NOTES for Eph 6:1-9

Reflecting on spiritual life, Paul also addresses, among other things, social relations, which might seem to have little in common with the life of the Kingdom to which all the apostle's letters are devoted. Here Paul continues the prophetic tradition, for the prophets too did not consider the social sphere unworthy of their attention. There is nothing surprising about this: spiritual life consists first of all in the relationships that bind a person to God and to other people, and such relationships are established among people not only in their private lives but also in public life. Ideally, public life should conform to the Torah just as an individual's life should, and the prophets never tired of reminding their compatriots and fellow believers of this.

The issue here is not social justice alone, important as it certainly is, but the fact that violating it always also entails violating a commandment given by God. In public life, unlike private life, this violation becomes widespread and compounds the offenders' sin. A society founded on the Torah helps people avoid sin; a society founded on laws that violate it encourages sin. Following the prophetic tradition, Paul calls for both family relationships (vv. 1–4) and social relationships (vv. 5–9) to be built on the Torah and the commandments.

At first glance it might seem that when the apostle addresses social relations he is much gentler than the prophets: he demands nothing from anyone and denounces no one; he only exhorts and appeals. But Paul evidently did not intend to repeat everything the prophets had already said before him. He wished only to remind his readers that although the Kingdom, in the Savior's words, is “not of this world,” every relationship that binds people, including social relations, is part of their spiritual life. Such relations can bring a person closer to the Kingdom or move that person farther away.