Ephesians 6 – Page 2 – Ministry of Grace Church

Category: Ephesians 6

Ephesians 6:14 – Truth and Righteousness

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Will

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Truth to Learn

Truth and righteousness are two of the key pieces of our armor.

Behind the Words

“Stand” is translated from the Greek word histēmi, meaning “to stand.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating that it is a command.

The words “having girded” are from the Greek verb peridzonumi, which is composed of peri, meaning “around” or “about” and dzonnumi, meaning “to bind about” or “wrap around.” Thus, this word means to “wrap all the way around.” It is expressed here in the middle voice indicating something that you do to yourself.

“Having put on” is translated from enduō, which we saw back in verse eleven. Like peridzonumi, it is expressed in the middle voice, indicating something you do to yourself. Also, these two words are both expressed as aorist participles, indicating that “having girded” and “having put on” are things we are to have already done before we try to stand against the enemy.

The word “breastplate” is translated from thōraka, which literally refers to “the chest.” It is also used metaphorically to refer to the piece of armor which covers the chest and back.

Meaning Explained

The Apostle Paul has just informed us that we are in a spiritual, hand-to-hand battle with the forces of evil. We learned that this battle is one in which we are one-on-one against these spirit beings. They are part of Satan’s forces and they are opposed to God and anyone who aligns himself or herself with God. So, if you are a Christian, whether you like it or not, you are one of God’s soldiers engaged in warfare against evil.

The first thing we learn from today’s verse is that we are to battle from a standing position. In yesterday’s verse we learned that we are to “stand against” our adversary. As we take on the enemy, we are not to flee and we are not to yield ground. We are to stand firm. But before we stand against the enemy, we need to have our armor properly put in place.

Our first piece of armor is our belt. It is the foundation of our armor. Without it, our breastplate will not stay in place. So, what is our belt? It is truth! Truth is the foundation of our Christian faith. It is the truth of the gospel message that we believed in which secured our salvation. It is God’s truth, as revealed in the Bible, that we are to build our armor and our lives on.

Once we have wrapped ourselves with the belt of truth, we can put on our breastplate of righteousness. In the book of Romans we learned the truth that none of us is righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). But we also learned in the third chapter of Romans that we received the righteousness of Christ when we believed the gospel message. According to James 2:23 righteousness was credited to Abraham when he believed. In the same way, when we believed the gospel of our salvation, God declared us to be as righteous as Jesus Christ in His record book. In God’s eyes, every Christian is just as righteous as Jesus Christ.

Application

In order to use the truth, we have to know the truth. The best way to learn God’s truth is to read your Bible, not occasionally, but regularly and consistently. Learn God’s truth and learn about the righteousness that we have in Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:13 – Prepare for Battle

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Will

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against them in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Truth to Learn

We need to be prepared for spiritual battle at all times.

Behind the Words

Analambanō is the Greek word translated “take up.” It is composed of ana, meaning “up” or “again” and lambanō, meaning “to take.”

“You may be able” is translated from the verb dunamai, which means “to have the ability or the authority to do something.” It is expressed in the subjunctive mood indicating the possibility or probability of happening.

The words “to stand against” are from the verb anthistēmi, made up of anti, meaning “against” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Thus, it literally means “to stand against someone or something.”

“Having done” is from the Greek verb katergadzomai, which is composed of kata, meaning “down” used here as an intensifier and ergadzomai, meaning “to work.” Katergadzomai means “to perform a task until it is completely finished.”

The word translated “all” is hapas. This word is made up of hama, meaning “together” and pas, meaning “all.” Hapas means “absolutely everything.”

Meaning Explained

As we have noted before, whenever you see a verse start out with “therefore” or “wherefore,” you need to look carefully at what it is “there for.” In this case, Paul is saying “because we are wrestling against spiritual forces (evil angels) in hand-to-hand combat, we need to put on all of the weapons that God provides for us.

But, it is not our own armor that we are to put on, it is God’s armor. In Greek mythology, the gods provided special armor for the heroes. Paul is playing off that idea by showing that our God provides us with the special armor we need for our battle against the evil forces.

