Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ¹¹ searching what, or what manner of time, ^(A)the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to ^[a]us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which ^(B)angels desire to look into.

Living Before God Our Father

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not ^(C)conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ^15 (D)but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, ^(E)“Be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ For ^(A)in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ^(B)“The just shall live by faith.”

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? ^(A)Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who ^(B)died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that ^(C)as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus ^(D)were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were ^(E)buried with Him through baptism into death, that ^(F)just as Christ was raised from the dead by ^(G)the glory of the Father, ^(H)even so we also should walk in newness of life.

^5 (I)For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that ^(J)our old man was crucified with Him, that ^(K)the body of sin might be ^[a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For ^(L)he who has died has been ^[b]freed from sin.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin ^(A)because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Do you not know that ^(B)to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart ^(C)that form of doctrine to which you were ^[a]delivered. ¹⁸ And ^(D)having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness ^[b]for holiness.

²⁰ For when you were ^(E)slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ^21 (F)What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For ^(G)the end of those things is death. ²² But now ^(H)having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit ^[c]to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For ^(I)the wages of sin is death, but ^(J)the ^[d]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Test of Knowing Christ

2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, ^(A)we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And ^(B)He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ^(C)also for the whole world.

² To the saints ^(A)and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

^(B)Grace to you and peace from God our Father ^[a]and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

¹² But ^(A)as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[a]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: