The big picture
The Book of Ephesians finishes by moving from household relationships to spiritual conflict and then back to named people and greetings. Children are addressed directly, while fathers are commanded not to provoke them. Enslaved people are told to render service before Christ, and masters are told to stop threatening because they also answer to a Master who shows no partiality. The armor section then sounds martial while sharply limiting what that imagery can mean. The struggle is "not against flesh and blood," the repeated command is to stand, and the equipment includes truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, God's word, and a gospel of peace. Prayer keeps the armored community dependent, and Paul asks for boldness as an "ambassador in bonds." Tychicus then carries the unwritten personal news. The letter ends not with conflict but with peace, love with faith, and grace.
Central truth
Ephesians 5:22–6:9 places wives, husbands, children, fathers, servants, and masters under Christ, binding household authority to sacrificial love, nurture, sincere service, restraint, and God's impartial judgment. Ephesians 6:10–24 tells believers to draw strength from the Lord, stand in God's full armor, pray with perseverance, and seek bold gospel witness even from confinement.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Ephesians 6:1: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.”
Slow down at the turning point
Ephesians 6:21: “But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:”
Keep this word trail visible
Lord, Christ, able, stand, affairs, armour
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Ephesians 5:22–6:9
Ephesians 5:21-24
Under the fear of God: the setting of every household command
Start at 5:21, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God", because verse 22 continues that sentence. Every household command that follows sits under the Lord. Then teach the command to wives as Paul gives it: submission "as unto the Lord", grounded in the picture of Christ as head of the church and "the saviour of the body". Name honestly that Christians differ over what headship and submission mean in practice. Establish the actual wording first, then let the class see how the rest of the passage limits and shapes any reading of it.
Ephesians 5:25-30
Husbands: love as Christ loved the church
Point out that Paul gives husbands far more words than wives, and none of them tell husbands to enforce anything. Their command is to love, with Christ as the measure: he "gave himself" for the church, and his aim was her holiness and glory, "not having spot, or wrinkle". Then the body language: love her as your own body, nourish and cherish her as Christ does the church. Teach this immediately after verse 24 so that no one hears headship apart from sacrifice. In Ephesians the head is the one who gives himself for the body.
Ephesians 5:31-33
The great mystery: one flesh, Christ and the church
Read Genesis 2:24 and then verse 31, so the class hears that Paul goes back to creation. The union of a man and his wife is a real union, "one flesh", and it was always meant to point beyond itself: "I speak concerning Christ and the church". Explain mystery here as before, something hidden now made plain. Then let verse 33 bring the class home again: each husband to love his wife as himself, each wife to reverence her husband. Teach it before moving to children so the household is seen as one picture of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:1-4
Children and fathers in the Lord
Children are addressed directly, which means they were present when the letter was read. Their obedience is "in the Lord" and "right", and Paul cites the fifth commandment, "Honour thy father and mother", noting it is "the first commandment with promise". Then turn to fathers. Before telling them to train, Paul tells them not to provoke. Explain nurture as training and admonition as instruction in words. Teach this step as one pair: the child's command and the father's command belong together, and both answer to the Lord.
Ephesians 6:5-9
Servants and masters under one Master
Say plainly that this is ancient slavery, not modern employment, and that many in the Ephesian church were slaves. Paul does not endorse the institution; he speaks to slaves as people whose work matters to Christ, "as unto Christ", "from the heart", knowing the Lord repays "whether he be bond or free". Then read verse 9 slowly. Masters must "do the same things unto them", give up threats, and remember that "your Master also is in heaven". Read Philemon 15-16 so the class sees where the gospel was already pushing: a slave received as "a brother beloved".
Ephesians 6:10–24
Ephesians 6:10-13
Strong in the Lord, standing against the real enemy
"Finally" signals the close of the letter, and Paul gathers everything into one stance. Begin with the source: strength "in the Lord, and in the power of his might", the power of 1:19-20. Then read the armour as "the whole armour of God", God's provision, not our invention. Make verse 12 the centre of this step: the struggle is "not against flesh and blood". Explain "wiles" as schemes and "the evil day" as times of pressure that will come. Teach this first so that every piece of armour is understood as a way of standing, not attacking.
