6:1 Children, 1 obey your parents 2 in the a Lord: 3 for
this is right.
(1) He comes to another part of a family, and shows that the
duty of the children toward their parents consists in
obedience to them.
(2) The first argument: because God has so appointed. And upon
this it follows also that children are obligated to obey
their parents, that they may not swerve from the true
worship of God.
(a) For the Lord is author of all fatherhood, and therefore
we must yield such obedience as he will have us.
(3) The second argument: because this obedience is most just.
6:24 Honour thy father and mother; 5 (which is the first
commandment with b promise;)
(4) A proof of the first argument.
(5) The third argument taken of the profit that ensues from it:
because the Lord gave this commandment among all the rest
a special blessing.
(b) With a special promise: for otherwise the second
commandment has a promise of mercy to a thousand
generations, but that promise is general.
6:46 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but
bring them up in the nurture and c admonition of the Lord.
(6) It is the duty of fathers to use their fatherly authority
moderately and to God's glory.
(c) Such information and precepts which are taken out of
God's book, and are holy and acceptable to him.
6:57 Servants, be obedient to them that are [your] masters
8 according to the flesh, with d fear and trembling, in
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
(7) Now he descends to the third part of a family, that is, to
the duty both of the masters and of the servants. And he
shows that the duty of servants consists in a hearty love
and reverence for their masters.
(8) He moderates the sharpness of service, in that they are
spiritually free even though they are servants, and yet
that spiritual freedom does not take away physical service:
insomuch that they cannot be Christ's, unless they serve
their masters willingly and faithfully, as much as they may
with clear conscience.
(d) With careful reverence: for slavish fear is not
allowable, much less in Christian servants.
6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, 9 doing the will of God from the heart;
(9) To cut off occasion of all pretences, he teaches us that it
is God's will that some are either born or made servants,
and therefore they must respect God's will although their
service is ever so hard.
6:7 With good will doing service, as to the e Lord, and not to
men:
(e) Being moved with a reverence for God, as though you
served God himself.
6:810 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the
same shall he receive of the Lord, whether [he be] bond or
free.
(10) Although they serve unkind and cruel masters, yet the
obedience of servants is no less acceptable to God, than
the obedience of those that are free.
6:911 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them,
forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in
heaven; neither is there f respect of persons with him.
(11) It is the duty of masters to use the authority that they
have over their servants, modestly and in a holy manner,
seeing that they in another respect have a common master
who is in heaven, who will judge both the servant and the
free.
(f) Either of freedom or bondage.
6:1012 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of his might.
(12) He concludes the other part of this epistle with a grave
exhortation, that all are ready and fight constantly,
trusting in spiritual weapons, until their enemies are
completely put to flight. And first of all he warns us to
take up the armour of God, for with it alone may our enemy
be dispatched.
6:1213 For we wrestle not against flesh and g blood, but
against h principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high [places].
(13) Secondly, he declares that our chiefest and mightiest
enemies are invisible, so that we may not think that our
chiefest conflict is with men.
(g) Against men, who are of a frail and brittle nature,
against whom are set spiritual wiles, a thousand
times more mighty than the flesh.
(h) He gives these names to the evil angels, by reason of
the effects which they work: not that they are able to
do the same in and of themselves, but because God
gives them permission.
6:1314 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the i evil day, and having
done all, to stand.
(14) He shows that these enemies are put to flight only with
the armour of God, that is, with uprightness of conscience,
a godly and holy life, knowledge of the Gospel, faith, and
to be short, with the word of God. And that daily earnest
prayer must be made for the health of the Church, and
especially for the steadfast faithfulness of the true,
godly, and valiant ministers of the word.
(i) See (Eph 5:16).
6:15 And your feet shod with the k preparation of the gospel
of peace;
(k) The preparation of the Gospel may be as it were shoes
to you: and it is very fitly called the Gospel of
peace, because, seeing we have to go to God through
most dangerous ranks of enemies, this may encourage us
to go on bravely, in that you know by the doctrine of
the Gospel, that we are travelling to God who is at
peace with us.
6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the l
Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints;
(l) That holy prayers may proceed from the Holy Spirit.
6:2115 But that ye also may know my affairs, [and] how I do,
Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the
Lord, shall make known to you all things:
(15) A familiar and very amiable declaration of his state,
together with a solemn prayer, with which Paul is
accustomed to end his epistles.
6:24 Grace [be] with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ
m in sincerity. Amen. <<[To [the] Ephesians written from
Rome, by Tychicus.]>>