What does Paul mean by, “the evil day?” One view sees this as every day since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Since the day that Satan attacked and defeated Adam and Eve, evil has been present on this earth. These evil days won’t end until our Lord returns to conquer all evil. The other view is that the evil day refers to any time that we are actively battling the forces of evil. No matter which of these two is correct, the fact is that Christians are in face-to-face, close contact conflict with the forces of evil each and every day.

What’s even more important is that when we are attacked by Satan and his warriors, we need to be ready. Once the battle has begun, it’s hard to put on the armor. We need to have it on at all times. Some Roman soldiers complained about the weight of their armor, so they took it off as soon as the battle was over. Then, because of lack of exercise and practice fighting in the armor, they became quickly fatigued and were not able to stand firm against their rival, making themselves easy targets.

The expression “having done all” means that we have prepared ourselves and we have stood against the enemy with the victory of our King. As a result, at the end of the battle we are still standing, not having been defeated.

Application

Let’s pay close attention to the next few verses so we can put on the armor and be practiced and prepared for battle. Fighting a battle is not easy, but we can win, for God is on our side.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:12 – Spiritual Wrestling Match

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Will

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world system, against spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places.

Truth to Learn

We are in a spiritual battle against powerful wickedness (but we are on the winning side.)

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “wrestling” is palē. This is derived from the verb pallō, meaning “to shake” or “to vibrate.” Palē refers to “struggling,” “wrestling,” or “hand-to-hand combat.” It is specifically a reference to a struggle between individual opponents rather than entire military forces.

“Authorities” is from archē, which literally means “a beginning.” However, this word can also refer to persons, indicating their priority or preeminence. It can also refer to a position of authority, indicating the first position in power or dominion. This is how the word is used in today’s verse.

Exousia is the Greek word translated “powers.” It refers to “permission, authority, or power to do something.” When used as it is here it indicates someone with power or authority.

The word “rulers … of this world system” is from kosmokrator, which is made up of kosmos, meaning “world system” and a form of krateō, meaning “to have control by virtue of strength.”

“Spiritual” is from pneumatikos, based on pneuma meaning “a spirit.” It refers to “spirit beings” or “angelic beings.”

The word “evil” is translated from ponēria, which refers to “badness,” “wickedness,” or “malicious evil.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now tells us why it is so important for us to put on our battle armor. The opening part of this verse literally reads, “because to us the wrestle is not against …” Word order is very important in Greek, with the most important idea presented first in a sentence. Paul wants our focus in this lesson to be on us and our preparedness, not on the enemy. At the same time, however, he wants us to know what kind of enemy we are battling with.

The descriptive words translated “authorities … powers … rulers of this world system … spiritual powers” indicate an organization of wicked angelic beings, who exist in the spirit world but who have great power and influence in our physical world as well. In his apocalyptic writing, the Apostle John described a vision of Satan (the dragon) gathering one third of all the angels to his side in his battle against God and His people:

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. (Revelation 12:3-4a)

It is these “fallen angels,” organized by Satan into positions of power and authority, which are bringing the battle to us. It is a spiritual battle and we can either roll over and “play dead” or we can engage the enemy and stand firm with all the power and ability that our God has given us.

Application

Every Christian who has ever committed himself or herself to serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has experienced spiritual battles. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose, but we must never give up. Remember, we are not fighting for victory, we are fighting from victory! Our leader, our Savior, our God has already overcome the enemy. He is the Victor and we are on His side, the winning side!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:11 – Protective Armor

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Will

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the methods of the devil.

Truth to Learn

We Christians need protective armor for our spiritual battles.

Behind the Words

“Put on” is translated from the verb enduō, which is made up of en, meaning “in” and the verb duo, meaning “to sink.” Thus we see that enduō, literally means “to sink in;” that is “to get into” or “to put on” a garment or an outfit. It is expressed here in the middle voice, indicating something that we are to do to ourselves (not done to us by someone else).

“Whole armor” is from the Greek word panoplia. This word is made up of a form of pas, meaning “all” or “every” and hoplon, meaning “an implement, a tool, or a weapon.” We see that panoplia literally means “every tool” or “all the weapons.”

The words “be able” are from the Greek word dunamai, meaning “to have the ability or the authority to do something.”

