Ephesians 6:1-4

3. Paul’s Command to Fathers - vs 4

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Negative Command

Paul’s first command to parents is negative: fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. That was a totally new concept for Paul’s day, especially in such pagan strongholds as Ephesus. Most families were in shambles, and mutual love among family members was almost unheard of. A father’s love for his children would have been hard even to imagine. By the Roman law of patria potestas a father had virtual life and death power not only over his slaves but over his entire household. He could cast any of them out of the house, sell them as slaves, or even kill them—and be accountable to no one. A newborn child was placed at its father’s feet to determine its fate. If the father picked it up, the child was allowed to stay in the home; if the father walked away, it was simply disposed of—much as aborted babies are in our own day. Discarded infants who were healthy and vigorous were collected and taken each night to the town forum, where they would be picked up and raised to be slaves or prostitutes.

(ESV)

7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

4 THE COMMAND

5. application

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Negative Command

Paul’s first command to parents is negative: fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. That was a totally new concept for Paul’s day, especially in such pagan strongholds as Ephesus. Most families were in shambles, and mutual love among family members was almost unheard of.

what is communicated here?

TEST

Paul weaves throughout this section some of the benefits of voluntary subjection in its various forms. A husband does himself a favor by treating his wife in a loving way (5:28–29). Children obtain divine blessing by obeying their parents (6:2–3). Slaves store up heavenly reward by rendering their service to please God (6:7–8). But note that Paul assumes individual obedience to his instructions, reward or no reward. He attaches no conditions for compliance with them, and he does not consider the possibility of Christian relationships that lack mutual subjection. The implication? Just do it.