¹³ He has delivered us from ^(A)the power of darkness ^(B)and ^[a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of ^(A)darkness into His marvelous light;

³⁰ Truly, ^(A)these times of ignorance God overlooked, but ^(B)now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which ^(C)He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by ^(D)raising Him from the dead.”

⁴ whose minds ^(A)the god of this age ^(B)has blinded, who do not believe, lest ^(C)the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, ^(D)who is the image of God, should shine on them. ^5 (E)For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ^(F)ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For it is the God ^(G)who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has ^(H)shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The New Man

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should ^(A)no longer walk as ^[a]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the ^(B)blindness of their heart; ^19 (C)who, being past feeling, ^(D)have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ,

²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but ^(A)became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ^22 (B)Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the ^(C)incorruptible ^(D)God into an image made like ^[a]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

^24 (E)Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, ^(F)to dishonor their bodies ^(G)among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged ^(H)the truth of God ^(I)for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to ^(J)vile passions. For even their ^[b]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the ^[c]men, leaving the natural use of the ^[d]woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things ^(K)which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, ^[e]sexual immorality, wickedness, ^[f]covetousness, ^[g]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ^31 [h]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, ^[i]unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, ^(L)knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things ^(M)are deserving of death, not only do the same but also ^(N)approve of those who practice them.

^18 (A)to open their eyes, in order ^(B)to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, ^(C)that they may receive forgiveness of sins and ^(D)an inheritance among those who are ^(E)sanctified^[a] by faith in Me.’