Efeso 4
Magandang Balita Biblia (with Deuterocanon)
Ang Pagkakaisa sa Espiritu
4 Kaya't ako, na isang bilanggo dahil sa Panginoon, ay nakikiusap sa inyo na mamuhay kayo gaya ng nararapat sa mga tinawag ng Diyos. 2 Kayo'y(A) maging mapagpakumbaba, mahinahon at matiyaga. Magparaya kayo dahil sa inyong pagmamahal sa isa't isa. 3 Sikapin ninyong mapanatili ang pagkakaisang mula sa Espiritu, sa pamamagitan ng kapayapaang nagbubuklod sa inyo. 4 May iisang katawan at iisang Espiritu, kung paanong may iisang pag-asa na para doon kayo'y tinawag ng Diyos. 5 May iisang Panginoon, iisang pananampalataya at iisang bautismo, 6 iisang Diyos at Ama nating lahat. Siya ay higit sa lahat, kumikilos sa lahat, at nananatili sa lahat.
7 Ang bawat isa sa ati'y nakatanggap ng tanging kaloob, ayon sa sukat na ibinigay ni Cristo. 8 Ganito(B) ang sinasabi ng kasulatan:
“Nang umakyat siya sa kalangitan,
nagdala siya ng maraming bihag,
at nagbigay ng mga kaloob sa mga tao.”
9 Anong ibig sabihin ng “umakyat siya”? Ang ibig sabihin niyan ay bumabâ muna siya sa mga kailalimang bahagi ng lupa.[a] 10 Ang bumabâ ay siya rin namang umakyat sa kaitaasan ng kalangitan upang mapuno ng kanyang presensya ang buong sangnilikha. 11 At binigyan niya ang ilan ng kaloob upang maging mga apostol, ang iba nama'y mga propeta, ang iba'y mga ebanghelista, at ang iba'y mga pastor at mga guro. 12 Ginawa niya ito upang ihanda sa paglilingkod ang lahat ng mga hinirang, upang maging matatag ang katawan ni Cristo, 13 hanggang makarating tayo sa pagkakaisa ng pananampalataya at pagkakilala sa Anak ng Diyos, at maging ganap ang ating pagkatao ayon sa pagiging-ganap ni Cristo. 14 Nang sa gayon, hindi na tayo magiging tulad sa mga batang madaling matangay ng sari-saring aral. Hindi na tayo maililigaw ng mga taong ang hangad ay dalhin tayo sa kamalian sa pamamagitan ng kanilang katusuhan at panlilinlang. 15 Sa halip, sa pamamagitan ng pagsasalita ng katotohanan sa diwa ng pag-ibig, tayo'y dapat maging lubos na katulad ni Cristo na siyang ulo nating lahat. 16 Sa pamamagitan niya, ang buong katawan ay pinag-uugnay-ugnay ng mga kasukasuan na mula rin sa kanya. At kung maayos na gumaganap ng tungkulin ang bawat bahagi, lumalaki ang katawan at pinapatatag nito ang sarili sa pamamagitan ng pag-ibig.
Ang Bagong Buhay kay Cristo
17 Sa pangalan ng Panginoon, binabalaan ko kayo: huwag na kayong mamuhay tulad ng mga hindi sumasampalataya. Walang kabuluhan ang kanilang iniisip, 18 at wala silang pang-unawa. Dahil sa kanilang kamangmangan at katigasan ng ulo, wala silang bahagi sa buhay na kaloob ng Diyos. 19 Sila'y naging alipin ng kahalayan at wala na silang kahihiyan. Wala na silang inaatupag kundi pawang kalaswaan.
20 Hindi ganyan ang natutunan ninyo tungkol kay Cristo. 21 Napakinggan na ninyo ang aral ni Jesus at natutunan na ninyo ang katotohanang nasa kanya. 22 Iwan na ninyo ang dating pamumuhay. Hubarin na ninyo ang inyong dating pagkatao na nasisira dahil sa masasamang pagnanasa. 23 Magbago na kayo ng diwa at pag-iisip; 24 at(C) ang dapat ninyong isuot ay ang bagong pagkatao na nilikhang kalarawan ng Diyos, at nahahayag sa matuwid at banal na pamumuhay ayon sa katotohanan.
25 Dahil(D) dito, itakwil na natin ang pagsisinungaling at tayong lahat ay magsabi ng totoo sa isa't isa, sapagkat tayo'y bahagi ng iisang katawan. 26 Kung(E) magagalit man kayo, iwasan ninyo ang kayo'y magkasala. Huwag ninyong hayaang lumubog ang araw na galit pa rin kayo. 27 Huwag ninyong bigyan ng pagkakataon ang diyablo. 28 Ang magnanakaw ay huwag nang magnakaw; sa halip, magtrabaho siya nang marangal para sa sariling ikabubuhay at makatulong sa mga nangangailangan. 29 Huwag kayong gumamit ng masasamang salita kundi iyong makapagpapalakas at angkop sa pagkakataon upang makapagdulot ng mabuti sa mga nakakarinig. 30 At huwag ninyong saktan ang kalooban ng Espiritu Santo, sapagkat siya ang tatak ng Diyos sa inyo, ang katibayan na kayo'y tutubusin pagdating ng takdang araw. 31 Alisin na ninyo ang lahat ng sama ng loob, poot at galit; huwag na kayong mambubulyaw, manlalait at mananakit ng damdamin ng kapwa. 32 Sa(F) halip, maging mabait kayo at maawain; magpatawad kayo sa isa't isa tulad ng pagpapatawad sa inyo ng Diyos dahil kay Cristo.
Footnotes
- 9 mga kailalimang bahagi ng lupa: Sa ibang manuskrito'y mga kailaliman ng lupa .
Ephesians 4
Living Bible
4 I beg you—I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the Lord—to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these. 2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another.
4 We are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. 5 For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and we all have the same God and Father who is over us all and in us all, and living through every part of us. 7 However, Christ has given each of us special abilities—whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts.
8 The psalmist tells about this, for he says that when Christ returned triumphantly to heaven after his resurrection and victory over Satan, he gave generous gifts to men. 9 Notice that it says he returned to heaven. This means that he had first come down from the heights of heaven, far down to the lowest parts of the earth. 10 The same one who came down is the one who went back up, that he might fill all things everywhere with himself, from the very lowest to the very highest.
11 Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God.
12 Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity; 13 until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. 15-16 Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly[a]—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
17-18 Let me say this, then, speaking for the Lord: Live no longer as the unsaved do, for they are blinded and confused. Their closed hearts are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds against him, and they cannot understand his ways. 19 They don’t care anymore about right and wrong and have given themselves over to impure ways. They stop at nothing, being driven by their evil minds and reckless lusts.
20 But that isn’t the way Christ taught you! 21 If you have really heard his voice and learned from him the truths concerning himself, 22 then throw off your old evil nature—the old you that was a partner in your evil ways—rotten through and through, full of lust and sham.
23 Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. 24 Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature.
25 Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves. 26 If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; 27 for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil.
28 If anyone is stealing he must stop it and begin using those hands of his for honest work so he can give to others in need. 29 Don’t use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing.
30 Don’t cause the Holy Spirit sorrow by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who marks you to be present on that day when salvation from sin will be complete.[b]
31 Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:15 speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly, Amplified New Testament.
- Ephesians 4:30 he is the one . . . salvation from sin will be complete, literally, “he is the one in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption.”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.