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.

never cease to thank God for you when I mention you in my prayers,

and how surpassingly great is His power for us who believe, measured by His tremendously mighty power

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.

But God, who is so rich in mercy on account of the great love He has for us,

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.

For He has made us what we are, because He has created us through our union with Christ Jesus for doing good deeds which He beforehand planned for us to do.

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

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;

When He came, He brought the good news of peace for you who were far away and for you who were near;

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

for you are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself the cornerstone.

and you yourselves, in union with Him, in fellowship with one another, are being built up into a dwelling for God through the Spirit.

This is why I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the heathen --

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

for which I was called to serve in accordance with the gift of God's unmerited favor which was bestowed on me by the exercise of His power--

and to make clear how is to be carried out the trusteeship of this secret which has for ages been hidden away in God, the Creator of all things,

By union with Him and through faith in Him we have a free and confidential introduction to God.

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

For this reason I kneel before the Father,

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.

So I, a prisoner for the Lord's sake, entreat you to live lives worthy of the call you have received,

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

for the immediate equipment of God's people for the work of service, for the ultimate building up of the body of Christ,

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.

for in their recklessness they have abandoned themselves to sensuality which leads to excessive practices of all sorts of immorality.

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

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.

You must stop offending the Holy Spirit of God by whom you have been stamped for the day of redemption.

and practice living in love, just as Christ loved you too and gave Himself for you as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

there must be no indecency, silly talk or suggestive jesting, for they are unbecoming. There should be thanksgiving instead.

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 at one time you were darkness itself, but now in union with the Lord you are light itself. You must live like children of light,

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

For it is disgraceful even to mention the vices practiced in secret by them;

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

and continue to make the most of your opportunities, for the times are evil.

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

continue giving thanks for everything to God our Father;

for a husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the Head of the church, His body, and Saviour of it.

You married men must love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her,

for no one ever hates his own physical person, but he feeds and fosters it, just as Christ does the church;

Children, obey your parents, for this is right.

Heartily and cheerfully keep on working as slaves, as though it were for the Lord and not for men,

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.

Besides all these, take on the shield which faith provides, for with it you will be able to put out all the fire-tipped arrows shot by the evil one,

Keep on praying in the Spirit, with every kind of prayer and entreaty, at every opportunity, be ever on the alert with perfect devotion and entreaty for all God's people,

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.

Spiritual blessing be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.