Ephesians 6:5 (ASV)

Passage

Servants, be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:3 that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Ephesians 6:6 not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Ephesians 6:7 with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "servants", "obedient", "flesh", "masters", "fear", "trembling", "singleness", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "servants" and "obedient", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And ye fathers provoke not your children..." into verse 6's "not in the way of eyeservice as...", so "servants" and "obedient" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "servants" and "obedient" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.