When was ephesians 6 written

We look forward to the Lord Jesus Christ coming from heaven as our Savior. Philippians GW fal. Receive each Sunday morning the poetic lyrics to one inspiring hymn and its supporting Scripture along with additional readings for reflection.

Verse of the Day For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. How much time do you spend reading the Bible each day? View Results. We hope what you find here will add to your understanding of and appreciation for the Bible. March 1, Andy Rau.

Andy is the former senior manager of content for Bible Gateway. He currently works at Calvin College. Ephesians : A call for humility and gentleness to guide Christians toward unity. Ephesians : Words of guidance for living a moral life.

Ephesians : A tricky and much-discussed passage that explains how slaves should conduct themselves in relation to their masters. Paul also told the masters to treat their servants with respect. He warned against threatening them because those earthly masters also have a Master in Heaven who is watching them. He said to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand strong against the deceptions of the devil.

Believers do not fight against the devil with flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers of darkness and the hosts of spiritual wickedness. He said to pray for each other to give strength against the evil deeds of the world. This instruction is based on one of the Ten Commandments Ephesians —3.

Fathers are not to provoke their children to anger. Instead, they are to raise them according to God's discipline and instruction Ephesians The second section addresses servants and masters Ephesians —9. Servants are to obey their masters with a sincere heart as if serving the Lord Ephesians —7. Whatever good they do will be received back Ephesians Masters are to treat their servants in the same way and not threaten them.

Masters are to recognize they and their servants have a common Master in heaven that judges fairly Ephesians The third part Ephesians —20 discusses the armor of God.

Believers are to be strong in the Lord Ephesians and put on the whole armor of God Ephesians to stand against Satan's schemes. Our battle is spiritual, not physical Ephesians This armor allows believers to stand firm in the faith Ephesians Having put on the breastplate of righteousness : Righteousness is represented as a breastplate which provides essential protection for the most vital organs.

We can no sooner battle against spiritual enemies in our own righteousness than a soldier can effectively fight without his breastplate. This is not our own earned righteousness, not a feeling of righteousness, but a righteousness received by faith in Jesus. It gives us a general sense of confidence, an awareness of our standing and position. It is shaky because feelings and experiences change quickly. The breastplate of righteousness is your best defense against the sense of spiritual depression and gloom that comes against us.

Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace : The preparation of the gospel is represented as the protective shoes or sandals worn by Roman soldiers. No one can fight effectively or effectively go about his business without this equipment.

However powerful the rest of your body is, if you are wounded in your feet you are easy prey for the enemy. The idea of preparation is really readiness. We must be mobile, flexible, and ready with the truth. This is a place to have in the Christian life, to live in constant readiness and flexibility. Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;.

Taking the shield of faith : Ephesians tells us of armor to have. Some of the armor we must wear all the time and have as a standing foundation. Therefore having comes first.

Yet now Paul will deal with aspects of the armor we are to take at the necessary moments of spiritual warfare and opportunity. Taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one : Faith is represented as a shield , protecting us from the fiery darts of the wicked one , those persistent efforts of demonic foes to weaken us through fear and unbelief.

The shield Paul describes is not the small round one, but the large, oblong shield that could protect the whole body. In ancient warfare, these fiery darts were launched in great numbers at the beginning of an attack.

The idea was not only to injure the enemy, but to shoot at him at all sides with a massive number of arrows, and thus to confuse and panic the enemy.

But the shield of faith not only catches the incendiary devices but extinguishes them. Thoughts, feelings, imaginations, fears, and lies — all of these can be hurled at us by Satan as fiery darts.

Faith turns them back. And take the helmet of salvation : In the ancient world this usually was a leather cap studded with metal for extra strength.

Often some kind of plume or decoration was added, perhaps to identify the solider to his regiment. Salvation is pictured as this kind of helmet , protecting an essential part of the body. A soldier would be foolish to go into battle without his helmet. The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved.

It is the assurance that God will triumph. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God : The idea is that the Spirit provides a sword for you, and that sword is the word of God. To effectively use the sword, we must regard it as the word of God — which is the word of God.

If we are not confident in the inspiration of Scripture, that the sword really came from the Spirit, then we will not use it effectively at all. But we must also take the sword of the Spirit in the sense of depending that He helps us to use it. Not only did the Spirit give us the Scriptures, but also He makes them alive to us or us alive to them , and He equips us with the right thrust of the sword at the right time.

Think of a soldier or a gladiator in training, practicing sword thrusts and moves and positions. Now, he must practice them ahead of time and if he is a superior fighter and has a great fighting instinct, at the time of battle he will instantly recall which thrust, which position suits the precise moment. He will never be able to use the thrust in the fight if he has not first practiced it; but he still needs to make the move at the moment.

Therefore, effectively using the sword takes practice. The great example of this was Jesus combating the temptation of Satan in the wilderness.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints; and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Praying always with all prayer : The idea is all kinds of prayer or prayer upon prayer. We should use every kind of prayer we can think of. Group prayer, individual prayer, silent prayer, shouting prayer, walking prayer, kneeling prayer, eloquent prayer, groaning prayer, constant prayer, fervent prayer — just pray.

We can say that it is through prayer that spiritual strength and the armor of God go to work. In theory, the prayerless Christian can be strong and wearing all the armor; but never accomplishes anything because he fails to goes into battle through prayer.

For all the saints : We can battle spiritually not only on our own behalf, but also on the behalf of others. He feels an instinct to protect and to battle on behalf of others. And for me, that utterance may be given to me : After bringing up the idea that spiritual warfare can be waged on behalf of others, Paul asks his readers to pray for him.

Boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel : Paul could have asked prayer for many things, but he wanted his readers to pray for this. He probably had in mind his upcoming defense before Caesar. We could imagine Paul asking for many things, such as relief from his imprisonment or for other comforts.

But his heart and mind were fixed on his responsibility as an ambassador of the gospel. That utterance may be given to me : The idea behind utterance is clear speaking. Added to boldly , Paul asked for prayer that he might proclaim the gospel both clearly and with a fearless power.

It is easy to neglect one or the other. But it could also be used for the gold adornment worn around the neck and wrists of the wealthy and powerful. On special occasions, ambassadors wore such chains to show the riches, power, and dignity of the government they represented. But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

Tychicus seems to have been often used by Paul as a messenger that you may know our affairs. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Peace to the brethren… Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus : Paul concluded the letter as he began it, with reference to grace and peace , these two essential cornerstones for the Christian life.