Ephesians 6

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise:

“that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”

You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

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

not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men,

knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same good again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.

You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

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

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace,

above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News,

for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state and that he may comfort your hearts.

Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter concludes the letter to the Ephesians by transitioning from the vertical realities of salvation and unity in Christ to the horizontal outworking of Christian living in specific relational contexts. It addresses three pairs of relationships—children and parents, servants and masters—before launching into a final, vivid exhortation to spiritual warfare. The chapter culminates in a call to stand firm in God’s strength through the whole armor of God, grounded in prayer and the gospel, and closes with a benediction of peace and grace.

Flow.

Begins with ethical instruction for children and parents, grounding obedience in the fifth commandment and its divine promise (vv. 1–3), while urging fathers to nurture rather than provoke (v. 4).
Addresses servants and masters, reframing earthly labor as service to Christ and emphasizing integrity, divine reward, and mutual accountability before God (vv. 5–9).
Shifts dramatically to the cosmic dimension of the Christian life, portraying believers as soldiers in spiritual conflict, equipped by God’s full armor (vv. 10–17).
Concludes with a summons to persistent prayer, intercession for the apostle, and a final greeting that reinforces fellowship, peace, and grace (vv. 18–24).

Connections.
Following chapter 5, which called believers to walk in love, light, and wisdom while submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ, chapter 6 applies this mutual submission to particular household relationships, showing how redeemed social order reflects gospel truth. The ethical pattern set in the previous chapter—life in the Spirit shaping daily conduct—now extends into the structures of family and work. The abrupt turn to spiritual warfare in the final section arises naturally from the recognition that such transformation is not possible in human strength alone, preparing the reader for a reality that every faithful living is contested. Though there is no next chapter in this letter, the armor imagery and call to prayer echo throughout later exhortations in Pauline literature, as in Colossians and 1 Thessalonians.

What it teaches.
The chapter teaches that Christian holiness involves both relational responsibility and spiritual vigilance. Obedience within divinely ordained relationships reflects the Lord’s order and anticipates His blessing (; cf. WCF 19.4), while mutual respect between authority and subordinate reflects Christ’s lordship over all (, 9; cf. LC 124). Service rendered to human superiors is ultimately service to the Lord, who impartially rewards all from His heavenly throne (; cf. WCF 6.3). Yet the primary struggle of the Christian is not sociological but cosmic: a battle against spiritual powers of darkness, met not with human weapons but with divine armor provided by God (; cf. HC LD 52). The means of endurance are truth, righteousness, gospel readiness, faith, salvation, God’s Word, and unceasing prayer (; cf. WCF 17.3).

Apply.
Live each relationship as service rendered directly to Christ, and meet every trial with the equipment God supplies for spiritual battle.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.