Exploring Ephesians #16 - Instructions for Home #2
Text: Ephesians 6:1-9
Thesis: To note Paul’s instructions for children, fathers, slaves, and masters in order to understand the application for today.
Introduction:
(1) Now, Paul continues his instructions for proper relationships at home.
(2) Here, he will focus on children, fathers, slaves, and masters.
(3) Let us look at each one of these in an effort to understand the contemporary application:
Discussion:
I. To Children:
A. Instruction –
1. Obey your parents
a. ‘Obey’ (Gr. hupakouo) literally means “listen under” and implies that a child is listening to his/her parent(s) “with intent to understand and do” what the parent(s) saying (Hughes 199).
b. This command is clarified by ‘in the Lord,’ which means that children are to be obedient to their parents only “in those things which are consistent with Christ and his Word” (Hughes 199).
2. Honor your father and mother
a. ‘Honor’ (Gr. timao) “means to show them respect and love, to care for them as long as they need us, and to seek to bring honor to them by the way we live” (Wiersbe 6:53).
b. This verse (v. 2a.) is a quotation of Exodus 20:12 where the chief concern was older children honoring their aged parents.
B. Reason –
1. ‘This is right’ (i.e., the need for children to obey their parents has been recognized by virtually every culture and society)
2. ‘First commandment with promise’
a. Promise: That it may be will with you (cf. Deut. 5:16)
b. Promise: You may live long on the earth
(1) Consider the OT penalty for disobedience: death (cf. Deut. 21:18-21).
(2) Note: This is a general promise.
II. To Fathers:
A. What not to do –
1. Provoke your children to wrath
2. Ways this is often done: 1) Unreasonableness; 2) Fault-finding; 3) Neglect; 4) Inconsistency (Hughes 200):
B. What to do –
1. ‘Bring them up’ (Gr. ektrepho) [Note: John Calvin translated this as “let them be kindly cherished” (213)]
2. How?
a. ‘Training’ (Gr. paideia) means “the act of providing guidance for responsible living” (BDAG).
b. ‘Admonition’ (Gr. nouthesia) means “counsel about avoidance or cessation of an improper course of conduct” (BDAG).
(1) This same word is used in the LXX in 1 Sam. 11:13 where Eli is rebuked for a failure to ‘restrain’ his sons.
(2) This ‘restraint’ may, at times, include ‘the rod’ (cf. Prov. 13:24).
c. ‘In the Lord’ is the goal of all such teaching and training.
III. To Slaves:
A. Note:
1. Slavery was widespread in the first-century.
a. It is estimated that there were over 60 million slaves or 1/3 of the population in the Roman Empire.
b. However, “Roman slavery in the first century was far more humane and civilized than the American/African slavery practiced in this country much later” (Hughes 206).
2. Still, why didn’t Paul outright oppose it?
a. Possibly … would have hindered the spread of the gospel, slaves would have become Christians for the wrong reasons
b. Nevertheless, Paul did give principles that would eventually undermine slavery (e.g., Gal. 3:28, see also Philemon).
3. In some ways, slavery may be paralleled to an employee/employer relationship and this will be the focus for us today.
B. Instruction:
‘Be obedient to those who are masters’
a. Have a proper attitude about them (i.e., ‘with fear and trembling’ – a proper respect; cf. attitude toward God with ‘fear’).
b. Have a proper attitude toward them (i.e., ‘in sincerity of heart’ – “with no ulterior motive” [Hughes 208]).
c. Have the proper understanding that how you treat them is how you treat Christ (i.e., ‘as to Christ;’ cf. 1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:17)
C. Motivation:
1. What you do toward others you do toward Christ.
2. Therefore, He will ensure you that you will be rewarded by Him.
IV. To Masters:
A. Instruction:
1. Give up threatening
2. Have no partiality
B. Motivation: You answer to God.
Conclusion:
(1) No matter who you are, you answer to God.
(2) Are you prepared to stand before Him?