Ephesians 6:14-15
Truth, righteousness and the gospel of peace
Read Isaiah 59:17, where the Lord himself puts on righteousness as a breastplate and salvation as a helmet, and Isaiah 11:5, where the Messiah is girded with faithfulness. Paul is handing believers God's own armour. Explain the belt of truth as integrity that holds everything together, and the breastplate of righteousness as the right standing and right living that protect the heart. Then the footwear: "the preparation of the gospel of peace", readiness that comes from the good news, echoing Isaiah 52:7. Point out the paradox that soldiers in this battle wear peace on their feet.
Ephesians 6:16-17
Shield, helmet and the one weapon
"Above all" means in addition to all, not more important than all. The shield of faith quenches "all the fiery darts of the wicked": trust in God catches the accusations and temptations that would set a life alight. The helmet of salvation guards the mind with what God has already done, and chapter 2 has shown what that is. Then the sword: "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God", the only piece Paul explains himself. Note that it is the Spirit's sword, used as he gives it, and that it is aimed at the powers, never at people.
Ephesians 6:18-20
Prayer for all saints, and boldness in chains
Show that verse 18 continues the sentence: the armour is put on and worn by prayer. Count the alls: always, all prayer, all perseverance, all saints. The battle is corporate, and the soldiers pray for each other. Then let Paul's own request surprise the class. In chains, he asks not for release but for "utterance" and boldness "to make known the mystery of the gospel". Explain "an ambassador in bonds": an envoy normally carries immunity, but this one carries chains. Read Acts 28:30-31 to show how that prayer was answered.
Ephesians 6:21-24
Tychicus, and grace to close
End with the people. Tychicus, "a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord", carries the letter and the news, "that he might comfort your hearts". A letter about cosmic purposes ends with one man sent to encourage a church. Then the blessing: "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith", and grace to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ "in sincerity". Set 6:23-24 beside 1:2 so the class sees the letter close where it began, with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
Ephesians 5:22–6:9
"Wives have to submit to anything, even sin or abuse."
Paul's submission is "as unto the Lord" (5:22), and the Lord never commands sin. The same passage commands husbands to love as Christ loved, to nourish and cherish (5:29), and abuse breaks that command rather than claiming it. Nothing here gives anyone the right to harm another. When a learner's safety is at risk, the church's duty is to protect them and to involve those who can help, not to quote this verse at them. The apostles' own rule applies: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
"Headship means the husband is the boss and gets his way."
Paul defines the head by Christ, who is "the saviour of the body" (5:23) and who "loved the church, and gave himself for it" (5:25). The husband's command is to love, not to rule, and Paul never tells husbands to make their wives submit. Christians hold different views on how headship works out in a marriage; present them fairly. But any view that turns headship into self-serving control has left the text.
"Because Paul tells slaves to obey, the Bible approves of slavery."
Paul addresses a cruel institution that already existed and speaks to slaves as moral persons whose service Christ sees. He then binds masters with the same Lord and the same impartial judgment: "neither is there respect of persons with him" (6:9). Elsewhere he lists "menstealers" among the lawless (1 Timothy 1:10), urges slaves to gain freedom if they can (1 Corinthians 7:21), and asks Philemon to receive Onesimus as "a brother beloved" (Philemon 16). Regulation is not approval.
"Children must obey their parents no matter what they are told to do."
Paul says "obey your parents in the Lord" (6:1). Obedience sits inside the Lord's authority, not above it. The same paragraph restrains fathers, "provoke not your children to wrath" (6:4), so parental authority is real and also limited. Children obey because it is "right" and pleasing to God, and a parent who commands evil is asking for what the Lord forbids. As children grow, obedience matures into honour that continues for life (6:2).
Ephesians 6:10–24
"Spiritual warfare means fighting the people who oppose us."
Paul shuts this down directly: "we wrestle not against flesh and blood" (6:12). Opponents, critics and persecutors are people for whom Christ died, and the armour includes "the gospel of peace" (6:15). The weapons Paul names are truth, righteousness, faith and the word of God, not hostility. When conflict with people intensifies, this verse is the place to return: the struggle is real, but the people are not the enemy.
