Ephesians 6 Part 1
Bible Study Time 1-29-06
Church links:
Bible Study Time 1-29-06
Today we enter into the final chapter of the book of Ephesians, and in the first nine verses of this chapter we see the importance of submission to those in authority. Let’s begin reading with the first verse.
Ephesians 6:1-9
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise:
3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the (nurture) and admonition of the Lord.
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;
6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
When the Apostle Paul went out preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the pagans of the day, there may have been some who longed for freedom from the tyranny of Rome. But Paul wanted to make it perfectly clear that it is God’s will for all believers to submit to those in authority. Over the past one hundred years our world has seen over and over again the deleterious effects of rebellion and revolution.
There are so many regions of the world today where no one knows from one day to the next who will be running the government. There are so many regions of the world where people have no chance to raise their children with any measure of peace and security in their lives. Parents in these regions face the stark reality that their children will know only bloodshed and violence from the time they are born until the time they die.
This is not God’s will, and it never has been. God established human government way back in the Old Testament just after the flood when he told Noah and his sons:
Genesis 9:1-6 (NKJ)
1 "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
2 "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.
3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.
4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
5 "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man.
6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God he made man.
Paul taught in Romans 13 that believers have a responsibility to God to submit to human government. He said:
Romans 13:1-7 (NKJ)
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Peter confirmed this doctrine, saying:
1 Peter 2:13-17 (NKJ)
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
(Then Peter goes on, as Paul did in Ephesians 6, to say that believers have a responsibility to submit not just to human government but to all those who have authority over us. He says:
1 Peter 2:18-21 (NKJ)
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
Obviously, during the days of Peter and Paul, the institution of slavery was protected by Roman law, and each slave owner had certain legal rights over his slaves. Accordingly, slaves were required by law to submit to their masters.
We can all praise the Lord that people in our country do not have to worry about that kind of situation today. One of the beautiful things about our country is that is was founded upon the principle of individual freedom. The concept of liberty and justice for all did not work its way into a real world application for nearly a hundred years, but today we can be thankful that our country celebrates the reality of freedom for all, and we can be proud that our country supports the cause of freedom around the world.
Today we do not have to worry about being beaten by our master for any reason. It is illegal to beat anyone for any reason. However, if we did have to face such a situation, it is clear from scripture that God would expect us to suffer patiently knowing that this would be commendable in the sight of God.
Actually, as a matter of conscience and as a matter of law, we should report anyone who does beat another person, and that brings us back to what Paul said in Ephesians 6:1 about children obeying their parents.
It is God’s will for children to be taught obedience. Parents are responsible to teach their children to obey. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that one of the Ten Commandments was “Honor your father and mother that it may be will with you and that you may live long upon the earth.” He says that this is the first commandment that contains a promise for those who keep it. It is obvious then that we do our children a tremendous favor when we teach them to respect and obey those in authority.
However, from there Paul went immediately into a warning to parents and especially to Fathers saying,
Ephesians 6:4
4 . . . fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
What a beautiful opportunity parents have to bring children into this world and then hold them, and talk to them, and read to them, and teach them about all of the things of the Lord. Parents must exert their influence with wisdom and creativity.
There may be times when a child needs a spanking, but a child never needs a beating. The truth is that no child has ever learned anything even from a spanking unless it was lovingly administered with some good, clear instruction.
The purpose of the spanking is to get the child’s attention so you can teach them something. Now if parents can teach their children everything that they need to know without ever having to administer a spanking, I’d say they’re doing a great job of parenting. There are many ways to get a child’s attention without having to expose the child to the risks that are associated with the violence that is inherent within a spanking.
Children who are exposed to violence often harbor anger and hostility that grows deep down on the inside. This hostility is sometimes revealed in undesirable behavior years later, and the person may never really know the real cause of their behavior. Paul said, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath.”
So, parents, be careful about disciplining your young children. Make sure that they learn to obey those in authority, whether it’s you, or the teacher at school, or the law enforcement officer, but as you teach them to be obedient, do so with an attitude that is nurturing and loving and full of respect.
Now, as we get back to the idea of being in submission to our masters, we can see that the literal interpretation of these verses does not apply specifically to us because none of us has to serve as a slave. However, as a matter of application, there is a significant principle. When we work as an employee of a business or any other institution, we have an obligation to our employer which goes even beyond the expectations of our employer. We have an obligation to God to do our work with a willing heart and with a dedicated heart, not just to please the boss, but to please our Father in heaven.
