CHAPTER 6

(A.D. 64)

DUTIES OF CHILDREN

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (This means to be under authority. As well, it refers to parents who know God. If not, they are to be obeyed as far as possible, but not in that which violates the Scripture.)

²Honour your father and mother (all of this is important because family Government is designed to be an imitation of the Government of God); (which is the first Commandment with Promise;)

³That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth ([Deut. 5:16; Ex. 20:12], as should be obvious, failure to obey carries a penalty).

FATHERS

⁴And, you Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath (refers to the fact that Fathers are to raise their children in love and not the opposite): but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (raised according to the ways of the Lord, i.e., His Word).

SERVANTS AND MASTERS

⁵Servants (slaves), be obedient to them who are your masters according to the flesh (the slave owners were masters as it pertained to the task at hand, but that only; the Lord was the Master of the soul and the spirit of the individual, and the eternal well-being also), with fear and trembling (actually refers to fear and trembling before the Lord), in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ (consider an order by the slave master as an order from Christ);

⁶Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers (pertains to service which is done only when one is under the Masters eye, but something else when he is not watching); but as the Servants of Christ (they were to look at themselves as servants of Christ, not of men; this spirit will render excellent service to men), doing the Will of God from the heart (it is the Will of God that we conduct ourselves like Christ);

⁷With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men (this means every employee, irrespective whom his employer might be, is to function in his task, whatever it might be, as though he is doing it to the Lord):

⁸Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. (Even though conscientious service may not always be rewarded by earthly employers, it definitely will not be overlooked by the Lord.)

⁹And, you masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening (means that Christian Masters, of which there definitely were some, were to treat their Christian slaves, or any slave for that matter, with kindness and respect): knowing that your Master also is in Heaven (thereby overlooking both the employer and the employee in using todays terminology); neither is there respect of persons with Him. (He looks at one as he looks at the other.)

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

¹⁰Finally, my Brethren, be strong in the Lord (be continually strengthened, which one does by constant Faith in the Cross), and in the power of His Might. (This power is at our disposal. The Source is the Holy Spirit, but the Means is the Cross [I Cor. 1:18].)

¹¹Put on the whole Armour of God (not just some, but all), that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. (This refers to the stratagems of Satan.)

¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood (our foes are not human; however, Satan constantly uses human beings to carry out his dirty work), but against principalities (rulers or beings of the highest rank and order in Satans kingdom), against powers (the rank immediately below the Principalities), against the rulers of the darkness of this world (those who carry out the instructions of the Powers), against spiritual wickedness in high places.(This refers to demon spirits.)

RESOURCES

¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God (because of what we face), that you may be able to withstand in the evil day (refers to resisting and opposing the powers of darkness), and having done all, to stand. (This refers to the Believer not giving ground, not a single inch.)

¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with Truth (the Truth of the Cross), and having on the Breastplate of Righteousness (the Righteousness of Christ, which comes strictly by and through the Cross);

¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace (peace comes through the Cross as well);

¹⁶Above all, taking the Shield of Faith (ever making the Cross the Object of your Faith, which is the only Faith God will recognize, and the only Faith Satan will recognize), wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (This represents temptations with which Satan assails the Saints.)

¹⁷And take the Helmet of Salvation (has to do with the renewing of the mind, which is done by understanding that everything we receive from the Lord, comes to us through the Cross), and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (the Word of God is the Story of Christ and the Cross):

¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (an incessant pleading until the prayer is answered [Lk. 18:1-8]), and watching thereunto (being sensitive to what the Holy Spirit desires) with all perseverance (dont stop) and supplication (petitions and requests) for all Saints (Saints praying for other Saints);

¹⁹And for me (pray for me), that utterance may be given unto me (pray that the Lord would anoint him to Preach and Teach), that I may open my mouth boldly (refers to being fearless and confident in the presentation of the Gospel), to make known the Mystery of the Gospel (to properly Preach and Teach the New Covenant, which is the story of the Cross),

²⁰For which I am an Ambassador (for Christ) in bonds (a prisoner): that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak (that he would not allow the persecution to stop him from Preaching as he should Preach).

BENEDICTION

²¹But that you also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved Brother and Faithful Minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things (evidently, Tychicus was with Paul for a period of time while he was imprisoned in Rome; he would inform the Ephesians of Pauls state):

²²Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that you might know our affairs, and tha t he might comfort your hearts.

²³Peace be to the Brethren, and Love with Faith (presents Love springing forth from Faith, which ever speaks of the Cross as its Object), from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (This refers to the fact that what all Believers receive from God the Father comes through the Lord Jesus Christ, with the Cross being the means of such things.)

²⁴Grace be with all them who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. (If the Love is sincere, it will be based strictly in the Cross of Christ.) Amen.