[He did this] to fulfill His plan at the proper time, by bringing together everything [in the universe] under Christ's headship --- things both in heaven and on earth.

which He exerted when raising Christ from the dead and seating Him at His right side in the heavenly realms [i.e., heaven itself].

And you [Gentiles] were once [spiritually] dead because of your shortcomings and sins.

restored [spiritual] life to us with Christ, even though we were [spiritually] dead because of our sins --- it is by God's unearned favor that you have been saved.

But you people did not learn Christ that way [i.e., the above described life is not compatible with a commitment to Christ].

So, it says, "You who are asleep, wake up and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you [i.e., illuminate you]." [Note: The foregoing words may have been an early saying, used at someone's immersion, which included the ideas of "rising up" (See Col. 2:12) and "illumination" (See Heb. 6:4)].

knowing that whatever good deed a person does, he will be rewarded for it from the Lord, whether he is a slave or a free person.