so that we might praise the splendid favor which He has shown us in His beloved Son.

It is through union with Him that we have redemption by His blood and the forgiveness of our shortcomings, in accordance with the generosity of His unmerited favor

so that, at the coming of the climax of the ages, everything in heaven and on earth should be unified through Christ,

that we who had first put our hope in Christ might praise His glory.

You too, as you have heard the message of the truth, the good news that means your salvation, and as you have trusted in Him too, have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,

who is the first installment of our inheritance, so that we may finally come into full possession of the prize of redemption, and praise His glory for it.

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may grant you the Spirit to give wisdom and revelation which come through a growing knowledge of Him,

by having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, so that you may know what the hope is to which He calls you, how glorious rich God's portion in His people is,

far above every other government, authority, power, and dominion, yea, far above every other title that can be conferred, not only in this world but in the world to come.

which is His body, that is being filled by Him who fills everything everywhere.

has made us, though dead because of our shortcomings, live again in fellowship with Christ -- it is by His unmerited favor that you have been saved.

For it is by His unmerited favor through faith that you have been saved; it is not by anything that you have done, it is the gift of God.

It is not the result of what anyone can do, so that no one can boast of it.

So remember that you were once heathen in a physical sense, called the uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcised -- though only in a physical sense, by human hands.

At that time you were without any connection with Christ; you were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the sacred compacts made by God's promise, with no hope, and no God in the world.

For He Himself is our peace, He is the one who has made us both into one body and has broken down the barrier that kept us apart;

for it is by Him through one Spirit that both of us now have an introduction to the Father.

that is, if you have heard how God's favor has been entrusted to me for you,

that the heathen through union with Christ Jesus are fellow-heirs with the Jews, are members with them of the same body, and sharers with them of the promise through the good news,

yes, on me, the very least of all His people, this unmerited favor was bestowed -- that I might preach as good news to the heathen the boundless riches of Christ,

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

So I beg you not to lose heart over the sorrows that I am suffering for your sake, for they bring you honor.

and that Christ in His love, through your faith, may make His permanent home in your hearts. You must be deeply rooted, your foundations must be strong,

so that you with all God's people may be strong enough to grasp the idea of the breadth and length, the height and depth,

yes, to come at last to know the love of Christ, although it far surpasses human understanding, so that you may be filled with the perfect fullness of God.

To Him who by His power that is at work within us can do surpassingly more than all we ask or imagine,

What does "He went up" mean, except that He had first gone down into the lower regions of the earth?

The very One that went down has gone up, too, far above all the heavens, to fill the universe.

so that we may not be babies any longer, or like sailors tossed about and driven around by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men through their cunning in inventing new methods of error.

But, on the other hand, we shall go on holding to the truth and in love growing up into perfect union with Him, that is, Christ Himself who is the Head.

For it is under His direction that the whole body is perfectly adjusted and united by every joint that furnishes its supplies; and by the proper functioning of each particular part there is brought about the growing of the body for its building up in love.

with darkened understanding, estranged from the life of God because of the ignorance that exists among them and because of the stubbornness of their hearts;

You must stop letting any bad word pass your lips, but only words that are good for building up as the occasion demands, so that they will result in spiritual blessing to the hearers.

But sexual vice and any form of immorality or sensual greed must not so much as be mentioned among you, as that is the only course becoming in God's people;

For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Stop letting anyone deceive you with groundless arguments about these things, for it is because of these very sins that God's anger comes down upon the disobedient.

for the product of light consists in practicing everything that is good and right and true;

and yet anything that is exposed by the light is made clear to them, for anything that is made clear is light.

Stop getting drunk on wine, for that means profligacy, but ever be filled with the Spirit,

that He might present the church to Himself as a splendid bride without a blot or wrinkle or anything like it, but to be consecrated and faultless.

Therefore, a man must leave his father and mother and so perfectly unite himself to his wife that the two shall be one.

"so that you may prosper and live a long life on earth."

for you know that everyone, slave or free, will get his reward from the Lord for anything good he has done.

You slave-owners, too, must maintain the same attitude toward your slaves, and stop threatening them, for you know that their real Lord and yours is in heaven, and that He never shows partiality.

For our contest is not with human foes alone, but with the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark world; that is, with the spirit-forces of evil challenging us in the heavenly contest.

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

for the sake of which I am an envoy in prison: so that, when I tell it, I may speak as courageously as I ought.

That you may also know how I am, Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and a faithful minister in the Lord's service, will give you all the information;

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