Beginning
The Messiah’s Gifts to the Church
4 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love. 3 Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit. Likewise, you were called to the one hope of your calling.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is above all, through all, and in all.
7 Now to each one of us grace has been given proportionate to the measure of the Messiah’s[a] gift. 8 That is why God[b] says,
“When he went up to the highest place,
he led captives into captivity
and gave gifts to people.”[c]
9 Now what does this “he went up” mean except that he also had gone[d] down into the lower parts of the earth?[e] 10 The one who went down is the same one who went up above all the heavens so that all things would be fulfilled. 11 And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers, 12 to equip[f] the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah[g] 13 until all of us are united in the faith and in the full knowledge of God’s Son, and until we attain mature adulthood and the full standard of development in the Messiah.[h] 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, or by clever strategies that would lead us astray. 15 Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely and become one with the head, that is, one with the Messiah,[i] 16 in whom the whole body is united and held together by every ligament with which it is supplied. As each individual part does its job, the body builds itself up in love.
The Old Life and the New
17 Therefore, I tell you and insist on[j] in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.[k] 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. 19 Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint. 20 However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah.[l] 21 Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus. 22 Regarding your former way of life, you were taught[m] to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, 23 to be renewed in your mental attitude, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God’s image[n] in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Therefore, stripping off falsehood, “let each of us speak the truth to his neighbor,”[o] for we belong to one another. 26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.”[p] Do not let the sun set while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the Devil an opportunity to work.[q] 28 The thief must no longer steal but must work hard and do what is good with his own hands, so that he might earn something to give to the needy.
29 Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment.[r] This way you will administer grace to those who hear you. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. 32 And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you[s] in the Messiah.[t]
5 So be imitators of God, as his dear children. 2 Live lovingly, just as the Messiah[u] also loved us[v] and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God. 3 Do not let sexual sin, impurity of any kind, or greed even be mentioned among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Obscene, flippant, or vulgar talk is totally inappropriate. Instead, let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you know very well that no immoral or impure person, or anyone who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah[w] and of God.
Living in the Light
6 Do not let anyone deceive you with meaningless words, for it is because of these things that God becomes angry with those who disobey.[x] 7 So do not be partners with them. 8 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, 9 for the fruit that the light[y] produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10 Determine what pleases the Lord, 11 and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by these disobedient people[z] in secret. 13 But everything that is exposed to the light becomes visible, 14 for the light is making everything visible. That is why it says,
Wise Behavior
15 So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise, 16 making the best use of your time[ac] because the times are evil. 17 Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Stop getting[ad] drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit. 19 Then you will recite to one another psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; you will sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts; 20 you will consistently give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah;[ae] 21 and you will submit to one another out of reverence for[af] the Messiah.[ag]
Wives and Husbands
22 Wives, submit yourselves[ah] to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of his wife as the Messiah[ai] is the head of the church. It is he who is the Savior of the body. 24 Indeed, just as the church is submissive to the Messiah,[aj] so wives must be submissive[ak] to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives as the Messiah[al] loved the church and gave himself for it, 26 so that he might make it holy by cleansing it, washing it with water and the word, 27 and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love[am] their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah[an] does[ao] the church.
30 For we are parts of his body—of his flesh and of his bones.[ap] 31 “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[aq] 32 This is a great secret, but I am talking about the Messiah[ar] and the church. 33 But each individual man among you must love his wife as he loves[as] himself; and may the wife fear her husband.
Advice for Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,[at] for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother…”[au] (This is a very important commandment with a promise.) 3 “…so that it may go well for you, and that you may have a long life on the earth.”[av]
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up by training[aw] and instructing them about the Lord.
Advice for Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear, trembling, and sincerity, as when you obey[ax] the Messiah.[ay] 6 Do not do this only while you’re being watched in order to please them, but be like slaves of the Messiah,[az] who are determined to obey God’s will. 7 Serve willingly, as if you were serving the Lord and not merely people,[ba] 8 because you know that everyone will receive a reward from the Lord for whatever good he has done, whether he is a slave or free.
9 Masters, treat your slaves[bb] the same way. Do not threaten them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Putting on the Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, relying on his mighty strength. 11 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the Devil’s strategies.[bc] 12 For our[bd] struggle is not against human opponents,[be] but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us,[bf] and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. 13 For this reason, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes. And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm.
14 Stand firm, therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and being firm-footed in the gospel of peace.[bg] 16 In addition to having clothed yourselves with these things, having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one, 17 also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times with every kind of prayer and request. Likewise, be alert with your most diligent efforts and pray for all the saints. 19 Pray[bh] also for me, so that, when I begin to speak, the right words will come to me. Then I will boldly make known the secret of the gospel, 20 for whose sake I am an ambassador in chains, desiring to declare the gospel[bi] as boldly as I should.[bj]
Final Greeting
21 So that you may know what has happened to me and how I am doing, Tychicus, our dear brother and a faithful minister in service to the Lord, will tell you everything. 22 I am sending him to you for this very reason, so that you may know how we are doing and that he may encourage your hearts.
23 May peace and love, with faith, be with the brothers, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah![bk]
24 May grace be with all who sincerely love the Lord Jesus, the Messiah![bl]
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