Episode 286: Slaves obey your masters

Ephesians 1-6

Greeting and Salutations

1 ¹ A letter from Paul to the saints in Ephesus

Predestination

⁴ God chose us before he created the world. ⁵ He predestined us according to his good pleasure.

¹¹ We have been predestined according to God's will.

The prince of the power of the air (and the children of wrath)

2 ^1-3 When you were dead in your sins, you obeyed the prince of the power of the air and were by nature a child of wrath.

Saved by grace (it's not about you)

⁸ You're saved by grace through faith. It has nothing to do with you. It's a gift of God.

⁹ You aren't saved by works, so no one should boast.

Jesus destroyed the commandments (with his flesh)

¹⁵ Jesus destroyed the commandments with his flesh.

About my previous letter (Zeroth Ephesians)

3 ¹ I, Paul, am the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.

³ God revealed things to me, as I wrote you before.

The prisoner of the Lord beseeches you

4 ^1-2 So I, the prisoner of the Lord, ask you to be humble and love one another.

The descent of Jesus

⁹ Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth.

¹⁰ He was the same when he descended as he was when he ascended.

That way he could fill up everything.

¹¹ He appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

Don't be like children

¹⁴ Don't be like children, believing everything you hear.

¹⁵ Speak the truth in love.

Some (mostly) good advice

²⁵ Don't lie.

²⁶ Don't let the sun go down on your anger.

²⁷ Don't give the devil a place to stay.

²⁸ Don't steal. Work so you can help those in need.

²⁹ Watch what you say.

³² Be kind and forgive each other.

5 ² Walk in love. Christ sacrificed his life as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God.

³ Don't fornicate or covet.

⁴ Don't be filthy, talk foolishly, or joke.

⁵ No whoremonger, unclean or covetous person, or idolater will inherit the kingdom of Christ and God.

⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is on disobedient children.

⁷ Don't associate with them.

¹¹ Don't be friends with the unfruitful works of darkness.

¹⁶ Don't waste time, because the days are evil.

¹⁸ Don't get drunk with wine but be filled with the spirit.

¹⁹ Talk to others with psalms and hymns.

²¹ Submit to each other in the fear of God.

Wives, obey your husbands in everything

²² Wives, submit to you husbands, as you would to God.

²³ Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church.

²⁴ So wives must obey their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church.

²⁸ So men should love their wives, like they love their own bodies.

²⁹ He that loves his wife, loves himself. Men love their bodies, like God loves the church.

³³ Let every man love his wife, and let every woman revere her husband.

Slaves obey your masters, as though they were Christ

6 ¹ Honor your parents.

⁵ Slaves, obey your masters, with fear and trembling, as though they were Christ.

When you serve them, you are serving God.

¹¹ Put on the armor of God to fight against the devil.

¹² For we are not fighting against humans, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹⁴ Gird your loins with truth.

¹⁵ Put the gospel of peace on your feet.

¹⁶ Use your shield of faith to block the fiery darts of wicked people.

¹⁷ Put on the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

²⁴ Amen.