"To win, we need to identify and name the demons over our area."
Paul names categories, "principalities", "powers" and "rulers of the darkness of this world" (6:12), but gives no names, no maps and no techniques for identifying spirits. What he does give is a stance and an armour: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the word and prayer. The command is to stand (6:11, 13, 14). Keep the class on what the text provides and away from what it never says.
"The armour is something we build by our own effort and discipline."
It is "the whole armour of God" (6:11, 13), and the strength comes "in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (6:10). Isaiah 59:17 shows the Lord himself wearing righteousness and salvation. Believers really do have to "Put on" and "take" it, so effort is involved, but the effort is receiving and using what God supplies, not manufacturing it. Salvation, righteousness and faith are his gifts before they are our equipment.
"If I wear the armour properly, I will not suffer."
Paul writes this passage in chains, "an ambassador in bonds" (6:20). He expects "the evil day" (6:13) to come, and the goal he sets is "having done all, to stand", not to escape. The armour does not promise a life without wounds; it promises that believers can hold their ground in Christ through what comes. Learners who are suffering should hear that suffering is not a sign that their armour has failed.
Learning objectives
- Identify the distinct commands addressed to wives and husbands in 5:22 to 33.
- Explain how Christ's love defines the husband's responsibility in verses 25 to 29.
- Trace Genesis one-flesh language through verses 31 and 32.
- State the responsibilities given to children and fathers in 6:1 to 4.
- Describe servant service in 6:5 to 8 using the passage's own terms.
- Explain how 6:9 limits masters under an impartial Master in heaven.
- Explain where the believer's strength comes from in verse 10.
- Identify the opponent named in verses 11 and 12 without demonizing people.
- List each armor piece and the spiritual reality attached to it.
- Explain why 'stand' repeats through verses 11 to 14.
- Show how verse 18 keeps prayer inside the armor passage.
- Describe Paul's prayer request and Tychicus's role in verses 19 to 22.
Teacher preparation
- Read 5:21 before starting this unit because its mutual-submission call flows directly into verse 22.
- Name the ancient servant-master setting honestly; it included slavery and bonded service, not merely modern employment.
- Keep each command with the group actually addressed instead of borrowing one group's command for another.
- Avoid jokes about household roles; the passage already carries enough cultural weight.
- Mark the repeated Christ and Lord language so every household role remains under higher authority.
- Mark every stand or withstand in verses 11 to 14; the dominant battlefield verb is not attack.
- Keep verse 12 visible throughout: flesh and blood are explicitly not the enemy.
- Prepare the armor list without burying it under speculative Roman military detail.
- Read verses 18 to 20 as part of the armor section, with prayer surrounding the whole stance.
- Do not use 'principalities and powers' to invent demon names, territorial charts, or diagnoses the passage never gives.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
The text commands sacrificial love, non-provocation, sincere service, restrained mastery, and remembrance of the impartial Master in heaven. Verse 10 locates strength in the Lord, verse 12 excludes flesh and blood as the enemy, and verses 14 to 18 name armor and prayer.
Scripture-supported
Verse 31 quotes Genesis one-flesh language, while 6:2 and 3 recall the command to honor father and mother. Truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, and divine armor echo Old Testament descriptions of God's saving action.
Strong inference
Because every role answers to the Lord and masters face God's impartiality, no participant receives unlimited authority. Plural commands and prayer for all saints make this naturally a corporate call to stand together, not merely a private exercise.
Possible or traditional reading
Christians differ over marital submission and which household features are culturally particular or enduring; establish the passage's actual commands before debating models. Detailed Roman equipment comparisons can help memory, but the passage emphasizes the named spiritual realities and repeated standing.
Limit
This unit is not a complete theology of marriage, parenting, slavery, employment, civil law, or abuse response. The passage does not name specific demons, map spiritual territories, date the 'evil day,' or promise freedom from suffering.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. What comparison controls the husband's command to love in verse 25?
What a good answer contains
Christ's love for the church. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (5:25). The measure is self-giving, and the aim is the other's good: "That he might sanctify and cleanse it" (5:26) and "present it to himself a glorious church" (5:27). A good answer keeps the cross inside the command. A weak answer reduces love to a feeling or to providing, or talks about headship while leaving out the gave himself that defines it.
