EPHESIANS 6:1-9 - HONOR THE AUDIENCE OF ONE THROUGH RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS

Ephesians 6:1-9

HONOR THE AUDIENCE OF ONE

THROUGH RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS

The first six verses of Ephesians chapter six still relate back to Ephesians 5:20 and believers’ willing submission to one another in Christ. The first four verses continue with submission in the home, and verses five through eight deal with slaves or in most of our cases the employee to employer relationship.

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

Colossians 3:20 (KJV) Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Since this letter is addressed to the church at Ephesus, the assumption is that the parents are Christians, and therefore, “in the Lord.” However, it is God’s design that children be under the authority of the parent unless obedience to parents conflicts with obedience to God. Paul’s reason for this obedience is “this is right.” His next sentence relates obedience to the fifth commandment found in Exodus 20.

Ephesians 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Exodus 20:12 (KJV) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Obedience is an action whereas honoring is an attitude. Honoring one’s parents comes from respect and gratitude for their protection, nurturing, teaching, and discipline. Honoring one’s parents extends into adulthood. Living a godly life honors the Christian parents by not bringing shame to the family name. One honors their parents by remaining a part of their lives and making sure they are cared for in their golden years.

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Parents should not bring their children to the point of outrageous, uncontrollable, violent displays of anger. Fathers in the time and place Paul addressed could be strict to the point of oppression, unreasonably demanding. The rules and consequences set by parents should be reasonable, fair, and for the best interest of the child and the rest of the family.

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language

ADMONI'TION, noun Gentle reproof; counseling against a fault; instruction in duties; caution; direction. Titus 3:10. 1 Corinthians 10:11.

Loving discipline corrects a child gently but firmly. The Lord extended His grace toward us by dying for us on the cross even when we were His enemies. We should look for opportunities to extend grace to our children. Correction and discipline are necessary to guide a child toward a relationship with the Lord, but should be done in love. When disciplining a child, it behooves the parents to be consistent as close to 100% of the time as possible. The child must know and understand the rules and expectations before they are expected to obey them. It is important for both parents to be in agreement and present a united front with their children. Children will take advantage of disagreements between Mom and Dad to divide and conquer! Raising children is a great responsibility and should be a matter of much prayer. If you are consulting the One who made your children, He will give you strategies to understand and live out the great adventure of parenting.

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Paul was writing to believers, some of whom may have been indentured to non-believers. The Christian should work in excellence because his overseer/boss is merely human, but the one we truly answer to is Christ. Are we doing our work in such a way that it would bring Christ pleasure and honor and joy? Joy as a proud parent when their child does a job well.

Peter admonished his readers to be obedient servants as well.

1 Peter 2:18 (HCSB) Household slaves, submit with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel. 19 For it brings favor if, mindful of God’s will, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly.

It would be easy to submit to a kind master (or in our case – boss), but having to submit to a cruel, unscrupulous, or crooked one would be very hard! Why should these slaves/servants have to do that?

The MacArthur Bible Commentary

One’s Christianity does not give him the right to rebel against his superior in the social structure no matter how unfair or harsh he may be.

These days there are usually proper channels to go through if one has a valid complaint about a supervisor. We need to do that without violence, disrespect, or causing a scene. When we respect authority, it is a positive witness to other workers. These slaves/workers are actually submitting not to the unscrupulous man or woman over them but to their ultimate Master, God, to bring Him glory through their excellent behavior and service.

There are places in the world where slavery or indentured service still exist, and this would apply literally to believers living in those circumstances. However, even as free workers, we should respect authority, do our best on the job, and maintain a positive witness that honors the Lord.

Ephesians 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

We are to do our best in the workplace, not just when the supervisor is watching, but at all times. Our true Boss/Master IS watching at all times. The motivation for the Christian proceeds from the heart in obedience to the Lord rather than for earthly rewards. We should not do a half-way job but put our hearts into our work, doing superior work as we would for Jesus. This will be a positive witness to our earthly bosses and co-workers.

Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

All good gifts, all rewards, are ultimately from the Lord, whether temporal or eternal. We should just do our best because it is the right thing to do, the godly thing to do. However, we can be assured that even if we are never praised by our earthly employers for our excellent work, God sees all and will reward us either here and now or when we are called home to Him.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If we understand that Jesus is the ultimate prize, the ultimate reward or portion as the Jews would say, then our treasure is with Him in Heaven. Jesus has gone to prepare a place where all believers will reside together in unity forever, being one as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17).

Eph 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Of course, Christians who owned slaves were commanded to treat them fairly and with respect as brothers or sisters in the Lord. Paul reminded them that it matters not to God whether a man is the master or the slave because He is the Master over all.

Colossians 4:1 (HCSB) Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.

Ponder This: All our earthly relationships should be based on submitting first to the Lord Jesus and then one to another. As we learned in Philippians 2, we should put others’ needs ahead of our own, serving one another in love. In our “me first” society, this behavior will stand out. It will seem foreign to many people, but then it is…it is other-worldly, heavenly minded.