Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20100207.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Ephesians: Overcoming Our Insecurities In Christ
Part II: The Believer's Practice Based On His Secure Position In Christ, Ephesians 4:1-6:24
F. Living In Wisdom Through The Holy Spirit's Power
2. Living In Wisdom In Family Life Through The Holy Spirit's Power
(Ephesians 6:1-4)
  1. Introduction
    1. We have learned in this lesson series that living wisely as a believer takes depending on the Holy Spirit's power to discern what Scripture says so that we know God's will and thus accurately apply it to life, using every moment available to be a much-needed light to fellow needy believers and the world.
    2. This lofty, comprehensive directive becomes more meaningful if we apply it to specific realms of our experience, and Paul makes that application specifically to Christian family life in Ephesians 6:1-4:
  2. Living In Wisdom In Family Life Through The Holy Spirit's Power, Ephesians 6:1-4.
    1. Paul's call that believers submit to one another in the "fear of God" under the filling of the Holy Spirit's power (Ephesians 5:18-21) is applied to three realms of relationships that involve "submitting" -- to marriage, to family life and to the workplace, Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:1-4 and 6:5-9 respectively.
    2. Regarding family life (Ephesians 6:1-4), Paul laid out the specifics of what is involved in living in wisdom as a much-needed light to fellow needy believers and the world (as follows):
      1. For family life to work well, in wisdom, the subordinate party, the CHILD, needs to submit to his parents in OBEYING them, Ephesians 6:1-3:
        1. Children are to obey their parents "in the Lord," a phrase that does not mean they are to obey only Christian parents who are "in the Lord," but to be pleasing to the Lord, Ephesians 6:1a; cf. Colossians 3:20; Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 641.
        2. Of necessity, such obedience is qualified to include doing what also obeys GOD so that a child is to obey God above his parent(s) WHEN God and his parent(s) DIFFER(S) , cf. Acts 5:29.
        3. Such obedience is "right" (dikaion), the Greek New Testament word for "just, righteous," meaning such obedience of a child to his parents is righteous in God's estimation, Eph. 6:1b; Ibid.; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 194-196.
        4. Such obedience honors one's parents, an honor that "fosters self-discipline, which in turn brings stability and longevity in one's life" as mirrored in the Old Testament primary promise on honoring one's parents, Ephesians 6:2-3; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 642 with Exodus 20:12.
        5. Now, "(w)hen a child marries, his relationship to his parents changes (Ephesians 5:31), but not his responsibility to provide for them (1 Timothy 5:4)," Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Eph. 6:2.
      2. For family life to work well, in wisdom, the overseeing party, the FATHER, must take the lead in not provoking his child , but rather nourishing him in the training and instruction of the Lord, Eph. 6:4:
        1. The word "fathers" appears here since the father in Scripture is the head "of the family on whom rests the responsibility of child discipline," Ephesians 6:4a; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.
        2. So, the father must not "provoke" (KJV, ESV) ("exasperate" NIV) (parorgizete, "'provoke to anger'" with "unreasonable demands, petty rules, or favoritism", Ibid.) the child, Ephesians 6:4b.
        3. Rather, he must "nourish" (ektrephete, "'provide for physical and spiritual needs'", Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.) him in the training (paideia, "'child discipline,' including directing and correcting", Ibid.) and instruction (nouthesia, Ibid.) of the Lord, Ephesians 6:4c.
        4. Thus, the father must take the parental lead in the home by relying on the Holy Spirit to discern his child's limitations and spiritual state, and so disciple him in a balanced approach of discipline and encouragement with a great reliance upon the Word of God as applied to everyday experiences!
Lesson: Living in God's wisdom in family life takes children and parents relying on the Holy Spirit for the CHILD to obey his parents in the Lord, and for the PARENTS, with the FATHER taking the LEAD in parenting, to avoid exasperating the child by irrational demands, petty rules and favoritism, but to raise the child in a correct balance of discipline and nurture with great reliance on the Word of God!

Application: May we thus walk in God's wisdom in our family lives with God's blessing!