“Methods” is from methodeia which, as you can see, is the source of our English word “method.” Methodeia refers to “following an orderly procedure or process.” It is expressed here in the plural indicating that Satan has more than one method.

The word “devil” is translated from the Greek word diabolos, which is from the verb diaballō, meaning “to falsely accuse.” Thus, diabolos is “a false accuser.”

Meaning Explained

In yesterday’s verse Paul told us to be strengthened in God and in the power of His strength. He told us to do this because, whether we like it or not, we are at war. In today’s verse, he tells us who we are at war with and what we are to do about it. We are at war with the false accuser, Satan.

Because we are God’s soldiers and we are at war, Paul tells us that we need to be prepared for battle. In order to be prepared, we need to have all the weapons available to us and we need to use them in the appropriate way. As we said in Behind the Words, the word panoplia refers to all the “weapons,” and yet the translators translated it as “the whole armor.” The reason for this is that all but one of the weapons described are defensive weapons; that is, protective armor.

We need this armor in order to be able to take a stand against Satan and his minions. We need to do battle against all of his methods. So, the obvious question is, “What are the methods that Satan uses?” Nowhere in Scripture are we ever given a specific list, but here are some of them: he opposes God’s workers (Zechariah 3:1), he perverts God’s word (Matthew 4:6), he hinders God’s servants (1Thessalonians 2:18), he blinds people’s minds from knowing the truth (2Corinthians 4:4), he snares the righteous (1Timothy 3:7), he deceives us (Genesis 3:1), and he tempts us to do evil (1 Corinthians 7:5).

Yesterday we used a sports analogy talking about the final pep talk a coach gives his team just before the big game. However, no self-respecting coach would give such a pep-talk and then send his team out on the field without the proper protective gear. Without the protective “armor,” a football player or a soldier would be slaughtered, no matter how skilled and prepared they might be. We are no different in this battle.

Application

Fighting spiritual warfare without the proper protective equipment is a sure-fire recipe for defeat. We need to be prepared and protected before we go into battle. Pay attention as Paul describes our armor in the next few verses.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:10 – Be Made Strong!

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Will

Finally, my brothers, be strengthened in the Lord and in the power of His strength.

Truth to Learn

Christians need to prepare for spiritual warfare.

Behind the Words

The word “finally” is translated from loipos, meaning “that which remains.” There is some variation in Greek manuscripts as to whether this should be “for the rest” or “as to the rest.” Either way, this expression is an introduction into Paul’s final teaching in this letter.

The words translated “my brothers” do not appear in the better Greek manuscripts, so these should probably be excluded.

“Be strengthened” is from the Greek verb endunamoō, which is a compound word made up of en, meaning “in” and a form of dunamis (from which we get our English word dynamite), meaning “power” or “strength.” Endunamoō means “to make strong.” It is expressed here in the passive voice and imperative mood, so it is a command to “have yourself be made strong.”

“Power” is from the Greek word kratos, which refers to “power that is demonstrated or shown.”

The word translated “strength” is ischus, which is composed of is, meaning “strength” and echo, meaning “to have.”

Meaning Explained

Having concluded his teaching about behavior within the body of Christ, the family unit, and the working world, Paul now gives one final word of encouragement. Actually, it is more than just an encouragement to be strong, it contains instruction on how to be strong. Paul knows that Christians are engaged in a constant battle against the forces of evil. So, like a football coach giving his team one final challenge before entering into the biggest game of the year, Paul gives a challenge to the Christians at Ephesus (and to those of us who read this letter).

His challenge is to “be made strong.” Notice that Paul did not say “make yourselves strong.” We can’t make ourselves strong, but we can do those things which will allow us to be made stronger. When I was in high school, I participated in the sport of wrestling and, because it is a sport that is partially dependent on strength, I began weightlifting. What I was surprised to learn is that lifting weights does not make you strong. In fact, if you do it correctly, lifting weights actually causes minor injuries to your muscles; it tears your muscles down. While you sleep, however, your body miraculously heals itself and adds a little more muscle where the small injuries occurred.

Similarly, I learned that losing a wrestling match actually helps you to win a match in the future. Not only do your muscles rebuild, just like with weightlifting, but with the help of a coach you discover the moves and techniques that defeated you. Then your coach teaches you how to overcome those moves and techniques.

