Ephesians 6:6 (YLT)

Passage

not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God out of soul,

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:4 And the fathers! provoke not your children, but nourish them in the instruction and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 The servants! obey the masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to the Christ;

Ephesians 6:6 not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God out of soul,

Ephesians 6:7 with good-will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men,

Ephesians 6:8 having known that whatever good thing each one may do, this he shall receive from the Lord, whether servant or freeman.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "eye-service", "men-pleasers", "servants", "christ", "doing", and "soul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "will of God" and "eye-service", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "The servants obey the masters according to..." into verse 7's "with good-will serving as to the Lord...", so "will of God" and "eye-service" 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 "eye-service" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.