Paul, by God's will an apostle of Christ Jesus, to God's people who are steadfast in Christ Jesus;

so that we might praise the splendid blessing which he has given us through his beloved Son.

which is the advance installment of our inheritance, so that we may get full possession of it, and praise his glory for it.

This is why I, for my part, since I have heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus that prevails among you and among all God's people,

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,

We all lived among them once, indulging our physical cravings and obeying the impulses of our lower nature and its thoughts, and by nature we were doomed to God's wrath like other men.

But God is so rich in mercy that because of the great love he had for us,

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

So remember that you were once physically heathen, and called uncircumcised by those who called themselves circumcised, though only physically, by human hands.

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.

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

for which I became a worker by virtue of the gift of God's mercy which by the exercise of his power he has given me.

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

So I ask that what I am having to suffer for your sake may not make me lose heart, for it does you honor.

so that you and all God's people may be strong enough to grasp what breadth, length, height, and depth mean,

and to understand Christ's love, so far beyond our understanding, so that you may be filled with the very fulness of God.

So I, the prisoner for the Lord's sake, appeal to you to live lives worthy of the summons you have received;

But each one of us has been given mercy in Christ's generous measure.

So it says, "When he went up on high, he led a host of captives, And gave gifts to mankind."

For it is under his control that the whole system, adjusted and united by each ligament of its equipment, develops in proportion to the functioning of each particular part, and so builds itself up through love.

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.

So you must lay aside falsehood and each tell his neighbor the truth, for we are parts of one another.

The man who stole must not steal any more; he must work with his hands at honest toil instead, so as to have something to share with those who are in need.

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.

You must not offend God's holy Spirit, with which you have been marked for the Day of Redemption.

So follow God's example, like his dear children,

But immorality or any form of vice or greed must not be so much as mentioned among you; that would not be becoming in God's people.

Whatever anyone may say in the way of worthless arguments to deceive you, these are the things that are bringing God's anger down upon the disobedient.

So it says, "Wake up, sleeper! Rise from the dead, And Christ will dawn upon you!"

So do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Just as the church is in subjection to Christ, so married women must be, in everything, to their husbands.

That is the way husbands ought to love their wives??s if they were their own bodies; a man who loves his wife is really loving himself,

"You must honor your father and mother"??hat is the first commandment accompanied with a promise??3 "so that you may prosper and have a long life on earth."

You must put on God's armor, so as to be able to stand up against the devil's stratagems.

So you must take God's armor, so that when the evil day comes you will be able to make a stand, and when it is all over to hold your ground.

Use every kind of prayer and entreaty, and at every opportunity pray in the Spirit. Be on the alert about it; devote yourselves constantly to prayer for all God's people

and for me, that when I open my lips I may be given a message, so that I may boldly make known the secret of the good news,

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.

God's blessing be with all who have an unfailing love for our Lord Jesus Christ.