Sometimes, as an employee, you may start feeling kind of underappreciated, and it’s easy to start thinking that you’d be better off to just do as little as possible without getting fired, and we all know that you don’t have to look around very far to see employees who work with that attitude.
But God says, “Don’t do it.” He says that in reality, you are not working for your earthly boss. You are working for your heavenly Father, and you know that God is going to be faithful to reward you with rewards that are so glorious that you can not even imagine their glory.”
Paul told the Corinthians:
1 Corinthains 2:9 (NKJ)
9 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
Then he told the Romans:
Romans 8:18 (KJV)
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
You and I should work for our employer just as if we were working directly for God knowing that God will be faithful to reward us.
But then Paul has a word for the employers too in Ephesians 6. He says that employers should be respectful and considerate of their employees because God is also going to hold employers accountable for what they do. And Paul said that God is not partial to employers. Everybody will someday stand before God to give an accounting for their deeds, and God will judge without partiality.
When the apostles went out into the Roman world preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, they had nothing to offer prospective converts except the peace and the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. They could not promise them a better job. They could not promise them freedom from persecution. All they had to offer was the peace and the joy that comes through faith in Christ.
In spite of great persecution, thousands of people came to Christ and dedicated their lives to Him because it really is better to have peace with God than it is to have all of the things that this world has to offer.
Over the next 300 years the persecution increased, but the number of Christians also increased. The more Christians they killed, them more other people believed, and this doctrine of submission to those in authority was indirectly responsible for many of these conversions.
The Roman army was vicious and cruel, and they were so powerful they could crush any person or any nation in its path, but they could not intimidate the Christians. The Christians had a hope that went beyond the grace, and they had a peace that went beyond any human comprehension.
When people saw the willingness of believers to suffer and die without saying a word, they knew that faith in Christ offered something real. It offered a spiritual kind of power that no army on earth could intimidate or terrorize. When the pagans saw this faith, they knew that it was real and many of them came to know Jesus Christ as personal Savior.
If you are listening this morning and you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can put your trust in Him today and receive everlasting life.
Thank you for listening this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to being you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Ephesians 6:1-9
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise:
3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the (nurture) and admonition of the Lord.
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;
6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
When the Apostle Paul went out preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the pagans of the day, there may have been some who longed for freedom from the tyranny of Rome. But Paul wanted to make it perfectly clear that it is God’s will for all believers to submit to those in authority. Over the past one hundred years our world has seen over and over again the deleterious effects of rebellion and revolution.
There are so many regions of the world today where no one knows from one day to the next who will be running the government. There are so many regions of the world where people have no chance to raise their children with any measure of peace and security in their lives. Parents in these regions face the stark reality that their children will know only bloodshed and violence from the time they are born until the time they die.
This is not God’s will, and it never has been. God established human government way back in the Old Testament just after the flood when he told Noah and his sons:
Genesis 9:1-6 (NKJ)
1 "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
2 "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.
3 "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.
4 "But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
5 "Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man.
6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God he made man.
Paul taught in Romans 13 that believers have a responsibility to God to submit to human government. He said:
Romans 13:1-7 (NKJ)
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Peter confirmed this doctrine, saying:
1 Peter 2:13-17 (NKJ)
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
(Then Peter goes on, as Paul did in Ephesians 6, to say that believers have a responsibility to submit not just to human government but to all those who have authority over us. He says:
1 Peter 2:18-21 (NKJ)
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
Obviously, during the days of Peter and Paul, the institution of slavery was protected by Roman law, and each slave owner had certain legal rights over his slaves. Accordingly, slaves were required by law to submit to their masters.
We can all praise the Lord that people in our country do not have to worry about that kind of situation today. One of the beautiful things about our country is that is was founded upon the principle of individual freedom. The concept of liberty and justice for all did not work its way into a real world application for nearly a hundred years, but today we can be thankful that our country celebrates the reality of freedom for all, and we can be proud that our country supports the cause of freedom around the world.
Today we do not have to worry about being beaten by our master for any reason. It is illegal to beat anyone for any reason. However, if we did have to face such a situation, it is clear from scripture that God would expect us to suffer patiently knowing that this would be commendable in the sight of God.
