5:18 And do not be drunk with wine. Although Scripture consistently condemns all drunkenness (see notes on Prov. 23:29–35; 31:4, 5; Is. 5:11, 12; 28:7, 8; cf. 1 Cor. 5:11; 1 Pet. 4:3), the context suggests that Paul is here speaking especially about the drunken orgies commonly associated with many pagan worship ceremonies of that day. They were supposed to induce some ecstatic communion with the deities. Paul refers to such as the “cup of demons” (see note on 1 Cor. 10:19, 20). but be filled with the Spirit. See notes on Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3. True communion with God is not induced by drunkenness, but by the Holy Spirit. Paul is not speaking of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling (Rom. 8:9) or the baptism by Christ with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), because every Christian is indwelt and baptized by the Spirit at the time of salvation. He is rather giving a command for believers to live continually under the influence of the Spirit by letting the Word control them (see note on Col. 3:16), pursuing pure lives, confessing all known sin, dying to self, surrendering to God’s will, and depending on His power in all things. Being filled with the Spirit is living in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, letting His mind, through the Word, dominate everything that is thought and done. Being filled with the Spirit is the same as walking in the Spirit (see notes on Gal. 5:16–23). Christ exemplified this way of life (Luke 4:1).
5:19–21 These verses summarize the immediate personal consequences of obeying the command to be filled with the Spirit, namely singing, giving thanks, and humbly submitting to others. The rest of the epistle features instruction based on obedience to this command
5:19 speaking to one another. This is to be public (Heb. 2:12). Cf. Pss. 33:1; 40:3; 96:1, 2; 149:1; Acts 16:25; Rev. 14:3. psalms. Old Testament psalms put to music, primarily, but the term was used also of vocal music in general. The early church sang the Psalms. hymns. Perhaps songs of praise distinguished from the Psalms which exalted God, in that they focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. spiritual songs. Probably songs of personal testimony expressing truths of the grace of salvation in Christ. making melody. Lit. means to pluck a stringed instrument, so it could refer primarily to instrumental music, while including vocal also. in your heart to the Lord. Not just public, but private. The Lord Himself is both the source and the object of the believer’s song-filled heart. That such music pleases God can be seen in the account of the temple dedication, when the singing so honored the Lord that His glory came down (2 Chr. 5:12, 14).
5:20 giving thanks always for all things. See note on 1 Thess. 5:18; cf. 2 Cor. 4:15; 9:12, 15; Phil. 4:6; Col. 2:7; Heb. 13:15. Believers’ thankfulness is for who God is and for what He has done through His Son, their Savior and Lord.
5:21 submitting to one another. Paul here made a transition and introduced his teaching about specific relationships of authority and submission among Christians (5:22—6:9) by declaring unequivocally that every spirit-filled Christian is to be a humble, submissive Christian. This is foundational to all the relationships in this section. No believer is inherently superior to any other believer. In their standing before God, they are equal in every way (Gal 3:28). in the fear of God. The believer’s continual reverence for God is the basis for his submission to other believers. Cf. Prov. 9:10.
5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands. Having established the foundational principle of submission (v. 21), Paul applied it first to the wife. The command is unqualified, applying to every Christian wife, no matter what her own abilities, education, knowledge of Scripture, spiritual maturity, or any other qualifications might be in relation to those of her husband. The submission is not the husband’s to command but for the wife to willingly and lovingly offer. “Your own husbands” limits her submission to the one man God has placed over her, and also gives a balancing emphasis that he is hers as a personal intimate possession (Song 2:16; 6:3; 7:10). She submits to the man she possesses as her own. as to the Lord. Because the obedient, spiritual wife’s supreme submission is to the Lord, her attitude is that she lovingly submits as an act of obedience to the Lord who has given this command as His will for her, regardless of her husband’s personal worthiness or spiritual condition. Cf. vv. 5–9.
5:23 husband is head…Christ is head. The Spirit-filled wife recognizes that her husband’s role in giving leadership is not only God-ordained, but is a reflection of Christ’s own loving, authoritative headship of the church. See notes on 1 Cor. 11:3; cf. 1:22, 23; 4:15; Col. 1:18; Titus 2:4, 5. Savior. As the Lord delivered His church from the dangers of sin, death, and hell, so the husband provides for, protects, preserves, and loves his wife, leading her to blessing as she submits. Cf. Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6.
