Albert Barnes Commentary Ephesians 6

Ephesians Chapter 6

Analysis of the Chapter.

This chapter comprises the following subjects:

1. An exhortation to children to obey their parents, with a promise of the blessing that would follow from obedience (Ephesians 6:1–3).

2. An exhortation to fathers to manifest such a character that children could properly obey them, and to train them up in a proper manner (Ephesians 6:4).

3. The duty of servants (Ephesians 6:6–8).

4. The duty of masters towards their servants (Ephesians 6:9).

5. An exhortation to put on the whole armour of God, with a description of the Christian soldier, and of the Christian panoply (Ephesians 6:10–17).

6. The duty of prayer, and especially of prayer for the apostle himself, that he might be enabled to speak with boldness in the cause of his Master (Ephesians 6:18–20).

7. In the conclusion (Ephesians 6:21–24), he informs them that if they wished to make any inquiries about his condition, Tychicus, who conveyed this letter, could acquaint them with his circumstances; and then closes the epistle with the usual benedictions.

Children. Tekna. This word usually signifies those who are young; but it is here used, evidently, to denote those who were under the care and government of their parents, or those who were not of age.

Obey your parents. This is the first great duty which God has enjoined on children. It is to do what their parents command them to do. The God of nature indicates that this is duty, for He has impressed it on the minds of all in every age; and the Author of revelation confirms it. It is particularly important for several reasons:

1. Because the good order of a family, and therefore of the community, depends on it; no community or family being prosperous where there is not due subordination in the household.

2. Because the welfare of the child depends on it; as it is of the highest importance that a child should be early taught obedience to law, since no one can be prosperous or happy who is not thus obedient.

3. Because the child is not competent, as yet, to reason on what is right, or qualified to direct himself; and, while that is the case, he must be subject to the will of some other person.

4. Because the parent, by his age and experience, is presumed to be qualified to direct and guide a child. The love which God has implanted in the heart of a parent for a child secures, in general, the administration of this domestic government in such a way as not to injure the child. A father will not, unless under strong passion or the excitement of intoxication, abuse his authority. He loves the child too much. He desires his welfare; and placing the child under the parent's authority is, regarding the child's welfare, about the same as it would be to endow the child at once with all the wisdom and experience of the parent himself.

5. It is important because family government is designed to be an imitation of the government of God. The government of God is what a perfect family government would be; and to accustom a child to be obedient to a parent is designed to be one method of leading him to be obedient to God. No child that is disobedient to a parent will be obedient to God; and that child that is most obedient to a father and mother will be most likely to become a Christian and an heir of heaven. And it may be observed, in general, that no disobedient child is virtuous, prosperous, or happy. Everyone foresees the ruin of such a child; and most cases of crime that lead to the penitentiary, or the gallows, commence with disobedience to parents.

In the Lord. That is, as far as their commandments agree with those of God, and no further. No parent can have a right to require a child to steal, or lie, or cheat, or assist him in committing murder, or in doing any other wrong thing. No parent has a right to forbid a child to pray, to read the Bible, to worship God, or to make a profession of religion.

The duties and rights of children, in such cases, are similar to those of wives (see notes on Ephesians 5:22); and, in all cases, God is to be obeyed rather than man. When a parent, however, is opposed to a child—when he expresses an unwillingness that a child should attend a particular church, or make a profession of religion—such opposition should, in all cases, be a sufficient reason for the child to pause and re-examine the subject.

He should pray much, and think much, and inquire much, before, in any case, he acts contrary to the will of a father or mother; and, when he does do it, he should state to them, with great gentleness and kindness, that he believes he ought to love and serve God.

For this is right. It is right for these reasons:

1. Because it is so appointed by God as a duty.

2. Because children owe a debt of gratitude to their parents for what they have done for them.

3. Because it will be for the good of the children themselves, and for the welfare of society.

Honour your father and mother.Exodus 20:12. (see Barnes).

