Memory Text: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:11-12.
We left off last week discussing patriarchy, a word Satan has managed to saddle with a negative connotation, but which God intended to be a blessing to his children in this sin-sick world. There is no question that patriarchy, rule of the father, is clearly taught in the Scriptures. We as Seventh-day Adventists have a great work of self-reform to do in returning to this biblical model. How we Adventists came to have a feministic ethos—a very odd thing for a denomination with such a high view of Scripture—is discussed in this column from last December.
But now let us continue with Paul’s instructions for Christian living. Scholars have called these passages, which set out lines of authority and describes how Christians ought to behave in certain recurring relationships, “the household codes.” (See, Col 3:18-4:1; Eph 5:22-6:9; 1 Peter 2:18-3:7 and Titus 2:9-10).
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “’Honor your father and mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise— ‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’ Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Eph. 6:1-4.
Paul gives no indication that the Ten Commandment law has been done away with. To the contrary, his proof that it is right and proper for children to obey their parents is the Fifth Commandment, which Paul obviously considers still binding.
The Fifth Commandment is too often overlooked by contemporary first-world Christians, because it applies to us not only when we are young and growing up under our parents’ roofs, but also when our parents reach the age when they need care and assistance, and have become inconvenient to us. How we treat our parents at that age is a real revealer of Christian character. The good news is that there is a promise connected with it: long life. Honor the people who procreated you, and your life will be long, and, as Paul says, it will go well with you.
Parents have a complementary obligation: do not be tyrannical and “exasperate” your children. The father’s obligation to his children is not dissimilar to his obligation to his wife: servant leadership. If he loves, protects, and provides for his children, teaching them about our loving heavenly Father, and imparting to them, at the appropriate ages, all he knows that will be helpful to their spiritual, physical, social and economic maturation, their obedience to him will come naturally. They will not likely rebel against his authority (although we leave room for the “mystery of iniquity” and the fallen human condition).
There is a division of labor in parenting based upon innate gender differences: the mother is the nurturer and displays unconditional love; the father as the lawgiver of the home, sets the standards and enforces them with fair and predictable discipline. If the parents both carry out their roles as God intends, the home will be a loving sanctuary for parents and children both, where the children are raised “in the fear and admonition of the Lord.” Eph. 6:4 KJV.
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” Eph. 6:5-9.
Paul gave the same advice to the Colossians. (Col. 3:22-25) This counsel applies to all of us who are employed; it makes no difference whether we are not paid (slaves), paid by the hour (“blue collar” workers) or salaried employees (“white collar” workers), we are to work as diligently and carefully as if we were working for Christ.
I am reminded of Paul’s description of himself as fiduciary entrusted with the gospel for the gentiles; he stated that he was much more concerned about answering to God than to any human court that would review his faithfulness. (1 Cor. 4:1-4) Here, Paul is saying that God is the ultimate judge of your work, your everyday labor, not any human employer. “The Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do.” You will ultimately have to account to your maker for your use of the time and talents He has entrusted to you. The great King of the universe will judge your work, so work as if for Him.
The obligation of the servant to obey his master is not dependent upon the master being fair or just. Peter says: “be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” 1 Peter 2:18. “All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God's name and our teaching will not be discredited.” 1 Tim. 6:1. Notice that we are to regard them as honorable even if they are not. As with the wife’s obligation to be submissive to her husband, your obligation to your boss does not depend upon him being a Christian or a spiritual man. The servant, much like the submissive wife, can by sterling conduct bring credit to the gospel and possibly win the master to Christ. Titus 2:9-10.
As is usual in these “household codes,” there is a complementary obligation. The master or employer must treat his slaves “in the same way,” that is, as he would treat Christ Himself. Would you abuse, overwork, or punish Christ? Paul says, “don’t even threaten them,” which obviously rules out the harsh punishments, far worse than mere threatening, that a master could lawfully inflict on a slave back in the Roman Empire of the First Century.
