Like chapter five, chapter six remains wholly practical, addressing how we should live in light of our salvation. It continues the idea of our relationships with other people, but ends with one of Scripture’s most detailed discussions of spiritual warfare. The progression from chapter five to chapter six might be notable. Five begins with a description of wicked living, an exhortation not to live that way, and then details how to live instead. From there, we improve our marital relationships, and then six expands into our other relationships, and concludes with us commissioned as soldiers for the Lord, able to wage war against the spiritual wickedness underlying the whole sinful mess of this present world.
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
The focus now shifts from marriage to the result of marriage: children. The statement is a plain directive and needs no elaboration. That makes it no less important, however – see Romans 1:30 and II Timothy 3:2.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Verses two and three effectively torpedo the hyper-dispensationalist view. Here Paul reasserts Exodus 20:12 for the Gentile in the Church age. Interestingly, Paul notes it is the first commandment that comes with a promise, and then paraphrases that promise in verse three. It is also noteworthy that this in the "hinge" commandment that bridges the first four (man's relationship to God) with the last five (man's relationship to man). While this clearly pertains to earthly parents, the application fits well with spiritual parents (I Corinthians 4:15), as well as God being the Father who brings about the new birth of believers.
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