Which is the first commandment with promise. With a promise annexed to it. The promise was that their days would be long in the land which the Lord their God would give them. It is not to be supposed that the observance of the first four commandments would not be attended with a blessing, but no particular blessing is promised.

It is true, indeed, that a general declaration is annexed to the second commandment: that God would show mercy to thousands of generations of those who loved him and kept his commandments. But that is a declaration in regard to all the commands of God rather than a promise annexed to that specific commandment.

It is an assurance that obedience to the law of God would be followed with blessings for a thousand generations, and it is given in view of the first and second commandments together, because they related particularly to the honour that was due to God. But the promise in the fifth commandment is a special promise. It does not relate to obedience to God in general, but it is a particular assurance that those who honour their parents shall have a particular blessing as the result of that obedience.

That it may be well with thee. This is found in the fifth commandment as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:16. The whole commandment as there recorded is, "Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." The meaning here is that they would be happier, more useful, and more virtuous if they obeyed their parents than if they disobeyed them.

And thou mayest live long on the earth. In the Commandment, as recorded in Exodus 20:12, the promise is, "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." This referred to the promised land—the land of Canaan.

The meaning doubtless is that there would be a special providence, granting length of days to those who were obedient to parents. Long life was regarded as a great blessing, and this blessing was promised. The apostle here gives the promise a more general form and says that obedience to parents was connected at all times with long life. We may remark here:

1. That long life is a blessing. It affords a longer space to prepare for eternity; it enables a person to be more useful; and it furnishes a longer opportunity to study the works of God on earth. It is not improper to desire it, and we should make use of all the means in our power to lengthen out our days, and to preserve and protract our lives.

2. It is still true that obedience to parents is conducive to length of life, and that those who are most obedient in early life, other things being equal, have the prospect of living long. This occurs because:

   1. Obedient children are saved from the vices and crimes which shorten life. No parent will command his child to be a drunkard, a gambler, a spendthrift, a pirate, or a murderer. But these vices and crimes, resulting in most cases from disobedience to parents, all shorten life, and those who commit them early are certain of an early grave. No child who disobeys a parent can have any security that he will not fall victim to such vices and crimes.

   2. Obedience to parents is connected with virtuous habits that are conducive to long life. It will make a child industrious, temperate, and sober; it will lead him to restrain and govern his wild passions; it will lead him to form habits of self-government which will, in future life, save him from the snares of vice and temptation.

   3. Many a life is lost early by disobeying a parent. A child disobeys a father and goes into a dram-shop, or he goes to sea, or he becomes the companion of the wicked—and he may be wrecked at sea, or his character on land may be wrecked forever. Of disobedient children, there is perhaps not one in a hundred that ever reaches an honored old age.

   4. We may still believe that God, in His providence, will watch over those who are obedient to a father and mother. If He regards a falling sparrow (Matthew 10:29), He will not be unmindful of an obedient child; if He numbers the hairs of the head (Matthew 10:30), He will not be regardless of the little boy that honors Him by obeying a father and mother.

And you fathers. A command addressed particularly to fathers because they are at the head of the family, and its government is especially committed to them. The object of the apostle here is to show parents that their commands should be easy to obey, or that are entirely reasonable and proper.

If children are required to obey, it is only reasonable that the commands of the parent should be commands they can obey, or commands that will not discourage the child in his attempt to obey. This statement is in accordance with what he had said in Ephesians 5:22-25 about the relationship between husband and wife.

It was the duty of the wife to obey—but it was the corresponding duty of the husband to show such a character that it would be pleasant for her to yield obedience—so to love her, that his known wish would be law to her. In like manner, it is the duty of children to obey a parent; but it is the duty of a parent to show such a character, and to maintain such a government, that it would be proper for the child to obey; to command nothing that is unreasonable or improper, but to train up his children in the ways of virtue and pure religion.