As Paul will tell us in a couple of verses, we are in a spiritual wrestling match, whether we like it or not. In order to be victorious in these battles we need two things. We need to work our spiritual muscles, and we need to learn about the attacks of our adversary.

Application

Are you in the middle of a spiritual battle? Don’t be discouraged when you fall. Get up again, listen to your coach (God), learn the enemy’s attacks, and get back in the battle!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:9 – God-Honoring Bosses

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Will

And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Truth to Learn

Bosses are to do their job in a God-honoring way.

Behind the Words

The words “giving up” are from the Greek verb aniēmi. This is made up of ana, meaning “up” or “back” and hiemi, meaning “to send.” Literally, this word means “to send back.” In other words, aniēmi means “to dismiss,” “to let go,” or “to let up.”

“Threatening” is translated from the noun apeilē, which is from the verb apeileō, meaning “to threaten.” Thus, apeilē refers to “a threat.”

“Heaven” is translated from ouranos, meaning “heaven.” There are three places referred to as “heaven” in the Bible: the atmosphere of earth (the first heaven), the starry universe (the second heaven), and that place outside of creation where God’s throne room exists (the third heaven). In today’s verse it is a reference to the third heaven, God’s throne room.

The word “partiality” is from prosōpolēpsia, which is composed of prosōpon, meaning “a face” and a form of lambanō, meaning “to take” or “to receive.” Thus it literally means “to receive a face;” that is, “showing favoritism” or “showing partiality.”

Meaning Explained

The first thing to notice in today’s verse, as Paul talks to Christian bosses, is that he recognizes the need for a hierarchy of authority even in the work force. He doesn’t tell bosses (or slave masters) to quit being a boss and get to work with the workers. And, he doesn’t tell bosses to stop telling the workers what to do. Within the church body we are all equals (we’re all sinners saved by grace), yet we each have a different function. Both within the church and in our secular jobs there are different positions of authority and responsibility.

Paul told us that as God’s slaves we are to do God’s will from the heart (verse six) and to perform our work with good thoughts as if we were working directly for God (verse seven). He also told us that when we do this type of work and do it well, God will do good things for us. God created each of us to do good works; He even determined ahead of time what kind of work we should do. Earlier, in this letter to the Ephesians, Paul said:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Now, he tells bosses the same thing he told workers: do your job as God’s servant and do it for His glory. Do what you were called to do, but don’t abuse your position. Don’t threaten your workers. They are God’s workers just like you are and you are to treat them the same way God treats you. God doesn’t tell us that bosses are more important than workers or that workers are more important than bosses. What he does say, in the seventh chapter of 1Corinthinas, is to be content in whatever job we have. Here he tells us, whether boss or worker, we are do our very best. We are working for God. Let’s give Him the glory.

Application

If you have people working under your direction, this verse is specifically for you. God has placed you in a position of authority, so do your job in a God-honoring way. Guide and oversee your workers, but don’t abuse or threaten them.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:8 – Rewards, Temporal or Eternal?

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Will

knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Truth to Learn

Living for God will produce eternal rewards from God.

Behind the Words

“Knowing” is from the Greek verb eidō, which means “to have seen with perception.” Thus, it is often expressed in English as “to know.” Here it is expressed as a perfect participle, indicating past completed action (having seen) with an ongoing effect (therefore I know) where the emphasis is on the effect.

The phrase “whatever good anyone does” is really a third class conditional clause in Greek. A literal translation might be, “each one if he should do anything good.” The three conditional classes of New Testament Greek are: 1^st class (assumption that the “if” statement is true), 2^nd class (assumption that the “if” statement is false), and 3^rd class (a true conditional in which no assumption is made about the “if” clause).

“He will receive” is translated from the Greek verb komidzō, meaning “to obtain” or “to acquire.” When used as it is in this verse it means “to receive in return for something done.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has taught us that in our jobs we are to be obedient to our bosses, performing our duties with good thoughts. And, we are not to work just for show, but with a singular focus as if we were working directly for God. Now he tells us why we are to work this way: because we know that whatever good we do will come back to us from God.

