For he chose us in our union with Christ before the creation of the universe, that we might be holy and blameless in his sight, living in the spirit of love.

And so to enhance that glorious manifestation of his loving- kindness which he gave us in The Beloved;

In view of that Divine Order which was to mark the completion of the ages, when he should make everything, both in Heaven and on earth, center in him.

In him, I say, for by our union with him we became God's Heritage, having from the first been destined for this in the intention of him who, in all that happens, is carrying out his own fixed purpose;

That we should enhance his glory--we who have been the first to rest our hopes on the Christ.

My prayer is that the God of Jesus Christ our Lord, the all- glorious Father, may inspire you with wisdom and true insight through a fuller knowledge of himself;

That your minds may be so enlightened that you may realize the hope given by God's Call, the wealth of the glory of his heritage among Christ's People,

And above every name that can be named, whether in the present age, or in the age to come.

And it was among them that we all once lived our lives, indulging the cravings of our earthly nature, and carrying out the desires prompted by that earthly nature and by our own thoughts. Our very nature exposed us to the Divine Wrath, like the rest of mankind.

In order that, by his goodness to us in Christ Jesus, he might display in the ages to come the boundless wealth of his loving- kindness.

For it is by God's loving-kindness that you have been saved, through your faith. It is not due to yourselves; the gift is God's.

For we are God's handiwork, created, by our union with Christ Jesus, for the good actions in doing which God had pre-arranged that we should spend our lives.

Remember, therefore, that you were once Gentiles yourselves, as your bodies showed; you were called 'The Uncircumcised' by those who were called 'The Circumcised'--circumcised only by the hand of man!

Remember that you were at that time far from Christ; you were shut out from the citizenship of Israel; you were strangers to the Covenants founded on God's Promise; you were in the world without hope and without God.

He it is who is our Peace. He made the two divisions of mankind one, broke down the barrier that separated them,

For it is through him that we, the Jews and the Gentiles, united in the one Spirit, are now able to approach the Father.

It follows, then, that you are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow-citizens with Christ's People and members of God's Household.

And also that it was by direct revelation that the hidden purpose of God was made known to me, as I have already briefly told you.

That, by union with Christ Jesus and through the Good News, the Gentiles are co-heirs with us and members of one Body, and that they share with us in God's Promise.

Yes, to me, who am less than the least of all Christ's People, was this charge entrusted!--to tell the Gentiles the Good News of the boundless wealth to be found in the Christ,

And to make clear what is God's way of working out that hidden purpose which from the first has been concealed in the mind of the Creator of all things;

So that now to the Archangels and to all the Powers on high should be made known, through the Church, the all-embracing wisdom of God,

In accordance with that purpose which runs through all the ages and which he has now accomplished in Jesus, the Christ, our Master.

Therefore I beg you not to be disheartened at the sufferings that I am undergoing for your sakes; for they redound to your honor.

And pray that, in proportion to the wealth of his glory, he will strengthen you with his power by breathing his Spirit into your inmost soul,

So that the Christ, through your faith, may make his home within your hearts in love; And I pray that you, now firmly rooted and established, may, with all Christ's People,

To him who, through his power which is at work within us, is able to do far more than anything that we can ask or conceive--

I urge you, then--I who am a prisoner in the Master's cause-- to live lives worthy of the Call that you have received;

That is why it is said--'When he went up on high, he led his captives into captivity. And gave gifts to mankind.'

Now surely this 'going up' must imply that he had already gone down into the world beneath.

He who went down is the same as he who went up--up beyond the highest Heaven, that he might fill all things with his presence.

And this shall continue, until we all attain to that unity which is given by faith and by a fuller knowledge of the Son of God; until we reach the ideal man--the full standard of the perfection of the Christ.

With their powers of discernment darkened, cut off from the Life of God, owing to the ignorance that prevails among them and to the hardness of their hearts.

But far different is the lesson you learned from the Christ-- if, that is, you really listened to him,

For you learned with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, which, yielding to deluding passions, grows corrupt;

That the very spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed;

And that you must clothe yourselves in that new nature which was created to resemble God, with the righteousness and holiness springing from the Truth.

Let the man who steals steal no longer, but rather let him toil with his hands at honest work, so that he may have something to share with any one in want.

Never let any foul word pass your lips, but only such good words as the occasion demands, that they may be a help to those who hear them.

And do not grieve God's Holy Spirit; for it was through that Spirit that God sealed you as his, against the Day of Redemption.

And live a life of love, following the example of the Christ, who loved you and gave himself for you as 'an offering and a sacrifice to God, that should be fragrant and acceptable.'

For of this you may be sure--that no one who is unchaste or impure or greedy of gain (for to be greedy of gain is idolatry) has any place awaiting him in the kingdom of the Christ and God.

Do not let any one deceive you with specious arguments. Those are the sins that bring down the Wrath of God upon the disobedient.

For everything that has its true character made manifest is clear as light. And that is why it is said--'Sleeper, awake! Arise from the dead, and the Christ shall give thee light!'

Do not drink wine to excess, for that leads to profligacy; but seek to be filled with the Spirit of God, and speak to one another in psalms and hymns and sacred songs.

So that he might himself bring the Church, in all her beauty, into his own presence, with no spot or wrinkle or blemish of any kind, but that she might be holy and faultless.

That is how husbands ought to love their wives--as if they were their own bodies. A man who loves his wife is really loving himself;

Children, obey your parents, as children of the Lord; for that is but right.

So that thou mayest prosper and have a long life on earth.'

For you know that every one will be rewarded by the Master for any honest work that he has done, whether he is a slave or a freeman.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same spirit. Give up threatening them; for you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in Heaven, and that before him there is no distinction of rank.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground against the stratagems of the Devil.

For ours is no struggle against enemies of flesh and blood, but against all the various Powers of Evil that hold sway in the Darkness around us, against the Spirits of Wickedness on high.

Therefore take up the full armor of God, that, when the evil day comes, you may be able to withstand the attack, and, having fought to the end, still to stand your ground.

And on my behalf also, that, when I begin to speak, words may be given me, so that I may fearlessly make known the inmost truth of the Good News,

On behalf of which I am an Ambassador--in chains! Pray that, in telling it, I may speak fearlessly as I ought.

To enable you, as well as others, to know all that concerns me and what I am doing, Tychicus, our dear Brother and faithful helper in the Master's Cause, will tell you everything.

I am sending him to you on purpose that you may learn all about us, and that he may cheer your hearts.