enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people,

It has not been earned, so that no one can boast of it.

At that time you had no connection with Christ, you were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the agreements about God's promise; with no hope and no God in all the world.

But now through your union with Christ Jesus you who were once far away have through the blood of Christ been brought near.

and through his human nature put an end to the feud between us, and abolished the Law with its rules and regulations, in order to make peace and create out of the two parties one new man by uniting them with himself,

for it is through him that we both with one Spirit are now able to approach the Father.

So you are no longer foreigners or strangers, but you are fellow-citizens of God's people and members of his family.

(which in past ages was not disclosed to mankind as fully as it has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets)

so that the many-sided wisdom of God may now through the church be made known to the rulers and authorities in heaven,

So what I mean and insist upon in the Lord's name is this: You must no longer live like the heathen, with their frivolity of mind and darkened understanding.

You must adopt a new attitude of mind,

and put on the new self which has been created in likeness to God, with all the uprightness and holiness that belong to the truth.

No bad word must ever pass your lips, but only words that are good and suited to improve the occasion, so that they will be a blessing to those who hear them.

There must be no indecency or foolish or scurrilous talk??ll that is unbecoming. There should be thanksgiving instead.

For you may be sure that no one who is immoral, or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have any share in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

For once you were sheer darkness, but now, as Christians, you are light itself. You must live like children of light,

for no one ever hates his own person, but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ does with the church,

for you know that everyone, slave or free, will be rewarded by the Lord for his good conduct.

You who are masters, too, must treat your slaves in the same way, and cease to threaten them, for you know that their Master and yours is in heaven, and that he will show no partiality.

In order that you also may know how I am, our dear brother Tychicus, a faithful helper in the Lord's service, will tell you all about it.

That is the very reason I am sending him, to let you know how I am, and to cheer your hearts.