Introduction to Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

EPHESIANS NOTES, COMMENTARY, AND REVIEW QUESTIONS
(Ephesians 6 - The Church and Spiritual Warfare)

Survey
The sixth chapter of Paul's Letter to the Ephesians has four main sections.  The first two sections continue the discussion of godly submission that Paul began in 5:21.  The first section is about the relationship between parents and their children (6:1-4).  The second section is about the relationship between masters and slaves (6:5-9).  In these two sections, Paul gives practical instructions on how to relate well with others no matter what one's position in life.  Children are admonished to obey their parents; and parents, especially fathers, are commanded to raise their children in a manner that fosters love for and commitment to the Lord rather than bitterness and resentment.  Slaves (i.e., bondservants or employees) are admonished to obey those who have rule over them, not because of fear of punishment, but rather because the labor that is performed in the natural must ultimately bring glory and honor to God.  Masters (or employers) are reminded that they do not have ultimate control over their workers because God himself is the master of all.

The third section is about spiritual warfare (6:10-20).  Christians are to be strong in the Lord and put on the full armor of God in order to withstand the devil's schemes.  Paul discusses six pieces of armor that we need to defeat the assaults of the enemy.  These are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.  We put on the armor daily (or continually) through prayer and through being men and women of character (belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness).  This requires submission to God, spending time in his Word, and allowing the truth of the gospel to prepare us (sandals of the gospel of peace) so that we can resist the enemy in his attacks against our faith (shield of faith) and our assurance of salvation in Christ (helmet of salvation).  Finally, we must remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit so that he can drop a direct Word into our hearts (sword of the Spirit) to use against the evil one when he attacks us.  God's salvation fully equips us with the weapons that we need to defeat dark spiritual forces.  The fourth section is Paul's conclusion to Ephesians (6:21-24).  Paul ends this letter with a blessing of grace and peace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Commentary on Selected Verses
Verse 1.   Paul is till talking about the theme of submission in Ephesians 6:1-4.  Yet, in verse 1, children are not told to submit to parents, they are told to obey their parents.  Obedience to parents is presented as a self-evident truth.  

Verses 2-3.  Here, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 5:16.  Life generally goes well when young people follow the wisdom of their parents (see Proverbs 6:20-23).

Verse 4.  Although obedience is to be expected, it is not to be demanded through provoking and irritating children.  Discipline requires wisdom.  Parents are to love their children, teaching them obedience and those things that please the Lord (see Proverbs 22:6).

Verse 5.   Christian workers can obey and respect those who have rule over them because doing so honors Jesus Christ.  Human masters, however, are only earthly.  Both masters and servants are accountable to the Supreme Lord.  In reality, a Christian slave (or servant) is the Lord's freedman (see 1 Corinthians 7:22).

Verse 6.  Paul transforms the work ethic in this verse.  When Christians work, they should do their best whether "the boss" is watching or not, because their service is unto the Lord.  When people only render good service when they are being watched, they are operating out of deceitful hearts.

Verse 7.  This verse basically repeats the thought in the two preceding verses.  The apostle exhorts workers to serve enthusiastically because God is watching and their ultimate service is to him rather than to people.

Verse 8.  God does not reward human beings based on their social status.  He is no respecter of persons.

Verse 9.  The same attitude that is required of servants (i.e., respect and fear) is required of masters.  Masters are to treat servants the same way in which they themselves wish to be treated.  Although Paul does not outright abolish slavery, the seeds of its demise are presented here.  Unjust oppression cannot long stand in a Christian atmosphere of mutuality and reciprocity.

Verse 10.  "Be strong in the Lord" literally means "find your strength in the Lord."  This empowerment is possible because of the resources that the Lord supplies.  God's mighty power mentioned here is the same power (i.e., the Holy Spirit) that raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20).

Verse 11.  This verse instructs the reader how to "be strong in the Lord."  The believer is to "put on the full armor of God."  "Full armor" reminds us that God's weapons are adequate to meet all the challenges (methodeia = schemes, cunning subtlety, scheming cleverness, wiles, stratagems) of the devil.  Some of these schemes can be found in Ephesians 4.