On the surface this sounds like we are to be selfish, only working for what we can get for ourselves. However, this verse keenly demonstrates the difference between an earthly “now” focus and a heavenly “forever” focus. God made us with desires. When these desires are focused on what we want in the material world they can lead to sin:

But each one is tempted by his own desires, being drawn away and enticed by them. Then, desire having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, having been completed, brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)

However, if our desires are focused on what God wants us to do while on this earth, we are promised rewards in heaven:

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become revealed; for the Day will make it known, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire will prove each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is consumed, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

God wants our entire life to be focused on Him. Whether it is in our paycheck-earning job, our ministry, our worship, our giving, or our interactions within our family and within the church, God wants us to do it all for Him. If we give our all to Him while on this earth, He will give us eternal rewards.

Application

We all have a choice in this life to live for ourselves or to live for God. Living for ourselves may produce fame and fortune, which will vanish one day. Living for God will result in eternal, heavenly rewards from Him. Which would you rather have? It’s all a matter of where your life focus is.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:7 – Give Your Best!

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Will

serving with goodwill, as to the Lord, and not to men,

Truth to Learn

God gave us His best, so we should give Him our best.

Behind the Words

“serving” is translated from the Greek verb douleuō, which is derived from doulos (a bond servant or slave). Douleuō means “to be subject to and perform service for a master.” The verb is expressed here as a participle in the present tense, indicating continual action in the present.

The word “with” is from the Greek preposition meta, which indicates accompaniment. It is different than the Greek preposition sun, which implies “union with” or “integrated with.” Meta means “in the midst of, among, or along with.”

Eunoia is the Greek word translated “goodwill.” It is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of nous, referring to “the mind and its thoughts or feelings.” Therefore, we see that eunoia literally means “good thoughts” or “good feelings.” In the New Testament, eunoia refers to the actions which result from good thoughts; that is, benevolence or goodwill.

“Lord” is from kurios. We saw in verse five that this refers to “a person who is in a position of authority over you.” When accompanied by the definite article as it is here, it is a reference to “the Lord,” that is to God, who is our Lord and our Master.

Meaning Explained

Paul is in the middle of teaching us how we are to behave at work. Nearly all of us have a boss, and even those of us who work for ourselves recognize that our customers are like a boss. A fortunate few of us have a boss whom we really like, but many of us have a boss that we don’t like or that is difficult to work for.

Paul makes no distinction between good and bad bosses, and Peter, in 1Peter 2:18, says we are to be submissive no matter what kind of boss he or she is. In yesterday’s verse we were instructed regarding how not to do our jobs. We are not to perform our work just to give the appearance that we are doing well, and we are not to do our job just to please someone (like our boss).

On the surface this seems a bit contradictory; if we aren’t selfishly doing our job just for appearance sake and we aren’t doing our job just to please our boss or someone else, then who are we doing it for? Today’s verse gives us the answer. We are to perform our job as if we were working directly for our Lord God.

In Exodus 35:35, Daniel 1:17, and Daniel 9:22, we see that God is the one who bestows abilities on us. Couple this with James 1:17 and we see that any gift, talent, or ability we have is a gift from God. Therefore, we should use the talents He has given us to the best of our ability as before Him and unto Him. And, Paul specifically tells us here that we are to do our jobs with good thoughts and with a servant’s heart.

Application

As God’s children we are also God’s servants (bond slaves). We have been bought with the blood of Christ; He has purchased us and given us specific gifts and abilities. For these reasons, and in gratitude for all that He has done for us, we should perform whatever task we undertake as if we were doing it directly for Him. We need to give Him the best we have. After all, He gave His best for us, didn’t He?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:6 – Jesus, Our Boss

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Will

not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Truth to Learn

We are to work at our jobs as if our boss was Jesus himself.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “eyeservice” is ophthalmodouleia, which is composed of ophthalmos, meaning “eye” and douleia, meaning “slavery” or “service.” Thus, this word literally does mean “eyeservice.” Ophthalmodouleia implies work that is being done only when someone is watching or work that is done primarily for appearance sake.

“Men-pleasers” is from anthrōpareskos. This word is made up of anthrōpos, meaning “man” and areskō, meaning “to be agreeable” or “to be pleasing.” This word describes the action of those who try to gain favor with others. The implication is that they are focused on pleasing other people instead of focusing on pleasing God.