Show teacher guidance
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it; keep self-giving in the answer.
2. What body language appears in verses 28 to 30?
What a good answer contains
Paul says "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself" (5:28). No one hates his own flesh, "but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church" (5:29), "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (5:30). A good answer notices the two bodies: the husband's care for his wife is to match Christ's care for his body, the church. A weak answer hears only self-interest and misses that the model is Christ's nourishing and cherishing.
Show teacher guidance
Husbands love wives as their own bodies, while believers are members of Christ's body.
3. What does Paul call the 'great mystery' in verses 31 and 32?
What a good answer contains
Verse 31 quotes Genesis 2:24, "they two shall be one flesh", and verse 32 says "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church". Marriage was made from the beginning to picture Christ's union with his people. Then verse 33 brings it back home: love and reverence in each marriage. A good answer holds both levels, the picture and the reality. A weak answer drops one: only a lesson about marriage, or only a lesson about Christ.
Show teacher guidance
Verse 31 cites one flesh, and verse 32 says Paul speaks concerning Christ and the church.
4. What two instructions in 6:4 restrain and direct fathers?
What a good answer contains
Fathers are told to "provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (6:4). One instruction restrains, the other directs. In a culture where a father held almost unlimited power, Paul limits it first. Nurture means training, admonition means instruction by word, and both are "of the Lord". A good answer keeps both halves. A weak answer keeps only discipline, or only gentleness, and loses the Lord as the source of both.
Show teacher guidance
Do not provoke children to wrath; bring them up in the Lord's nurture and admonition.
5. Which phrases in 6:5 to 8 move service beyond eyeservice?
What a good answer contains
Servants are to obey "in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ" (6:5), "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart" (6:6), "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (6:7), knowing the Lord will repay "whether he be bond or free" (6:8). A good answer sees that Paul speaks to slaves as moral persons whose work is seen by Christ. A weak answer reads the verses as approval of slavery, or skips the dignity Paul gives them.
Show teacher guidance
Look for singleness of heart, as unto Christ, from the heart, and as to the Lord.
6. What must masters remember in 6:9?
What a good answer contains
That they too are under authority: "knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him" (6:9). They must "do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening". A good answer notices that the master receives commands as real as the servant's, that threats are forbidden, and that God judges both without favouritism. A weak answer reads 6:5-8 alone and treats the master's power as unchecked.
Show teacher guidance
They also have a Master in heaven, and he shows no respect of persons.
7. Whose strength and power appear in verse 10?
What a good answer contains
The Lord's. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (6:10). The strength is located in him and drawn from him. Paul used the same cluster of words in 1:19, "the working of his mighty power" that raised Christ. A good answer connects the two and sees that believers are not told to generate strength but to be strengthened in someone else's. A weak answer turns "be strong" into a call to personal toughness or willpower.
Show teacher guidance
The Lord's; do not turn 'be strong' into a speech about personal toughness.
8. According to verse 12, who is not the enemy?
What a good answer contains
Paul says "we wrestle not against flesh and blood" (6:12). Human beings, even hostile ones, are not the enemy. The real opponents are "principalities", "powers", "the rulers of the darkness of this world" and "spiritual wickedness in high places". A good answer keeps that line visible whenever human opponents come up, and notices that "wrestle" means close, personal struggle. A weak answer quietly turns opponents into the enemy, or swings the other way into speculation about named spirits the text never names.
Show teacher guidance
Flesh and blood; keep that phrase visible whenever human opponents are discussed.
9. What repeated command links verses 11, 13, and 14?
What a good answer contains
Stand. Put on the armour "that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (6:11); take it "that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (6:13); "Stand therefore" (6:14). Four times in four verses. The posture is holding ground already won by Christ, not seizing new territory. A good answer counts the repetitions and sees the defensive stance. A weak answer imports the language of attack and conquest that the passage does not use.
Show teacher guidance
Stand or withstand; count the repetitions and notice the defensive posture.