Provoke not your children to wrath. That is, by unreasonable commands, by needless severity, or by a display of anger. So govern them, and so punish them—if punishment is necessary—that they will not lose their confidence in you, but will love you. The apostle here has identified the very danger to which parents are most exposed in the government of their children. It is that of souring their temper, of making them feel that the parent is under the influence of anger, and that it is right for them to be so too.

This is done:

1. When the commands of a parent are unreasonable and severe. The spirit of a child then becomes irritated, and he is discouraged (Colossians 3:21).
2. When a parent is evidently excited when he punishes a child. The child then feels:
   1. that if his father is angry, it is not wrong for him to be angry; and
   2. the very fact of anger in a parent kindles anger in his heart—just as it does when two men are contending.
   If he submits in the case, it is only because the parent is the strongest, not because he is right; and the child cherishes anger, while he yields to power.

There is no principle of parental government more important than that a father should command his own temper when he administers punishment. He should punish a child not because he is angry, but because it is right; not because it has become a matter of personal contest, but because God requires that he should do it, and the welfare of the child demands it.

The moment a child sees that a parent punishes him under the influence of anger, that moment the child will likely be angry too—and his anger will be as proper as that of the parent. And yet how often is punishment administered in this manner! And how often does the child feel that the parent punished him simply because he was the strongest, not because it was right! And how often is the mind of a child left with a strong conviction that wrong has been done to him by the punishment he has received, rather than with repentance for the wrong that he has himself done!

But bring them up. Place them under such discipline and instruction that they will become acquainted with the Lord.

In the nurture, en paideia. The word here used means training of a child; hence education, instruction, discipline. Here it means that they are to train up their children in such a manner as the Lord approves; that is, they are to educate them for virtue and religion.

And admonition. The word here used—nouyesia—means, literally, a putting in mind; then warning, admonition, instruction. The sense here is, that they were to put them in mind of the Lord—of his existence, perfections, law, and claims on their hearts and lives. This command is positive, and is in accordance with all the requirements of the Bible on the subject.

No one can doubt that the Bible requires parents to endeavor to train up their children in the ways of religion, and of making it the grand purpose of this life to prepare them for heaven. It has been often objected that children should be left on religious subjects to form their own opinions when they are able to judge for themselves.

Infidels and irreligious men always oppose or neglect the duty required here; and the plea commonly is, that to teach religion to children is to make them prejudiced, to destroy their independence of mind, and to prevent their judging as impartially on so important a subject as they ought to. In reply to this, and in defense of the requirements of the Bible on the subject, we may remark:

1. That allowing a child to grow up without any instruction in religion is about the same as allowing a garden to lie without any cultivation. Such a garden would soon be overrun with weeds, briers, and thorns—but not sooner, or more certainly, than the mind of a child would.
2. Men do instruct their children in a great many things, and why should they not in religion? They teach them how to behave in company, the art of farming, the way to make or use tools, how to make money, and how to avoid the arts of the cunning seducer. But why should it not be said that all this tends to destroy their independence and to make them prejudiced? Why not leave their minds open and free, and allow them to form their own judgments about farming and the mechanic arts when their minds are matured?
3. Men do inculcate their own sentiments in religion. An infidel is not usually very anxious to conceal his views from his children. Men teach by example, by incidental remarks, and by the neglect of that which they regard as of no value. A man who does not pray is teaching his children not to pray; he who neglects the public worship of God is teaching his children to neglect it; he who does not read the Bible is teaching his children not to read it. Such is the constitution of things, that it is impossible for a parent not to inculcate his own religious views on his children. Since this is so, all that the Bible requires is that his instructions should be RIGHT,
4. To inculcate the truths of religion is not to make the mind narrow, prejudiced, and indisposed to perceive the truth. Religion makes the mind candid, conscientious, open to conviction, and ready to follow the truth. Superstition, bigotry, infidelity, and all error and falsehood, make the mind narrow and prejudiced.
5. If a man does not teach his children truth, others will teach them error. The young skeptic that the child meets in the street, the artful infidel, the hater of God, and the unprincipled stranger will teach the child. But is it not better for a parent to teach his child the truth than for a stranger to teach him error?
6. Religion is the most important of all subjects, and therefore it is of most importance that children on that subject should be taught TRUTH. Of whom can God so properly require this as of a parent? If it is asked in what way a parent is to bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, I answer:
   1. By directly inculcating the doctrines and duties of religion—just as he does anything else that he regards as of value.
   2. By placing them in the Sabbath school, where he may have a guarantee that they will be taught the truth.
   3. By conducting them—not merely sending them—to the sanctuary, that they may be taught in the house of God.
   4. By example—all teaching being valueless without that.
   5. By prayer for the Divine aid in his efforts, and for the salvation of their souls.
   These duties are plain, simple, easy to perform, and are such as a man knows he ought to perform. If neglected, and the soul of the child is lost, a parent has a most fearful account to render to God.