The word “servants” is doulos, the same word Paul used in the previous verse, meaning “someone who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is in a position of servitude to someone else and whose will is completely submitted to that of his or her master.”

Meaning Explained

Yesterday we learned that Christian slaves are to be obedient to their masters and they are to serve their masters with singleness of heart. In other words, they are to listen attentively to their masters, doing what they are told without attempting to deceive. In addition, based on what we learned yesterday, we can safely say that this message applies to anyone who works for someone else, anyone who has a boss. In 1Peter 2:18, the Apostle Peter tells us that we are to submit (under-rank ourselves) to our bosses:

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.

Between Ephesians 6:5, 6 and 1Peter 2:18 we can learn a lot about how we are to perform at our jobs. First of all, we are to listen attentively to our bosses, learning what we can from them and obediently doing what they ask (or tell) us to do. Second, we are to serve them with singleness of purpose. Third, we are to do our work for them as if we were doing the work for our Lord Jesus Christ, as His slaves. Fourth, we are to always be diligent at what we do, not just when someone is watching us, but at all times. Fifth, we are not to perform our jobs just to impress someone. Finally, we are to have a submissive attitude with regard to our boss. And we are to do so not just for the gentle bosses we might have, but to the unreasonable bosses as well. Incidentally, the Greek word translated “unreasonable” in the 1Peter passage above literally means “crooked.”

Whatever job we might find ourselves in, we need to recognize that God has placed us under the authority of our boss. Therefore, in a very real sense, we are doing our job for the Lord. We need to perform our work as if Jesus Christ was working right beside us. And – our Lord deserves the full credit for any success that we might have.

Application

Do you have a lousy boss? If so, remember that God has placed you under his (or her) authority and you need to perform your work for him (or her) as if Christ himself was your boss. Can you do that? Is so, you might be surprised at the results.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:5 – Obedient to Masters

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Will

Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians are to be respectful and obedient to their bosses.

Behind the Words

“Servants” is from the Greek word doulos, which refers to “someone who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is in a position of servitude to someone else and whose will is completely submitted to that of his or her master.”

The word translated “obedient” is hupakouō. In verse one of this chapter, we learned that this literally means “to hear under.” As used here it means “to listen attentively and obey.”

The word “masters” is translated from kurios, meaning “a person who is in a position of authority over you.”

“Fear” is from the Greek word phobos, which is related to the verb phebomai, which means “to flee from.” In Greek writing, Phobos has several nuances of meaning including: honor, respect, reverence, fear, or terror.

Tromos is the word translated “trembling.” It generally refers to “trembling of the body as a result of extreme fear.” When combined with phobos (as it is here), it is a reference to “great timidity or profound reverence, respect, or dread.”

The word translated “singleness” is haplotēti. This word is derived from a (a particle of connection or union) and the base of plekō, meaning “to braid together.” Thus, haplotēti refers to the characteristic of not being divided, but being a single unit.

Meaning Explained

In the Roman society in which this letter was written, slaves made up between twenty and forty percent of the population. Slaves were considered to be the legal property of their owner and they had no rights within Roman society. Most slaves were owned by individuals, but some were owned by the Roman people. Some of these public slaves did menial work while others did skilled office work such as accounting and secretarial duties.

A person became a slave in one of three ways: people who were defeated and captured by the Roman army, a Roman father had the right to sell his children into slavery, or a person could voluntarily surrender himself into slavery. In addition to bond slaves, there were household servants (Greek word oiketēs) who worked within a household but were not owned by the master of the house

The Apostolic teaching of the first century does not declare that slavery is wrong; however, within the church all members are considered equal. Paul’s teaching here and in Colossians 3:22 was specifically directed at bond slaves, but the Apostle Peter says the same thing to household servants in 1Peter 2:18.

Both Paul and Peter taught that servants and slaves were to be respectful and obedient to their masters, recognizing that they were under the authority of their master in the same way that all Christians are under Christ’s authority.

Application

All Christians are to be respectful and obedient to those who are in authority over them. Whether your boss is kind or mean, honest or devious, being sincerely obedient to him or her is the same as being obedient to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In God's service, for His glory,