Ephesians 6:6 (GNV)

Passage

Not with seruice to the eye, as men pleasers, but as the seruants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:4 And ye, fathers, prouoke not your children to wrath: but bring them vp in instruction and information of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Seruants, be obedient vnto them that are your masters, according to the flesh, with feare and trembling in singlenesse of your hearts as vnto Christ,

Ephesians 6:6 Not with seruice to the eye, as men pleasers, but as the seruants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Ephesians 6:7 With good will, seruing the Lord, and not men.

Ephesians 6:8 And knowe ye that whatsoeuer good thing any man doeth, that same shall he receiue of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "seruice", "pleasers", "seruants", "christ", "doing", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "will of God" and "seruice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Seruants be obedient vnto them that are..." into verse 7's "With good will seruing the Lord and...", so "will of God" and "seruice" 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 "will of God" and "seruice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.