Actually, as a matter of conscience and as a matter of law, we should report anyone who does beat another person, and that brings us back to what Paul said in Ephesians 6:1 about children obeying their parents.
It is God’s will for children to be taught obedience. Parents are responsible to teach their children to obey. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that one of the Ten Commandments was “Honor your father and mother that it may be will with you and that you may live long upon the earth.” He says that this is the first commandment that contains a promise for those who keep it. It is obvious then that we do our children a tremendous favor when we teach them to respect and obey those in authority.
However, from there Paul went immediately into a warning to parents and especially to Fathers saying,
Ephesians 6:4
4 . . . fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
What a beautiful opportunity parents have to bring children into this world and then hold them, and talk to them, and read to them, and teach them about all of the things of the Lord. Parents must exert their influence with wisdom and creativity.
There may be times when a child needs a spanking, but a child never needs a beating. The truth is that no child has ever learned anything even from a spanking unless it was lovingly administered with some good, clear instruction.
The purpose of the spanking is to get the child’s attention so you can teach them something. Now if parents can teach their children everything that they need to know without ever having to administer a spanking, I’d say they’re doing a great job of parenting. There are many ways to get a child’s attention without having to expose the child to the risks that are associated with the violence that is inherent within a spanking.
Children who are exposed to violence often harbor anger and hostility that grows deep down on the inside. This hostility is sometimes revealed in undesirable behavior years later, and the person may never really know the real cause of their behavior. Paul said, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath.”
So, parents, be careful about disciplining your young children. Make sure that they learn to obey those in authority, whether it’s you, or the teacher at school, or the law enforcement officer, but as you teach them to be obedient, do so with an attitude that is nurturing and loving and full of respect.
Now, as we get back to the idea of being in submission to our masters, we can see that the literal interpretation of these verses does not apply specifically to us because none of us has to serve as a slave. However, as a matter of application, there is a significant principle. When we work as an employee of a business or any other institution, we have an obligation to our employer which goes even beyond the expectations of our employer. We have an obligation to God to do our work with a willing heart and with a dedicated heart, not just to please the boss, but to please our Father in heaven.
Sometimes, as an employee, you may start feeling kind of underappreciated, and it’s easy to start thinking that you’d be better off to just do as little as possible without getting fired, and we all know that you don’t have to look around very far to see employees who work with that attitude.
But God says, “Don’t do it.” He says that in reality, you are not working for your earthly boss. You are working for your heavenly Father, and you know that God is going to be faithful to reward you with rewards that are so glorious that you can not even imagine their glory.”
Paul told the Corinthians:
1 Corinthains 2:9 (NKJ)
9 "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
Then he told the Romans:
Romans 8:18 (KJV)
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
You and I should work for our employer just as if we were working directly for God knowing that God will be faithful to reward us.
But then Paul has a word for the employers too in Ephesians 6. He says that employers should be respectful and considerate of their employees because God is also going to hold employers accountable for what they do. And Paul said that God is not partial to employers. Everybody will someday stand before God to give an accounting for their deeds, and God will judge without partiality.
When the apostles went out into the Roman world preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, they had nothing to offer prospective converts except the peace and the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. They could not promise them a better job. They could not promise them freedom from persecution. All they had to offer was the peace and the joy that comes through faith in Christ.
In spite of great persecution, thousands of people came to Christ and dedicated their lives to Him because it really is better to have peace with God than it is to have all of the things that this world has to offer.
Over the next 300 years the persecution increased, but the number of Christians also increased. The more Christians they killed, them more other people believed, and this doctrine of submission to those in authority was indirectly responsible for many of these conversions.
The Roman army was vicious and cruel, and they were so powerful they could crush any person or any nation in its path, but they could not intimidate the Christians. The Christians had a hope that went beyond the grace, and they had a peace that went beyond any human comprehension.
When people saw the willingness of believers to suffer and die without saying a word, they knew that faith in Christ offered something real. It offered a spiritual kind of power that no army on earth could intimidate or terrorize. When the pagans saw this faith, they knew that it was real and many of them came to know Jesus Christ as personal Savior.
If you are listening this morning and you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can put your trust in Him today and receive everlasting life.
Thank you for listening this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to being you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
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