ and the Holy Spirit to enable us to be faithful. This takes humility and consistent requests to God for faithfulness.
• There are spiritual beings that are in rebellion against God. These beings are hostile towards God, His plan of redemption, and everyone aligned with that plan. These forces are actively opposed to God’s people (the Church), and it is these beings that we are in conflict with. Our conflict is not against flesh and blood, which means we are not in conflict with other humans. Other humans are lost in darkness; they need to be delivered by Christ from the influence of the evil forces. It is inappropriate for us to develop animosity or resentment towards people who are not in Christ.
• The reality of a hostile enemy means we need to be spiritually prepared so that we can stand in faithfulness to Christ. This means living under the influence of the Holy Spirit. We are to be in the Word, pray with perseverance, praise constantly, and appeal to Christ for help. We also must love our brothers and sisters by interceding for them in prayer against the enemy.
• Our goal is to stand faithful until the day of our salvation. God has saved us through Christ; He has given us the downpayment of this salvation through the Holy Spirit. Let us build one another up so that we can resist the enemy and stand firm in faith until our race is run or until Christ comes in final victory over sin and death.

Continue engaging the Bible through reading, studying, and meditating. Check out our video on the culture and religion of ancient Ephesus if you haven’t done so already, and stay tuned for our future post on slavery in the ancient world.

I’m proud of you for working through Ephesians! It is not an easy letter.

I’ll see you in the next post or video.

Until then,

Happy Bibleing!

Footnotes

1. I personally think this is a poor choice for a section title because it is easy to assume the section discusses war between nations from the heading alone. We’ve been following the CSB section headings through every chapter, so we will continue that here. ↩︎
2. See the following: “When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians, and he spared our homes.’ ” So the people knelt low and worshiped” (Exodus 12:26–27);
   
   “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7);
   
   We will not hide them from their children, but will tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, his might, and the wondrous works he has performed. He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children so that a future generation— children yet to be born—might know. They were to rise and tell their children” (Psalm 78:4–6) ↩︎
3. Israel was to remember that they used to be slaves in Egypt, and this was supposed to result in compassion and empathy for their slaves (see Deut. 5:14–15). Also, in one of His parables, Jesus condemns a servant who refused to forgive the debt another servant owed him (see Matt. 18:21–35). ↩︎
4. See Eph. 2:1–3, 11–12; 3:9–10; 4:17–24; 26–27, 30; 5:6–21; 6:10–12. ↩︎
5. The rationale for this interpretation is highly technical about the Greek grammar and therefore greatly exceeds the scope of this beginner walkthrough. ↩︎