Gore Blvd Church of Christ

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), ³ so that it may turn out well for you, and that you may live long on the earth.

⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Slaves and Masters

⁵ Slaves, be obedient to those who are your ^[a]masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; ⁶ not ^[b]by way of ^[c]eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the ^[d]heart. ⁷ With goodwill ^[e]render service, as to the Lord, and not to people, ⁸ knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

⁹ And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against ^[f]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; ^16 [g]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

^18 [h]With every prayer and request, ^[i]pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, ^[j]be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the ^[k]saints, ¹⁹ and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in ^[l]chains; that ^[m]in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

²¹ Now, so that you also may know about my circumstances as to ^[n]what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful ^[o]servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. ^22 [p]I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know ^[q]about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.

²³ Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ ^[r]with incorruptible love.

Footnotes

1. Ephesians 6:5 I.e., earthly masters, as in first-century Roman culture
2. Ephesians 6:6 Lit according to
3. Ephesians 6:6 I.e., only when the master is watching
4. Ephesians 6:6 Lit soul
5. Ephesians 6:7 Lit rendering
6. Ephesians 6:12 Lit blood and flesh
7. Ephesians 6:16 Lit in all
8. Ephesians 6:18 Lit Through
9. Ephesians 6:18 Lit praying
10. Ephesians 6:18 Lit being
11. Ephesians 6:18 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
12. Ephesians 6:20 Lit a chain
13. Ephesians 6:20 Two early mss I may speak it boldly
14. Ephesians 6:21 Or how
15. Ephesians 6:21 Or minister
16. Ephesians 6:22 Lit Whom I have sent to you
17. Ephesians 6:22 Lit the things about us
18. Ephesians 6:24 Lit in incorruption

Ephesians 5

Be Imitators of God

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

³ But 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 filthiness ^[e]or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or ^[f]impure or greedy person, which ^[g]amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

⁶ See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the ^[h]sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ^10 [i]as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even 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 when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. ¹⁴ For this reason ^[j]it says,

“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

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

Marriage like Christ and the Church

²² Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself 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 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶ so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ that He might present to Himself the church ^[q]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. ²⁸ So husbands also ought to 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 parts of His body. ³¹ 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 love his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Footnotes

1. Ephesians 5:2 One early ms us
2. Ephesians 5:2 Lit for an odor of fragrance
3. Ephesians 5:3 Lit and all
4. Ephesians 5:3 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
5. Ephesians 5:4 Lit and
6. Ephesians 5:5 I.e., morally impure
7. Ephesians 5:5 Lit is
8. Ephesians 5:6 I.e., people opposed to God
9. Ephesians 5:10 Lit putting to the test what
10. Ephesians 5:14 Or He
11. Ephesians 5:15 Lit look carefully
12. Ephesians 5:16 Lit redeeming the time
13. Ephesians 5:18 Or by which
14. Ephesians 5:19 Or yourselves
15. Ephesians 5:21 Lit being submissive to
16. Ephesians 5:21 Or reverence for
17. Ephesians 5:27 Lit glorious

Ephesians 4

Unity of the Spirit

4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore ^[a]it says,

“When He ascended on high,
He led captive the captives,
And He gave gifts to people.”

⁹ (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what ^[b]does it mean except that He also ^[c]had descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) ¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as ^[d]pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the ^[e]saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the ^[f]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature ^[g]which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ^14 [h]As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness ^[i]in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but ^[j]speaking the truth in love, ^[k]we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together ^[l]by what every joint supplies, according to the ^[m]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

The Christian’s Walk

¹⁷ So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the ^[n]Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds, ¹⁸ being darkened in their understanding, ^[o]excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; ¹⁹ and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior ^[p]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ²⁰ But you did not learn Christ in this way, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, ²² that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old ^[q]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, ²³ and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new ^[r]self, which ^[s]in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

²⁵ Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another. ²⁶ Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and do not give the devil ^[t]an opportunity. ²⁸ The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. ²⁹ Let no ^[u]unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification ^[v]according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ^[w]by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ All bitterness, wrath, anger, ^[x]clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. ³² Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven ^[y]you.

