Ephesians 6

Obedience Resembles Belonging

Sometimes, we can get so frustrated at our parents and miss the big picture. You often may not know why they are asking you to do this and get made because we all have the natural sin in us, to disobey your parents.

But what has Ephesians been all about? Being made alive in Christ and being adopted into His family. Being in God’s family looks different though from the world. But since we belong to Jesus, we obey Him.

Since you belong to your family, obey them. You don’t have to obey other parents if you aren’t in their house and stuff, but you obey your parents because you belong to them and are apart of their family. Often they ask you to do your home work and study, work hard, etc. because they love you and want you to succeed and be better then they ever could be. You obey them because you are apart of the family and it’s also important to carry your own weight.

Little do you know the value in obedience. We were born to obey God

Obey Your Parents

Ephesians 6:1–4 ESV

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Obeying your parents is worshiping God. “For this is right”

Paul is quoting a verse from the old testament:

Deuteronomy 5:16 ESV

16 “ ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Discipline is essential in growth and in order to become better people, we have to obey something. We have to say yes to something. Do we only say yes to what we want? Imagine a society full of disobedient children. Pure and utter chaos. Now fathers and mothers ought to be Biblical and Godly parents but even if they are not, you are still required to listen and obey.

Proverbs 19:18 ESV

18 Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.

Children are the future of the world. Don’t take criticism and stuff your mom and dad ask you to do as a negative thing, you are the next generation and will be here after your parents die.

Obey them and know that this is the right thing to do.

You will have a tendency to disobey but go to the good.

Structure is so important. You understand the need for obeying rules and discipline in so many avenues of your life and for good reason.

Obey Your Masters

Ephesians 6:5–10 ESV

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

I know that there are some verses that mention slave and some people ask and claim does the Bible condone and support slavery? My short answer is no, regarding what the cultural connotation of the word slavery. But yes, in biblical terminology.

In biblical contexts, a bondservant refers to someone who willingly enters into a contractual agreement to serve another person for a specific period of time. This contractual servitude could arise for various reasons, such as the repayment of debts or as a form of employment. Unlike slavery as commonly understood, where individuals are often forced into servitude against their will and treated as property, bondservitude in biblical times typically involved individuals consenting to the arrangement and maintaining certain rights and protections under the law.