Scripture is univocal, it speaks with one voice, about how a master is to treat his servants; he is to be fair and gentle, and never hold back wages. (Col. 4:1; James 5:1-6; Deut. 24:14-15; Lev. 19:13; Jer. 22:13; Mal. 3:5) Because ultimately you will be accountable to God in the day of judgment for how you treat your servants (Col. 4:1), and God will hold you to a higher standard than any earthly court would.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:10-12
Our struggle will always seem to be against flesh and blood. It always appears to be people who are the problem. Why won’t this or that conference president believe as I believe about female ordination? Why do the Leftists hate freedom? Why are they tearing down our traditions and corrupting our institutions? Surely it is at least our own flesh and blood that is the problem? Why do I so easily give in to temptation? Of course our struggle is against flesh and blood! What is Paul talking about?
Yes, there are problems with the flesh; we all are living in a fallen, sinful world, and we have inherited sinful propensities—a bent toward sinning—from our parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve.
But Paul says there is more going on than meets the eye, than what is on the surface. The ultimate reality that underlies the phenomena that we see and hear is a spiritual reality. There is spiritual warfare taking place behind the scenes. The darkness of this present age has an unseen source: the prince of the world, the god of this world, is Satan himself. (2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31; Mat. 4:8-9) He and his shadowy hierarchy of demonic principalities have been on a rampage in this world. They are our foremost enemies, not flesh and blood.
Because our battle is a spiritual one, the weapons of our warfare are spiritual. Paul goes on to describe them:
“Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Eph. 6:13-17.
Notice that all this spiritual armor—truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation—is defensive in nature. It protects us from the attacks of the adversary. This is especially true of faith, which is our most important protection. If your faith is strong, you can withstand many heavy blows from the adversary without spiritual damage.
Note, also, that “the belt of truth” is intended to hold you together, so that you can “gird up your loins” (tuck your robe into your belt behind you) in preparation for battle. Truth is not to be wielded as a weapon, however tempting that is. The same goes for your righteousness and your salvation; do not try to beat people up with those.
The only offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We are told that, “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12. “’Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that smashes rock?’” Jer. 23:29. Allow the Holy Spirit to convict others through God’s word, the Scriptures. Here is your weapon fit for purpose.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Eph. 6:18-20
There is good reason why we have the term “prayer warrior”; prayer is at the heart of spiritual warfare. Prayer should be frequent, and the attitude of prayer never abandoned. During the Napoleonic wars, the allies (usually Austria, Britain, Prussia, and Russia) gradually gained an important insight: attack a French army when Napoleon is not with them; without him, French troops are no better than any others. But if you attack the French when the emperor is on the field, you’re likely going to get thrashed. Satan well understands this principle. He waits for you to separate yourself from Christ before he attacks, because he knows that if you are connected to your Lord, he will be rebuffed. Our only hope of victory and overcoming is to stay in constant contact with our Lord through prayer.
Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. Eph. 6:21-22.
Tychicus is first mentioned in Acts 20:4, during Paul’s third missionary journey; he was one of Paul’s companions on the way from Corinth to deliver a gift to the church in Jerusalem. (Romans 15:25–26). Tychicus was a native of Asia Minor, or what is now Turkey, so Ephesus and Colossae were in his home country. In Colossians 4:7, Tychicus is called a “beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord.” We know that Tychicus accompanied Onesimus, the runaway slave who was converted to Christianity by Paul in Rome, back to his master, Philemon, in Colossae. (Col. 4:7-9)
Because Paul was under house arrest in Rome, he could not go anywhere. So he gave his letters to the churches in Ephesus and Colossae to Tychicus for delivery. Tychicus also carried news that was not necessary, or perhaps not prudent, to write down. Paul tells both the Ephesians and the Colossians: “Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. . . . I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts” (Col. 4:7–8).
What we know about Tychicus is good: he was a trusted messenger, faithful preacher, and loyal friend. Paul placed great confidence in him, sending him on important missions. As Paul mentions in both Ephesians and Colossians, Tychicus had the gift of encouragement, and was in that respect a model of elder: “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).
Father in heaven, my prayer is to be more like Tychicus.
Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Eph. 6:23-24