Footnotes

1. Ephesians 4:8 Or He
2. Ephesians 4:9 Lit is it except
3. Ephesians 4:9 One early ms had first descended
4. Ephesians 4:11 From Gr for shepherds
5. Ephesians 4:12 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
6. Ephesians 4:13 Or true knowledge
7. Ephesians 4:13 Lit of the fullness
8. Ephesians 4:14 Lit So that we will no longer be
9. Ephesians 4:14 Lit with regard to the scheming of deceit
10. Ephesians 4:15 Or holding to; or being truthful in
11. Ephesians 4:15 Or let’s grow up
12. Ephesians 4:16 Lit through every joint of the supply
13. Ephesians 4:16 Lit working in measure
14. Ephesians 4:17 I.e., unbelieving Gentiles
15. Ephesians 4:18 Or alienated
16. Ephesians 4:19 Or greedy for the practice of every kind of impurity
17. Ephesians 4:22 Lit person
18. Ephesians 4:24 Lit person
19. Ephesians 4:24 Lit according to God
20. Ephesians 4:27 Lit a place
21. Ephesians 4:29 Lit rotten
22. Ephesians 4:29 Lit of the need
23. Ephesians 4:30 Lit in
24. Ephesians 4:31 Or shouting
25. Ephesians 4:32 Two early mss us

Ephesians 3

Paul’s Stewardship

3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— ² if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; ³ that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly. ^4 [a]By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight ^[b]into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which in other generations was not made known to ^[c]mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets ^[d]in the Spirit; ⁶ to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, ⁷ of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. ⁸ To me, the very least of all ^[e]saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to ^[f]enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; ¹⁰ so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was in accordance with the ^[g]eternal purpose which He ^[h]carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and ^[i]confident access through faith ^[j]in Him. ¹³ Therefore I ask ^[k]you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, ^[l]since they are your glory.

¹⁴ For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom ^[m]every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner ^[n]self, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the ^[o]saints what is the width and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, ²¹ to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations ^[p]forever and ever. Amen.

Footnotes

1. Ephesians 3:4 Lit To which, when you read
2. Ephesians 3:4 Lit in
3. Ephesians 3:5 Lit the sons of man
4. Ephesians 3:5 Or by
5. Ephesians 3:8 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
6. Ephesians 3:9 One early ms bring to light what
7. Ephesians 3:11 Lit purpose of the ages
8. Ephesians 3:11 Or formed
9. Ephesians 3:12 Lit access in confidence
10. Ephesians 3:12 Lit of Him
11. Ephesians 3:13 Or that I may not lose
12. Ephesians 3:13 Lit which are
13. Ephesians 3:15 Or the whole
14. Ephesians 3:16 Lit person
15. Ephesians 3:18 See note v 8
16. Ephesians 3:21 Lit of the age of the ages

Ephesians 2

Made Alive in Christ

2 And ^[a]you ^[b]were dead ^[c]in your offenses and sins, ² in which you previously walked according to the ^[d]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the ^[e]sons of disobedience. ³ Among them ^[f]we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, ^[g]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the ^[h]mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead ^[i]in our wrongdoings, made us alive together ^[j]with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the ages to come He might show the ^[k]boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and ^[l]this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

¹¹ Therefore remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— ¹² remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, ^[m]excluded from ^[n]the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away ^[o]have been brought near ^[p]by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the ^[q]barrier of the dividing wall, ^15 [r]by abolishing ^[s]in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might ^[t]make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, ^[u]by it having put to death the hostility. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸ for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the ^[v]saints, and are of God’s household, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy ^[w]temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Footnotes

1. Ephesians 2:1 Lit being
2. Ephesians 2:1 I.e., Gentile believers
3. Ephesians 2:1 Or by reason of
4. Ephesians 2:2 Lit age
5. Ephesians 2:2 I.e., people opposed to God
6. Ephesians 2:3 I.e., Jewish believers
7. Ephesians 2:3 Lit doing
8. Ephesians 2:3 Lit thoughts
9. Ephesians 2:5 Or by reason of
10. Ephesians 2:5 Two early mss in Christ
11. Ephesians 2:7 Lit surpassing
12. Ephesians 2:8 I.e., this salvation
13. Ephesians 2:12 Or alienated
14. Ephesians 2:12 Or citizenship in Israel
15. Ephesians 2:13 Lit became; or were made
16. Ephesians 2:13 Or in
17. Ephesians 2:14 Lit the dividing wall of the barrier
18. Ephesians 2:15 Or the hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the Law
19. Ephesians 2:15 I.e., by His death
20. Ephesians 2:15 Lit create
21. Ephesians 2:16 Or in Himself
22. Ephesians 2:19 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
23. Ephesians 2:21 Or sanctuary