Verse 12.  In addition to the devil, a host of other evil forces face believers: rulers (archōn), authorities (exousia), and powers (kosmokrator) of this dark world.  Although Ephesians 1:21 describes these forces as subject to the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ, they still seek to assert their influence in the word.

Verse 13  Because the spiritual battle is a real one, it is imperative that believers put on the full armor of God.  The military metaphor serves to demonstrate the immediacy of the battle.

"Stand against" (antistēnai) in verse 11 means to aggressively hold back.

"Struggle" in verse 12 means to engage in one-to-one-combat.

"Stand" in verse 13 means to remain standing after a battle.

"Stand" in verse 14 means to stand ready for the next battle.

Verse 14.  Paul now begins a discussion of the individual pieces of armor.  The precise correspondence of literal armor to spiritual equipment is not important (E.g., see Isaiah 11:5 and 1 Thessalonians 5:8).  What is important is the totality of the equipment.  The first two pieces of armor deal with Christian character:

Belt of Truth-Truth (alētheia) refers to genuineness, faithfulness, reliability, and integrity.

Breastplate of righteousness-Righteousness (dikaiosynē) refers to right action or conduct.  When we live holy lives, we obey the words of Ephesians 4:27, "and do not give the devil a foothold."

Verse 15.  The believer's  readiness or preparedness for combat and for standing in battle is bestowed by the Gospel of peace.  The reference is from Isaiah 52:7.  See also Nahum 1:15 and Romans 10:15.

Verse 16.  The shield of faith.-Faith (pistis) is complete reliance upon and trust in God.  It has less to do with the belief for a particular outcome than it has to do with implicit trust in God himself.

Verse 17.  Two more pieces of armor are described.

The helmet of salvation-God wears the helmet in Isaiah 59:17, so in such a context, the helmet would be the helmet of victory.  In Ephesians, salvation (soterion) is accomplished in Christ (Ephesians 2:5, 8), so salvation is available for the protection of believers.  See also 1 Thessalonians 5:8.  Our assurance of salvation protects us against the devil's lies about our position in Christ.  Battles related to our assurance of salvation take place in the mind.

The sword of the Spirit-The Word of God is given as the only offensive weapon (it's actually both offensive and defensive).  The Word in Ephesians 6 does not refer to the whole Bible (logos), but rather the portion of the Bible (rhema) that the Holy Spirit brings to us for a particular situation.  

Verses 18-20.  The putting on and utilization of the armor requires prayer.  According to these verses, prayer should be unceasing (also, 1 Thessalonians 5:17), directed by the Holy Spirit (also, Romans 8:26), intense (also, James 5:16b), and intercessory (also, Colossians 1:3).  Paul then makes his needs known, expressing his belief that prayer makes the preaching of the Gospel effective.

Verses 21-22.  We have now come to the conclusion of Paul's letter.  Tychicus, who is described as a "dear brother and faithful servant," will update the congregation of Paul's situation in prison.  Notice that the wording of Ephesians 6:21-22 is almost exactly the same as the wording of Colossians 4:7-8.

Verses 23-24.  Paul closes with a benediction.  The benediction has a two-fold purpose: (1) to extend God's blessings to the local Christian community and (2) to extend God's blessings to the larger Body of Christ.  "Undying love" carries either the sense of "everlasting love" or "pure love" (i.e., "incorruptible love").

Review Questions
Answering the following questions will help you to understand the sixth (and last) chapter of Ephesians and to clearly articulate its major themes.

1. What does a godly relationship between parents and children look like?
2. What are the characteristics of a good employee?
3. How does being individuals of character protect us from the wiles of the devil?
4. What is faith? Why is it important?
5. How do we protect our minds from the attacks of Satan?
6. Specifically, how do you "put on" the armor of God in your daily life? When do you do it?
7. What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
8. How "real" has the spiritual battle been to you? What types of "flaming arrows" has the enemy directed toward you?  How did you obtain victory?