5:25 love your wives. Though the husband’s authority has been established (vv. 22–24), the emphasis moves to the supreme responsibility of husbands in regard to their wives, which is to love them with the same unreserved, selfless, and sacrificial love that Christ has for His church. Christ gave everything He had, including His own life, for the sake of His church, and that is the standard of sacrifice for a husband’s love of his wife. Cf. Col. 3:19.
5:26, 27 sanctify…cleanse…holy…without blemish. This speaks of the love of Christ for His church. Saving grace makes believers holy by the agency of the Word of God (Titus 2:1–9; 3:5) so that they may be a pure bride. For husbands to love their wives as Christ does His church, demands a purifying love. Since divine love seeks to completely cleanse those who are loved from every form of sin and evil, a Christian husband should not be able to bear the thought of anything sinful in the life of his wife that displeases God. His greatest desire for her should be that she become perfectly conformed to Christ, so he leads her to purity. See note on 2 Cor. 11:28.
5:28 as their own bodies. Here is one of the most poignant and compelling descriptions of the oneness that should characterize Christian marriage. A Christian husband is to care for his wife with the same devotion that he naturally manifests as he cares for himself (v. 29)—even more so, since his self-sacrificing love causes him to put her first (cf. Phil. 2:1–4). loves his wife loves himself. In the end, a husband who loves his wife in these ways brings great blessing to himself from her and from the Lord.
5:29 nourishes and cherishes. These express the twin responsibilities of providing for her needs so as to help her grow mature in Christ and to provide warm and tender affection to give her comfort and security.
5:30 members of His body. The Lord provides for His church because it is so intimately and inseparably connected to Him. If He did not care for His church, He would be diminishing His own glory which the church brings to Him by praise and obedience. So, in marriage, the husband’s life is so intimately joined to the wife’s that they are one. When he cares for her, he cares for himself (v. 29).
5:31 Quoted from Gen. 2:24 (see note there). Paul reinforces the divine plan for marriage which God instituted at creation, emphasizing its permanence and unity. The union of marriage is intimate and unbreakable. “Joined” is a word used to express having been glued or cemented together, emphasizing the permanence of the union (see notes on Mal. 2:16; Matt. 19:5–9).
5:32 a great mystery. In the NT, “mystery” identifies some reality hidden in the past and revealed in the NT age to be written in Scripture. Marriage is a sacred reflection of the magnificent and beautiful mystery of union between the Messiah and His church, completely unknown until the NT. See notes on 3:4, 5; Matt. 13:11; 1 Cor. 2:7.
5:33 let each one of you. The intimacy and sacredness of the love relationship between believing marriage partners is to be a visual expression of the love between Christ and His church.
Ephesians 6
6:1 obey…in the Lord. See Col. 3:20. The child in the home is to be willingly under the authority of parents with obedient submission to them as the agents of the Lord placed over him, obeying parents as if obeying the Lord Himself. The reasoning here is simply that such is the way God has designed and required it (“right”). Cf. Hos. 14:9.
6:2, 3 Honor. While v. 1 speaks of action, this term speaks of attitude, as Pa
ul deals with the motive behind the action. When God gave His law in the Ten Commandments, the first law governing human relationships was this one (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16). It is the only command of the 10 that relates to the family because that principle alone secures the family’s fulfillment. Cf. Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9; Matt. 15:3–6. Proverbs affirms this principle (see 1:8; 3:1; 4:1–4; 7:1–3; 10:1; 17:21; 19:13, 26; 28:24).
6:2 the first commandment with promise. Although submission to parents should first of all be for the Lord’s sake, He has graciously added the promise of special blessing for those who obey this command. See note on Ex. 20:12, the verse from which Paul quotes (cf. Deut. 5:16).
6:4 fathers. The word technically refers to male parents, but was also used of parents in general. Since Paul had been speaking of both parents (vv. 1–3) he probably had both in mind here. The same word is used in Heb. 11:23 for Moses’ parents. do not provoke. In the pagan world of Paul’s day, and even in many Jewish households, most fathers ruled their families with rigid and domineering authority. The desires and welfare of wives and children were seldom considered. The apostle makes clear that a Christian father’s authority over his children does not allow for unreasonable demands and strictures that might drive his children to anger, despair, and resentment. training and admonition of the Lord. This calls for systematic discipline and instruction, which brings children to respect the commands of the Lord as the foundation of all of life, godliness, and blessing. Cf. Prov. 13:24; Heb. 12:5–11.
