The Proper View and Use of Authority Ephesians 6:1-9

Paul moves from instructions for married couples to two other sets: kids and their parents, and slaves and their masters.  First, we start with parents and their children.  Note this is another instance of authority as was the case for a husband and a wife.
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Paul is very straightforward. Children obey your parents, as a result of you relationship with the Lord.  Your obedience to your parents is part and parcel of your obedience to God. They are inseparable which is why it is so important.
2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— Of course this is not new in the bible, as it is the fourth of the ten commandments.  This first one after the first three commandments, which are all related to how we worship, honor, and obey God.  Since is it the first commandment after these, we see how important it is.  

3 So that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” This commandment is unique in that it is the only one with a promise attached to it.  While we should obey God period, this commandment also adds an incentive.  It will go "WELL" with us, and we will enjoy a long life on earth.  Children who obey their parents will likely have a lot more peace and contentment, while rebellious children often make it hard on both themselves and their parents.  I had a great relationship with my parents and did a pretty good job of obeying them (though i was not perfect of course i do have some stories). I think a lot of the blessings in my life flowed out of this relationship.  And I continue to enjoy a really good relationship with my parents to this day. 

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Paul now turns this admonition to the children on its head.  He addresses fathers as the head of the household.  The word for "exasperate" means to simply make them angry.  It is being overly harsh, overly critical and looking for reason to punish them.  Such parenting is unhelpful to children and likely will be something they have to come to terms with the rest of their lives.  Children of overly critical parents often spend their whole lives looking to please others and get the approval they never got from the Lord.   On the flipside parents are to disciple their kids, teaching them to follow the Lord.  Since we as parents receive God's grace on a daily basis, we should extend that same grace to our kids.  We should also instruct our kids in other matters of the faith and life.  Note the responsibility is FIRST given to parents to develop their kids' faith lives, NOT the church.  Although the church is a parent's greatest ally in raising their kids up in the Lord, it is the parents who are responsible and will be accountable for it to the Lord. 

Next Paul talks about the relationships between slaves and their masters. Because the role of slaves In Jesus' day was so different than our modern day version, it is important for you to have some historical context.  This is by verse by verse commentary on the letter to the Ephesians, Slaves in this day were indentured servants, and therefore they were seen as an extension of the family though obviously they didn’t share the same privileges Some historians have  estimated that upwards of one-third of the 180 million residents of the Roman Empire were slaves They represented the lowest cast of society, and like women and children, they had no rights in society and Romans thought of slaves as little more than “living tools” While we don’t have this kind of slavery around us today, we could equate slaves of this kind to anyone working under authority Perhaps laborers in the field or in the factoor Christians incarcerated in prison Or perhaps Christians in the military 

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.  Likewise since a slave has voluntarily surrender authority to their earthly masters, they are to be obedient and respectful to them.  Again the relationship with the authority figure is based on the ultimate authority of God in our lives. 

6 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. Though there would be advantages of serving their master faithfully, the primary motivation is service to the Lord.  
 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, Though none of us are likely slaves in this same way, when we work for a boss, I think there are some analogies here. Colossians 3:23 says, something very similar,  "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters".  When you realize you are serving the Lord in whatever you do, it changes the way you look at the nature of work and those you are accountable to.

8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. Ultimately at the end of our lives, our reward will not be based on earthly achievements but our faithfulness to the Lord and by way of application those who were in authority over us.  

9 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. Similar to parents, masters will alway be accountable to those who serve them.  As we look at the horrors of slavery in our country, and what is still happening all over the world, this is a very different situation in Jesus' day.  Those who abused their slaves and demeaned them WILL be accountable for their actions.  Most people today associate the word "slavery" with this notion of slavery, and you can see the term as used in the passage today has a much different context and meaning. This is is why it is so important to study the bible and understand the context of a given passage.  A lot of people have spouted that the Christians support slavery and the bible advocates it.  They point to modern day examples and import this situation into a passage like this.  Far from it this passage is putting an onus on anyone who is in authority over anyone else to treat them fairly and reward them for their hard work.  The sense for both the master and the slave and their duty is related to their relationship with the Lord.  So we see all six of these authority relationships driven by the ultimate authority we all owe to God and the obedience as a result of our ultimate accountability to God alone.

What has been your relationship to those in authority over you?  How did you relate to your parents?  How did they relate to you?  How has this shaped the way you view and relate to other authorities?  Where do you have authority over others? Do you treat them the way you would want to be treated?  Do you exasperate them or reward them for hard work?