Servants. oi douloi. The word used here denotes one who is bound to render service to another, whether that service is free or voluntary; and may denote, therefore, either a slave or one who binds himself to render service to another. It is often used in these senses in the New Testament, just as it is elsewhere. It cannot be demonstrated that the word here necessarily means slaves; though, if slavery existed among those to whom this epistle was written—as there is little doubt that it did—it is a word which would apply to those in this condition. (See Barnes on 1 Corinthians 7:21; Galatians 3:28).

On the general subject of slavery, and the Scripture doctrine in regard to it, see Barnes on Isaiah 58:6.

Whether the persons referred to here were slaves, or were those who had bound themselves to render voluntary servitude, the directions given here were equally appropriate. It was not the design of the Christian religion to produce a rude sundering of the ties that bind people to one another, but to teach all to perform their duties properly in the relations in which Christianity found them, and gradually to modify the customs of society, and ultimately to produce the universal prevalence of what is right.

Be obedient to them. This is the uniform direction in the New Testament (see 1 Peter 2:18; 1 Timothy 6:1–3). See also Barnes on 1 Corinthians 7:21.

The idea is that they were to show in that relation the excellence of the religion they professed. If they could be made free, they were to prefer that condition to a state of bondage (1 Corinthians 7:21); but while the relation remained, they were to be kind, gentle, and obedient, as was fitting for Christians. In the parallel passage in Colossians (Colossians 3:22), it is said that they were to obey their masters in all things. But evidently this is to be understood with the limitations implied in the case of wives and children (see Barnes on Ephesians 5:24; Ephesians 6:1), and a master would have no right to command what was morally wrong.

According to the flesh. This is evidently designed to limit the obligation to obedience. The meaning is that they had control over the body, the flesh. They had the power to command the service which the body could render, but they were not lords of the spirit. The soul acknowledged God as its Lord, and to the Lord they were to be subject in a higher sense than to their masters.

With fear and trembling. This means with reverence and with a dread of offending them. They have authority and power over you, and you should be afraid to incur their displeasure. Whatever might be true about the propriety of slavery, and whatever might be the duty of the master about setting the slave free, it would be more to the honor of religion for the servant to perform his task with a willing mind than to be stubbornly disobedient or rebellious. He could do more for the honor of religion by patiently submitting even to what he felt to be wrong, than by being punished for what would be regarded as rebellion.

It may be added here that it was presumed that servants then could read. These directions were addressed to them, not to their masters. Of what use would directions like these be if addressed to American slaves—hardly any of whom can read?

In singleness of your heart. This means with a simple, sincere desire to do what ought to be done.

As unto Christ. This means feeling that by rendering proper service to your masters you are in fact serving the Lord, and that you are doing what will be well-pleasing to him. (See Barnes on 1 Corinthians 7:22).

Fidelity, in whatever situation we may be in life, is acceptable service to the Lord. A Christian can serve the Lord Jesus as acceptably in the condition of a servant as if he were a minister of the gospel or a king on a throne. Besides, remembering that we are then serving the Lord will greatly lighten the burdens of such a situation and make the toils of a humble condition easy.