6:5 Bondservants, be obedient. See note on Col. 3:22—4:1. Slaves in both Greek and Roman culture had no rights legally and were treated as commodities. There was much abuse and seldom good treatment of slaves. The Bible does not speak against slavery itself, but against its abuses (cf. Ex. 21:16, 26, 27; Lev. 25:10; Deut. 23:15, 16). Paul’s admonition applies equally well to all employees. The term “obedient” refers to continuous, uninterrupted submission to one’s earthly master or employer, the only exception being in regard to a command that involves clear disobedience of God’s Word as illustrated in Acts 4:19, 20. See notes on 1 Tim. 6:1, 2; Titus 2:9, 10; 1 Pet. 2:18–20. according to the flesh. Human masters, that is. with fear and trembling. This is not fright, but respect for their authority. Even if an employer does not deserve respect in his own right (see 1 Pet. 2:18), it should nevertheless be given to him with genuine sincerity as if one was serving Christ Himself. To serve one’s employer well is to serve Christ well. Cf. Col. 3:23, 24.
6:6 eyeservice. Working well only when being watched by the boss. men-pleasers. Working only to promote one’s welfare, rather than to honor the employer and the Lord, whose servants we really are.
6:7, 8 Cf. Col. 3:23. God’s credits and rewards will be appropriate to the attitude and action of our work. No good thing done for His glory will go unrewarded.
6:9 And you, masters, do the same things to them. There should be mutual honor and respect from Christian employers to their employees, based on their common allegiance to the Lord. giving up threatening. The Spirit-filled boss uses his authority and power with justice and grace—never putting people under threats, never abusive or inconsiderate. He realizes that he has a heavenly Master who is impartial (cf. Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:11; James 2:9).
6:10–17 The true believer described in chaps. 1–3, who lives the Spirit-controlled life of 4:1—6:9, can be sure to be in a spiritual war, as described here. Paul closes this letter with both warning about that war and instructions on how to win it. The Lord provides His saints with sufficient armor to combat and thwart the adversary. In vv. 10–13, the apostle briefly sets forth the basic truths regarding the believer’s necessary spiritual preparation as well as truths regarding his enemy, his battle, and his victory. In vv. 14–17, he specifies the 6 most necessary pieces of spiritual armor with which God equips His children to resist and overcome Satan’s assaults.
6:10 be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Cf. Phil. 4:13; 2 Tim. 2:1. Ultimately, Satan’s power over Christians is already broken and the great war is won through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, which forever conquered the power of sin and death (Rom. 5:18–21; 1 Cor. 15:56, 57; Heb. 2:14). However, in life on earth, battles of temptation go on regularly. The Lord’s power, the strength of His Spirit, and the force of biblical truth are required for victory (see notes on 2 Cor. 10:3–5).
6:11 Put on the whole armor of God. “Put on” conveys the idea of permanence, indicating that armor should be the Christian’s sustained, life-long attire. Paul uses the common armor worn by Roman soldiers as the analogy for the believer’s spiritual defense and affirms its necessity if one is to hold his position while under attack. wiles. This is the Gr. word for “schemes,” carrying the idea of cleverness, crafty methods, cunning, and deception. Satan’s schemes are propagated through the evil world system over which he rules, and are carried out by his demon hosts. “Wiles” is all-inclusive, encompassing every sin, immoral practice, false theology, false religion, and worldly enticement. See note on 2 Cor. 2:11. the devil. Scripture refers to him as “the anointed cherub” (Ezek. 28:14), “the ruler of the demons” (Luke 11:15), “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (2:2). Scripture depicts him opposing God’s work (Zech. 3:1), perverting God’s Word (Matt. 4:6), hindering God’s servant (1 Thess. 2:18), hindering the gospel (2 Cor. 4:4), snaring the righteous (1 Tim. 3:7), and holding the world in his power (1 John 5:19).
6:12 wrestle. A term used of hand-to-hand combat. Wrestling features trickery and deception, like Satan and his hosts when they attack. Coping with deceptive temptation requires truth and righteousness. The 4 designations describe the different strata and rankings of those demons and the evil supernatural empire in which they operate. Satan’s forces of darkness are highly structured for the most destructive purposes. Cf. Col. 2:15; 1 Pet. 3:22. not…against flesh and blood. See 2 Cor. 10:3–5. spiritual hosts of wickedness. This possibly refers to the most depraved abominations, including such things as extreme sexual perversions, occultism, and Satan worship. See note on Col. 1:16. in the heavenly places. As in 1:3; 3:10, this refers to the entire realm of spiritual beings.
