← Back to Ephesians

Ephesians 6

24 verses

TL;DR

Ephesians 6 exhorts families to live in obedient love while urging Christians to arm themselves spiritually to stand against evil, concluding with Paul’s pastoral outreach and blessing.

Summary

Paul begins by reminding children to obey parents, highlighting the promise of blessing for such obedience. He counsels fathers to refrain from provoking their children and to raise them with Godly instruction. The letter then addresses servants and masters, urging mutual respect grounded in service to Christ rather than worldly flattery. Paul transitions to a broader spiritual context, encouraging believers to be strong in the Lord and to don the full armor of God in the battle against spiritual forces of darkness. He lists each piece of armor—truth, righteousness, gospel peace, faith, salvation, and the word—and emphasizes prayer and vigilance. Finally, Paul appeals for boldness to proclaim the gospel, introduces Tychicus as a messenger, and closes with greetings of peace, love, and grace.

Outline
  1. 1. Household responsibilities: children, parents, servants, masters
  2. 2. Spiritual warfare: the armor of God and the nature of the enemy
  3. 3. Paul's ministry and final greetings
Themes
obedience and authorityspiritual warfarefaith and confidence
Keywords
obedienceauthorityspiritual warfarefaitharmorprayergospel
People
PaulTychicus
Places
Heavenworld
Things
armor of Godshield of faithhelmet of salvationsword of the Spirittruthrighteousnessgospel of peaceprayer
Key Verses
  • Ephesians 6:4: Command for fathers to raise children with godly instruction rather than harshness
  • Ephesians 6:11: Foundation for Christian strength through the armor
  • Ephesians 6:18: Emphasis on continual prayer and vigilance for all believers
Questions
  • How does Paul reconcile earthly authority with Christian love?
  • In what ways does the armor of God provide practical protection in daily life?
  • What does the call to pray "with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" mean for contemporary believers?
Sentiment

neutral
the passage contains exhortations and warnings but ultimately offers encouragement and hope