Be Imitators of God

5 ^(A)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; ² and ^(B)walk in love, just as Christ also ^(C)loved ^[a]you and ^(D)gave Himself up for us, an ^(E)offering and a sacrifice to God ^[b]as a ^(F)fragrant aroma.

³ But ^(G)sexual immorality ^[c]or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among ^[d]saints; ⁴ and there must be no ^(H)filthiness ^[e]or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which ^(I)are not fitting, but rather ^(J)giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know with certainty, that ^(K)no sexually immoral or ^[f]impure or greedy person, which ^[g]amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom ^(L)of Christ and God.

^6 (M)See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things ^(N)the wrath of God comes upon ^(O)the ^[h]sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become ^(P)partners with them; ⁸ for ^(Q)you were once ^(R)darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as ^(S)children of light ⁹ (for ^(T)the fruit of the light consists in all ^(U)goodness, righteousness, and truth), ^10 [i](V)as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. ^11 (W)Do not participate in the useless ^(X)deeds of ^(Y)darkness, but instead even ^(Z)expose them; ¹² for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. ¹³ But all things become visible ^(AA)when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. ¹⁴ For this reason ^[j]it says,

¹⁵ So then, ^[k]be careful how you ^(AE)walk, not ^(AF)as unwise people but as wise, ^16 [l](AG)making the most of your time, because ^(AH)the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but ^(AI)understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And ^(AJ)do not get drunk with wine, ^[m]in which there is ^(AK)debauchery, but be ^(AL)filled with the Spirit, ^19 (AM)speaking to ^[n]one another in ^(AN)psalms and ^(AO)hymns and spiritual ^(AP)songs, ^(AQ)singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; ^20 (AR)always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our ^(AS)God and Father; ^21 [o](AT)and subject yourselves to one another in the ^[p](AU)fear of Christ.

Marriage like Christ and the Church

^22 (AV)Wives, ^(AW)subject yourselves to your own husbands, ^(AX)as to the Lord. ²³ For ^(AY)the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the ^(AZ)head of the church, He Himself ^(BA)being the Savior of the body. ²⁴ But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

^25 (BB)Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and ^(BC)gave Himself up for her, ^26 (BD)so that He might sanctify her, having ^(BE)cleansed her by the ^(BF)washing of water with ^(BG)the word, ²⁷ that He might ^(BH)present to Himself the church ^[q]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be ^(BI)holy and blameless. ²⁸ So husbands also ought to ^(BJ)love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; ²⁹ for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, ³⁰ because we are ^(BK)parts of His ^(BL)body. ^31 (BM)For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ³² This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to ^(BN)love his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she ^(BO)respects her husband.

The Excellence of Love

13 If I speak with the ^(A)tongues of mankind and of ^(B)angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a ^(C)clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of ^(D)prophecy and know all ^(E)mysteries and all ^(F)knowledge, and if I have ^(G)all faith so as to ^(H)remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ And if I ^(I)give away all my possessions to charity, and if I ^(J)surrender my body so that I may ^[a]glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.

⁴ Love ^(K)is patient, love is kind, it ^(L)is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not ^(M)arrogant. ⁵ It does not act disgracefully, it ^(N)does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, ^(O)does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, ^6 (P)it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ^(Q)rejoices with the truth; ⁷ it ^[b](R)keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails; but if there are gifts of ^[c](S)prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are ^(T)tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. ⁹ For we ^(U)know in part and prophesy in part; ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. ¹¹ When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I ^[d]became a man, I did away with childish things. ¹² For now we ^(V)see in a mirror ^[e]dimly, but then ^(W)face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also ^(X)have been fully known. ¹³ But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the ^[f]greatest of these is ^(Y)love.