6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God. Paul again emphasized the necessity of the Christian’s appropriating God’s full spiritual armor by obedience in taking it up, or putting it on (v. 11). The first 3 pieces of armor (girdle, breastplate, and shoes/boots, vv. 14, 15) were worn continually on the battlefield; the last 3 (shield, helmet, and sword, vv. 16, 17) were kept ready for use when actual fighting began. the evil day. Since the fall of man, every day has been evil, a condition that will persist until the Lord returns and establishes His own righteous kingdom on earth. having done all, to stand. Standing firm against the enemy without wavering or falling is the goal. See notes on James 4:17; 1 Pet. 5:8, 9.
6:14 Stand therefore. For the third time (see vv. 11, 13), the apostle calls Christians to take a firm position in the spiritual battle against Satan and his minions. Whether confronting Satan’s efforts to distrust God, forsaking obedience, producing doctrinal confusion and falsehood, hindering service to God, bringing division, serving God in the flesh, living hypocritically, being worldly, or in any other way rejecting biblical obedience, this armor is our defense. girded…with truth. The soldier wore a tunic of loose-fitting cloth. Since ancient combat was largely hand-to-hand, a loose tunic was a potential hindrance and danger. A belt was necessary to cinch up the loosely hanging material. Cf. Ex. 12:11; Luke 12:35; 1 Pet. 1:13. Girding up was a matter of pulling in the loose ends as preparation for battle. The belt that pulls all the spiritual loose ends in is “truth” or better, “truthfulness.” The idea is of sincere commitment to fight and win without hypocrisy—self-discipline in devotion to victory. Everything that hinders is tucked away. Cf. 2 Tim. 2:4; Heb. 12:1. the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate was usually a tough, sleeveless piece of leather or heavy material with animal horn or hoof pieces sewn on, covering the soldier’s full tor
so, protecting his heart and other vital organs. Because righteousness, or holiness, is such a distinctive characteristic of God Himself, it is not hard to understand why that is the Christian’s chief protection against Satan and his schemes. As believers faithfully live in obedience to and communion with Jesus Christ, His own righteousness produces in them the practical, daily righteousness that becomes their spiritual breastplate. Lack of holiness, on the other hand, leaves them vulnerable to the great enemy of their souls (cf. Is. 59:17; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 5:8).
6:15 shod…with…the gospel of peace. Roman soldiers wore boots with nails in them to grip the ground in combat. The gospel of peace pertains to the good news that, through Christ, believers are at peace with God and He is on their side (Rom. 5:6–10). It is that confidence of divine support which allows the believer to stand firm, knowing that since he is at peace with God, God is his strength (see Rom. 8:31, 37–39).
6:16 the shield of faith. This Gr. word usually refers to the large shield (2.5 x 4.5 ft.) that protected the entire body. The faith to which Paul refers is not the body of Christian doctrine (as the term is used in 4:13) but basic trust in God. The believer’s continual trust in God’s word and promise is “above all” absolutely necessary to protect him from temptations to every sort of sin. All sin comes when the victim falls to Satan’s lies and promises of pleasure, rejecting the better choice of obedience and blessing. fiery darts. Temptations are likened to the flaming arrows shot by the enemy and quenched by the oil-treated leather shield (cf. Ps. 18:30; Prov. 30:5, 6; 1 John 5:4).
6:17 the helmet of salvation. The helmet protected the head, always a major target in battle. Paul is speaking to those who are already saved, and is therefore not speaking here about attaining salvation. Rather, Satan seeks to destroy a believer’s assurance of salvation with his weapons of doubt and discouragement. This is clear from Paul’s reference to “the helmet of the hope of salvation” (Is. 59:17; see note on 1 Thess. 5:8). But although a Christian’s feelings about his salvation may be seriously damaged by Satan-inspired doubt, his salvation itself is eternally protected and he need not fear its loss. Satan wants to curse the believer with doubts, but the Christian can be strong in God’s promises of eternal salvation in Scripture (see John 6:37–39; 10:28, 29; Rom. 5:10; 8:31–39; Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:3–5). Security is a fact; assurance is a feeling that comes to the obedient Christian (1 Pet. 1:3–10). the sword of the Spirit. As the sword was the soldier’s only weapon, so God’s Word is the only needed weapon, infinitely more powerful than any of Satan’s. The Gr. term refers to a small weapon (6–18 in. long). It was used both defensively to fend off Satan’s attacks, and offensively to help destroy the enemy’s strategies. It is the truth of Scripture. See notes on 2 Cor. 10:3–5; Heb. 4:12.
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