Text: Ephesians 6:1-9
By: Eyiangho Godwin
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INTRODUCTION
God desires human relationship from the beginning with a man and a woman, husband and wife and later children to form a family.
From the small unit of family relationship comes the larger society of human relationship.
It is what the family relationship produces that is exhibited in the larger society in all human endeavours.
Correspondingly, how we carry out our relative responsibilities to one another determines good or bad family or society.
The text of our study deals with the relative duties of children to parents and servants to masters and vice-versa.
In this passage the apostle shifts attention from the church to family and working relationship among men. Almost the same instructions are recorded in Colossians 3:20-25.
INSTRUCTIONS TO CHILDREN- VERSES 1- 3
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul commands children to obey their parents in everything in the Lord – meaning children’s obedience to parents must be in accordance with the word of God.
For instance, children cannot obey their parents who lure them to worship idols, to commit fornication, or ritual killing for money making [yahoo].
Paul said children’s obedience to parents is the right thing to do because God commanded it in the Old Testament with promise and thus doing so is well pleasing to HIM. [Exodus 20:12, Colossians 3:20].
God pronounces blessings on children who honour and obey their parents that it will be well with them, and they will have longevity of the on-earth Verse 3.
Children should hold their parents in high esteem and such respect must be sincerely from their hearts and shown outwardly in their attitudes towards them.
Any child who obeys and respects his or her parents, fears and obeys God who gave the commandment.
INSTRUCTIONS TO PARENTS – VERSE 4
Although God gives parents authority over their children, it must not be abused. Parents should not be harsh to their children or discourage them in their relationship.
Consequently, they are required to bring them up in the training and knowledge of God. That is, they should train them religiously, educationally, physically, and morally.
Parents should train their children to be physically strong.
The first high sense of responsibility given to parents is to train their children in godly way as exemplified by Abrahim [Genesis 18:19].
They must teach them to fear and obey God, worship God only in the church of Christ and to run away from every form of sin [Psalm 111:10; Deuteronomy 6:7; 11:19 Ecclesiastes 12:13].
They should discipline their children when necessary (Proverbs 13:24, 23:13,14).
Parents should labour assiduously to ensure their children are well educated, if possible with handwork for education is the key to success these days.
Moral or ethical values should be inculcated into our children for distinctiveness among children in the world.
Parents should back up the training of their children with prayers to God so as to achieve the purpose of training [Proverbs 22: 6].
In addition, parents should provide shelter, food and clothing adequately for their children.
INSTRUCTIONS TO SERVANTS – VERSES 5 – 8
It should be noted that servants here were slaves converted to Christ but were still under their slave masters.
Nonetheless we are discussing this using employers and employees, bosses and workers, masters and apprentices and so on.
Servants [those who work/serve under someone else] are charged to obey their employers or bosses in all things whether good or wicked masters.
They must do their works or services from their hearts as if they are doing it unto Christ. [Verse 5].
They must work or serve honestly in the presence or absence of their employers or bosses, to please God not men and with good will [Verse 6,7].
Christian’s good will is to work honestly for the success of their masters business or the services they are rendering – WHY?
Because Christians are aware that whatever anyone does, whether good or bad, shall be rewarded duly by God [Verse 8].
INSTRUCTIONS TO MASTERS – VERSE 9
The Apostle also instructed masters [employers or bosses] to do the same thing [do good to your employees or workers] – no maltreatment, pay their wages when due, give them incentives and so on – WHY?
Because the Almighty God, the Master of all masters [employers or bosses] is in heaven and will reward them accordingly without partiality.
CONCLUSION
God is paramount and inevitable in all human relationships and endeavours
He knows and watches every activity of man under the sun and as God of justice and impartiality and the only Holy [One among men], He will reward all according to their deeds.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the good and evil.
Therefore, fear and obey GOD’s commandments as discussed above [Ecclesiastes 12:13].
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