Outline
- The Divine Purpose: The Glory and Headship of Christ (1:3-14)
- Prayer That Christians May Realize God's Purpose and
Power (1:15-23)
- Steps Toward the Fulfillment of God's Purpose
(chs. 2-3)
Ephesians 4 NLT
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving
the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been
called by God.
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be
patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of
your love.
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves
united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
4 For there is one body and one Spirit,
just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one
baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is
over all, in all, and living through all.
7 However, he has given each one of us
a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
8 That is why the Scriptures say, “When
he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his
people.”
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.”
This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.
10 And the same one who descended is the
one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire
universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave
to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and
teachers.
12 Their responsibility is to equip
God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
13This will continue until we all come to
such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in
the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature
like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new
teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so
clever they sound like the truth.
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in
love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his
body, the church.
16 He makes the whole body fit together
perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts
grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
17 With the Lord’s authority I say this:
Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
18Their minds are full of darkness; they
wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and
hardened their hearts against him.
19 They have no sense of shame. They
live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that isn’t what you learned about
Christ.
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and
have learned the truth that comes from him,
22 throw off your old sinful nature and
your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your
thoughts and attitudes.
24 Put on your new nature, created to be
like God—truly righteous and holy.
25So stop telling lies. Let us tell our
neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
26 And “don’t sin by letting anger
control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 for anger gives a foothold to the
devil.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing.
Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others
in need.
29 Don’t use foul or abusive language.
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an
encouragement to those who hear them.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy
Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,
guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage,
anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
32 Instead, be kind to
each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ
has forgiven you.
Ephesians 5 NLT
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything
you do, because you are his dear children.
2 Live a life filled with love,
following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice
for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
3 Let there be no sexual immorality,
impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and
coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to
God.
5 You can be sure that no immoral,
impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a
greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to
excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.
7 Don’t participate in the things these
people do.
8 For once you were full of darkness,
but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!
9 For this light within you produces
only what is good and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the
Lord.
11 Take no part in the worthless deeds
of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.
12 It is shameful even to talk about the
things that ungodly people do in secret.
13 But their evil intentions will be
exposed when the light shines on them,
14 for the light makes everything
visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t
live like fools, but like those who are wise.
16 Make the most of every opportunity in
these evil days.
17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but
understand what the Lord wants you to do.
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because
that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
19 singing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your
hearts.
20 And give thanks for everything to God
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
