I urge you, therefore, as a prisoner of the Lord, to live in a way that measures up to [the standard required by] God when He called you.

There is but one body and but one Spirit, as also when you were called you had one and the same hope held out to you.

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love.

Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.

Let no filthy communication proceed out of your mouths: but that which is good to edify withal, when need is, that it may have favour with the hearers.

There was a time when you were nothing but darkness. Now, as Christians, you are Light itself.

But all things when they are reproved are made manifest by the light: for everything that is made manifest is light.

when you talk together; with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and with all your hearts making music unto the Lord;

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear, trembling, and sincerity, as when you obey the Messiah.

not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

For this reason, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes. And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm.

Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.

to spread which I am an ambassador in chains--so that when telling them I may speak out boldly as I ought.

always when offering any prayer on behalf of you all, finding a joy in offering it.

It is right for me to feel this way about you, because [you have me in your heart as] I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good news [regarding salvation], all of you share in [His matchless] grace with me.

so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah returns,

so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,

When he had assumed human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience so far as to die, and to die upon the cross.

And so, when Jesus' name is called, the knees of everyone should fall, wherever they're residing.

So then, my loved ones, as you have at all times done what I say, not only when I am present, but now much more when I am not with you, give yourselves to working out your salvation with fear in your hearts;

as you hold firmly to the word of life. Then I will be proud when the Messiah returns that I did not run in vain or work hard in vain.

And yet, even if, when your faith is offered as a sacrifice to God, my life-blood must be poured out in addition, still I shall rejoice and share the joy of you all;

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

him, indeed, therefore, I hope to send, when I may see through the things concerning me -- immediately;

I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

circumcised when I was eight days old, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews [an exemplary Hebrew]; as to the [observance of the] Law, a Pharisee;

nay I think them disadvantages when put in competition with the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord: for whose sake I abandon all these things, and count them as straw, that I may gain Christ,

And [when you do], the peace from God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and thoughts [from anxiety] in [fellowship with] Christ Jesus.

Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

For even [when I was] in Thessalonica, you sent [money] more than once to meet my needs.

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually when praying for you,

[You have these qualities] because of the hope stored up for you in heaven, which [hope] you previously heard about through the message of truth when the Gospel

For it has reached you, and remains with you, just as it has also spread through the whole world, yielding fruit there and increasing, as it has done among you from the day when first you heard it and came really to know the grace of God,

For this reason, we, from the day when we had word of it, keep on in prayer for you, that you may be full of the knowledge of his purpose, with all wisdom and experience of the Spirit,

To whom it was his pleasure to make known the surpassing glory of that hidden Truth when proclaimed among the Gentiles--'Christ among you! Your Hope of glory!'

In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not performed by hand, when you threw off your sinful nature in true Christian circumcision;

having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God, [as displayed] when He raised Christ from the dead.

And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses.

having erased the charges that were brought against us, along with their obligations that were hostile to us. He took those charges away when he nailed them to the cross.

[When he] had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a display of [them] in public, triumphing over them by it.

Such a person is not continuing in connection with the Head, from which the whole body, when supplied and united through its joints and sinews, grows with a growth that God produces.

For all the things referred to in them cease to exist when used. You are following mere human directions and instructions.

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Bearing with one another, and, when there is any ground for complaint, forgiving one another freely. As the Master freely forgave you, so you must forgive one another.

Servants, in everything obey those who are your masters on earth, not only with external service, as those who merely please people, but with sincerity of heart because of your fear of the Lord.

Devote yourselves to prayer. Be alert and thankful when you pray.

let an air of modesty appear in all your discourse; and let it be seasoned with discretion, in making a proper reply, when you are call'd into question.

And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, continually mentioning you in our prayers;

in that our gospel did not come to you merely in words, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you).

and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.

For when others speak of us they report the reception we had from you, and how you turned from your idols to God, to be bondservants of the true and ever-living God,

Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

But we were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children:

Brothers, you recollect our hard labour and toil, how we worked at our trade night and day, when we preached the gospel to you, so as not to be a burden to any of you.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

But [when] we were made orphans by separation from you, brothers, for {a short time} (in face, not in heart), [we were] even more eager with great desire to see your face,

For who is [the object of] our hope or joy or our victor’s wreath of triumphant celebration [when we stand] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?

Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;

For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:

Then your hearts will be strong, blameless, and holy in the presence of God, who is our Father, when our Lord Jesus appears with all his saints.

For we say this to you by [the authority of] the word of the Lord [Note: Paul was either quoting what Jesus had previously said, or was giving a revelation he had received from the Lord. See I Cor. 14:37], that we [Christians] who are [still] alive, who are left [on earth] when the Lord returns, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Note: The point Paul is making is that the living will not be "changed" (I Cor. 15:51-52) and taken to heaven before the dead are raised].

The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a loud summons, when the archangel calls and the trumpet of God sounds; the dead in Christ will rise first;

for you know perfectly well that the day of the Lord [i.e., when He returns, See II Thess. 2:1-2] will arrive like a thief coming in the night.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

May the God of peace himself make you holy in every way. And may your whole being spirit, soul, and body remain blameless when our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, appears.

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

the Lord shall punish them with everlasting destruction, when he shall appear in the glory of his power,

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

not to be so quickly upset or alarmed when someone claims that we said, either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the Day of the Lord has already come.

the adversary of every being that is called a god or an object of worship, and so overbearing toward them as to enter God's sanctuary and take his seat there, proclaiming himself to be God??5 do you not remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you this?

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

You know what it is that is now holding him back, so that he will be revealed when his time comes.

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined or inappropriate manner when we were with you [we were never idle or lazy, nor did we avoid our duties],

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

We know, of course, that the Law is excellent, when used legitimately,

when before I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and a tyrant. But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly, through unbelief:

And for this matter I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying [when I say this]—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

And Adam was not [the one] deceived, but [it was] the woman who, when deceived, fell into sin.

How true is that saying! When a man aspires to be a Presiding-Officer in the Church, he is ambitious for a noble task.

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of [only] one wife, sober-minded [Note: When this word, used here figuratively, is used in its literal sense, it means to abstain from intoxicating drinks], sensible, respectable, hospitable, capable of teaching.

And they must also be well-tried men, and when found to be of unblemished character then let them serve as deacons.

Because every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, when it is received with thanksgiving;

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, [that special endowment] which was intentionally bestowed on you [by the Holy Spirit] through prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands on you [at your ordination].

(When a widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn that the first duty of religion is to their own household, and that they should make some return to those who have brought them up. In God's sight this is an acceptable thing.)

Let a widow be put on the list when not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one husband,

But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;

For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his hire.

Say sharp words to sinners when all are present, so that the rest may be in fear.

Likewise, good deeds are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be hidden [indefinitely].

And godliness *is* gain, when associated with contentment;

When we have food and raiment, let us therewith be content.

Exert all your strength in the honourable struggle for the faith; lay hold of the Life of the Ages, to which you were called, when you made your noble profession of faith before many witnesses.

I [solemnly] urge you in the presence of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession when He testified in front of Pontius Pilate [See John 18:37; Matt. 27:17],