10. Which spiritual reality belongs to each armor image?
What a good answer contains
Truth is the belt, righteousness the breastplate, "the preparation of the gospel of peace" the footwear, faith the shield, salvation the helmet, and "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (6:14-17). Read Isaiah 59:17 and 11:5: this is God's own armour, given to his people. A good answer matches each piece and notices that only the sword is explained by Paul himself. A weak answer gets lost in Roman equipment and forgets the realities the pieces stand for.
Show teacher guidance
Match truth, righteousness, gospel peace, faith, salvation, and God's word to the six pieces.
11. What words in verse 18 make prayer persistent?
What a good answer contains
Paul piles up the word all: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (6:18). Prayer is not a seventh piece of armour but the way the whole armour is worn. "Watching" means staying awake and alert. A good answer catches the four alls and the reach of the prayer, every believer, not only oneself. A weak answer treats prayer as an extra rather than the atmosphere of the whole stand.
Show teacher guidance
Look for always, all prayer, watching, perseverance, and all saints.
12. What does imprisoned Paul request in verses 19 and 20?
What a good answer contains
Not release, but words and courage: "that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel" (6:19). He calls himself "an ambassador in bonds" (6:20), an envoy in chains, and asks to "speak boldly, as I ought to speak". A good answer notices what Paul does not ask for and what he does. A weak answer assumes he prays for freedom, which misses the shape of his priorities.
Show teacher guidance
He asks for utterance and boldness to make the gospel mystery known.
Responsible application
Put authority under the cross
Whenever teaching authority, include the command that limits, sacrifices, or disciplines the stronger party's power.
Make the Lord the audience
Ask how service and supervision change when both parties answer to the same Master.
Pair nurture with restraint
Build parenting guidance from both halves of 6:4 so correction never becomes provocation.
Do not aim the sword at people
Use verse 12 to separate human opponents from the spiritual struggle whenever conflict intensifies.
Stand together under pressure
Build prayer around all saints and ask for perseverance, faith, peace, and faithful use of God's word.
Ask for boldness inside chains
Pray for clear gospel speech in constrained circumstances instead of waiting for every obstacle to disappear.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
Ephesians 5:22–6:9
45 minutes
Six voices
Read 5:21-6:9 aloud. Chart the six groups addressed on the board and circle every mention of Christ or the Lord.
Wives and husbands
Teach 5:21-30. Take questions one and two, then confusions one and two with care.
The great mystery
Read Genesis 2:24 and 5:31-33. Take question three.
Children and fathers
Read 6:1-4. Take question four and confusion four.
Servants and masters
Read 6:5-9. Take questions five and six and confusion three, naming the slavery setting honestly.
The same Lord
Ask what changes when every role answers to the Lord. Read the key verse, give out the handout and pray for households.
90 minutes
Six voices
Read 5:21-6:9. Chart the six groups and mark every mention of Christ or the Lord.
One to another
Teach 5:21-24 and work through confusions one and two carefully, leaving room for questions.
As Christ loved the church
Read 5:25-30 with John 13:1-15. Take questions one and two and ask what Christ's love did for the church.
One flesh
Read Genesis 2:24 and 5:31-33. Take question three.
Children and fathers
Read 6:1-4 with Exodus 20:12 and Colossians 3:21. Take question four and confusion four.
Servants and masters
Read 6:5-9 with Philemon 15-16. Take questions five and six and confusion three.
The Lord as audience
Let each person write one way the Lord as audience changes a role they hold at home or at work. Share in pairs.
Prayer for households
Read the key verse together, give out the handout and pray for the homes represented in the room.
Ephesians 6:10–24
45 minutes
Strong in the Lord
Read 6:10-13. Take questions one and three, counting every stand and withstand.
Not flesh and blood
Read 6:12 again slowly. Take question two and confusions one and two.
The armour of God
Read 6:14-17 and Isaiah 59:17. Take question four, matching each piece to its reality, then confusion three.
Praying always
Read 6:18-20. Take questions five and six and confusion four.
Grace and peace
Read 6:21-24 and set it beside 1:2 so the class hears the letter close where it began.
Pray for all saints
Read the key verses together, give out the handout, and pray for one believer under pressure by name.
90 minutes
Finally
Recap the letter in two halves, chapters 1 to 3 and 4 to 6. Then read 6:10-24 aloud.
