BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
Ephesians 6 — Household Duties and the Armor of God
Chapter 6 opens with household instructions (children/parents, slaves/masters), then shifts to a call to stand firm by putting on God's whole armor and praying in the Spirit, closing with a personal report from Tychicus and a benediction.
Scripture
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise),
3that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord.
5Servants, be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men:
8knowing that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same shall he receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, and forbear threatening: knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no respect of persons with him.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
11Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world - rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
14Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,
19And on my behalf, that utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21But that ye also may know my affairs, how I do, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
22whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible.
What this passage means
The first half (vv. 1–9) extends Paul's pattern of mutual submission into three concrete household pairings. Children are to obey 'in the Lord,' grounding parental authority in Christ rather than mere custom. The command to 'honor' father and mother is quoted as a Decalogue promise attached to earthly well-being, and the symmetry with fathers (do not provoke) and masters (relent threatening) shows that gospel relationships are reciprocal, not one-directional.
The second half (vv. 10–20) is the climactic application of the letter: after doctrine, unity, and ethics, believers must now 'stand.' The struggle is explicitly cosmic—'against principalities and powers'—so ordinary weapons are useless. The armor pieces (belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, footwear of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit) are not literal equipment but gospel realities appropriated by faith and prayer.
The closing verses (vv. 21–24) reveal the situational urgency behind the call to boldness: Paul writes as an 'ambassador in chains.' Tychicus carries both informational and pastoral weight, and the final benediction—grace to all who love Christ 'incorruptibly'—frames steadfast love itself as the community's mark.
Context
The curated chapter note labels Ephesians 6 as covering 'Family ethics' and the 'armor of God,' which matches the chapter's two-part structure: household instructions (vv. 1–9) followed by the warfare passage (vv. 10–20). The opening 'Children, obey' reflects the same household code pattern found in Colossians, and the fifth-commandment quotation with its promise signals continuity with Israel's Scripture rather than innovation.
No further chapter context is supplied beyond these notes, so the reference page limits itself to what the chapter text and the provided cross-references affirm: the cosmic opposition (Ephesians 2:2), the divine rescue from darkness (Colossians 1:13), the non-fleshly weaponry (2 Corinthians 10:4), and the perseverance of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) frame the armor passage, while strength and courage passages (Philippians 4:13; Joshua 1:9; 1 Corinthians 16:13) echo the opening 'be strong in the Lord.'
Key words in the original
- G5219 ὑπακούω (hypakouō) means 'to listen under,' i.e. to heed and conform to an authority. In Ephesians 6:1 it qualifies a child's obedience to parents 'in the Lord,' framing obedience as attentive submission rather than mere compliance.
- G5091 τιμάω (timáō) is rendered 'honor.' The gloss notes that the verb carries a sense of valuing or fixing a valuation upon someone, which in Ephesians 6:2 is applied to father and mother and linked to the Decalogue's promised blessing.
- G3949 παροργίζω (parorgízō), 'to provoke to wrath,' is used negatively toward fathers in 6:4. The compound implies not just irritation but enkindled anger, warning against patterns of parenting that themselves breach the gospel standard.
Related verses
- Philippians 4:13 Pauls 'I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me' echoes the opening call of Ephesians 6:10 to be 'strong in the Lord.' Both ground human strength not in self-effort but in union with Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 'The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh' supplies the theological premise for Ephesians 6:13–17: because the conflict is not physical, the armor must be spiritual (truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the Spirit's word).
- Colossians 1:13 Rescue 'out of the power of darkness' into 'the kingdom of the Son' frames why the believer must now stand in Ephesians 6: standing is possible because the transfer of kingdom has already occurred.
Common questions
Why does Ephesians 6 combine household rules with the armor of God?
The chapter moves from concrete relationships (children/parents, slaves/masters) to the cosmic reality behind them. The household instructions show what submission looks like in daily life, and the armor passage explains that even these ordinary spheres are contested by spiritual powers. Both halves share the same logic: the Christian life is lived 'in the Lord' (v. 1, v. 10) against a real adversary.
Is the armor of God literal equipment or something figurative?
The passage names each piece (belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, sword) but immediately identifies them with realities such as truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and 'the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God' (v. 17). The text itself equates the armor with gospel realities appropriated by faith and prayer, not with physical gear.
Why does Paul say our struggle is 'not against flesh and blood'?
In 6:12 the opponents are listed as principalities, powers, world-rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness. The point is not that people are never involved, but that the ultimate enemy of the Christian household and witness is not a human opponent, and therefore human retaliation or human strategies alone cannot prevail; the armor and prayer of vv. 13–18 are required.