Ephesians 6:5 (DRB)

Passage

Servants, be obedient to them that are your lords according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest be long lived upon earth.

Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, provoke not your children to anger: but bring them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your lords according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ.

Ephesians 6:6 Not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men: but, as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

Ephesians 6:7 With a good will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "servants", "obedient", "lords", "flesh", "fear", "trembling", "simplicity", 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 you fathers provoke not your children..." into verse 6's "Not serving to the eye as it...", 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.