In the Lord
Read 6:10-11 with 1:19-20. Take question one and show where the strength comes from.
Who we wrestle
Read 6:12-13. Take questions two and three and confusions one and two.
The armour of God
Read 6:14-17 with Isaiah 59:17, 11:5 and 52:7. Take question four and confusion three.
Praying always
Read 6:18 and take question five. Then pray in small groups for believers elsewhere, by name or by place.
Ambassador in bonds
Read 6:19-20 with Acts 28:30-31. Take question six and confusion four.
Tychicus and the blessing
Read 6:21-24 beside 1:2 and ask what the closing words say about the whole letter.
Stand together
Read the key verses together, give out the handout, and pray for boldness for someone who shares the gospel under pressure.
Adapting the lesson
Ephesians 5:22–6:9
Children
Centre the lesson on 6:1-4. Read the command to children and then the command to fathers, and show that both receive instructions from God. Play a short game where a child gives a kind instruction and another follows it. Be alert to children from hard or broken homes; do not assume every home is safe, and keep the focus on God's care for families.
Youth
Have them chart every group addressed and what each is told, then ask who is left without commands. None are. Let them discuss honestly what they have heard about submission and headship, and point them to the self-giving love of verse 25 as the controlling picture. Treat the slavery verses seriously rather than skipping them.
Adults
Give real time to the setting: Roman households, slavery, the power of fathers. Present the main Christian views on marriage roles fairly and require each to account for 5:21 and 5:25. Talk about how employers and workers today can apply the principle of the Lord as audience without pretending employment is the same as slavery.
One to one
Listen first to where the person is: married, single, a parent, an employee, a manager. Read the part of the passage that speaks to their role and ask what it would look like to do it "as unto the Lord". If anything suggests they are being harmed at home, put their safety first and help them find help.
Ephesians 6:10–24
Children
Make simple cardboard armour or picture cards for each piece, and let children put them on one at a time as you read what each one means. Tell them the armour belongs to God and he gives it to his children. Keep the enemy talk simple and calm: God is stronger, and we stand in his strength. Do not frighten them with talk of demons.
Youth
Many youth face pressure, accusation and temptation every day. Ask which fiery darts reach them most, and which piece of the armour answers each. Stress verse 12: the people who mock them are not the enemy. Let them pray for each other in pairs using verse 18, and challenge them to pray for boldness like Paul's.
Adults
Give time to the Isaiah background so adults see the armour as God's own. Discuss honestly how a congregation can drift into treating people as enemies, and how verse 12 corrects that. Talk about prayer as the way the armour is worn, and plan how the group will pray for all saints, including the persecuted church.
One to one
Ask where the person feels most under pressure right now. Read the armour slowly and ask which piece they most need to take up this week. If they are suffering, read 6:13 and 6:20 together and assure them that standing is the victory Paul describes. Pray verse 19 for them, for words and courage in their own setting.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Ephesians 5:22–6:9
The passage in brief
Ephesians 5:22-6:9 shows how life in Christ shapes a household. Every instruction sits under the call to submit to one another in the fear of God. Wives are called to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Children obey their parents in the Lord, and fathers must not provoke them but bring them up in the Lord's training. Servants work as for Christ, and masters remember they have a Master in heaven.
A verse to keep
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Ephesians 5:25 · King James Version
Questions to take home
How did Christ love the church, according to 5:25-27?
What two things are fathers told in 6:4?
What must masters remember in 6:9?
This week
Pick one role you hold at home or at work and do one task in it this week as for the Lord, not for people.
Ephesians 6:10–24
The passage in brief
Ephesians 6:10-24 ends the letter by calling believers to be strong in the Lord and stand firm. Our struggle is not against people but against spiritual powers of evil. God gives his own armour: truth, righteousness, the readiness of the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. All of it is worn with constant prayer for all believers. Paul, in chains, asks not for release but for boldness to speak the gospel.
A verse to keep
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:10-11 · King James Version
Questions to take home
Who is not our enemy, according to 6:12?
Which piece of armour do you most need this week, and why?
What did Paul ask believers to pray for him in 6:19-20?
This week
Each day this week, pray 6:18 for one believer by name, and ask God for boldness to speak of Christ.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
