Ephesians 6

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

2 - "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with a promise:

3 - "that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth."Deuteronomy 5:16

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

5 - 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;

6 - 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;

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

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

9 - 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.

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

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

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

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12 - 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.

13 - 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.

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

15 - and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace;

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

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

18 - 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:

19 - on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News,

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

21 - 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;

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

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

24 - Grace be with all those who love our Lord JesusChrist with incorruptible love. Amen.

The Book of Ephesians

Ephesians 2:2-3 - Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 6:11-17 - Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of Paul the Apostle by Rembrandt - 1657

Introduction to The Book of Ephesians

Brief Summary. Paul instructs the church that Christianity is for all men, Jews, gentiles, male female, bond, free, all are united in Christ. All men can enter, but it is only by grace, through faith in Christ, and this is God's free gift. The Christian can never revert back to the law of Moses, and to overcome the powers of darkness the believers must unite in Christ.

Summary of The Book of Ephesians

Purpose. While Paul was in prison he had been thinking about his work as an apostle. He realized that Christ came to unite Himself with man, and unity was the core purpose of the book of Ephesians. The Church of Jesus Christ is now the spiritual body of believers who represent Christ on earth. The great truth of Christianity is that God is the uniting the world to Himself through the believers. The idea of unity can be seen clearly in the first chapter of Ephesians ( Ephesians 1:3-10), and this principle of unity is seen throughout the rest of the entire book. God's one eternal purpose is to unite one body of believers through Christ, "the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23). The Christian is saved by grace, through faith, and the very faith is a gift of God, therefore no one can boast. Christianity is is about God uniting Himself with man, through Jesus Christ, and men being united in Jesus Christ, and this great opportunity is God's gift.

Audience. The book is address by Paul to the church at Ephesus. Most early writers spoke of the epistle as having been addressed to the Ephesians.

Authorship. Paul names himself as the author of the epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:1 and 3:1). Several of the early church writers site the book of Ephesians, for example Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria both state that Paul was its author. The style of writing is clearly Paul's, he begins with his customary personal greetings and words of thanks, and addresses issues of doctrine, as with the rest of his letters.

Date. Most scholars agree that Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians towards the end of his first imprisonment in Rome (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1), which would have been around 61 AD. The letter was hand delivered by Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21) just as the letter to the Colossians had been (Colossians 4:7-9).

Audience. The book is address by Paul to the church at Ephesus. Most early writers spoke of the epistle as having been addressed to the Ephesians.

Outline of the Book of Ephesians

The Believers Position United to God - Chapters 1-3
The Believers Privileges United to One Another - Chapters 4-5
The Believers Protection United Against the Evil One- Chapter 6

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Ephesians Maps and Resources

Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus, in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)

Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary Journey's. (Color Map)

Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)

Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he returned to the cities he had first visited on his first missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19). (Color Map)

Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the "Nations" within the ancient world during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)

Map of New Testament Asia - This map shows the cities within Asia Minor during the first century A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the principal cities of Asia including Tarsus, Ephesus, and Colossae, and provinces like Galatia and Pamphilia. (Color Map)