Letter to the Ephesians

From: Paul

Organizational headings and formatting have been added.

Greeting

Paul,
an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus,
the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace and peace to you
from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.

What We Have in Christ

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in his sight.
In love
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with his pleasure and will
— to the praise of his glorious grace,
which he has freely given us
in the One he loves.

In him we have

• redemption through his blood,
• the forgiveness of sins,
  in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
  that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and understanding,
he made known to us
the mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure,
which he purposed in Christ,
to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment
— to bring unity to all things

• in heaven and
• on earth

under Christ.

In him
we were also chosen,
having been predestined
according to the plan of him
who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ,
might be for the praise of his glory.

And you also were
included in Christ
when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

When you believed,
you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
who is a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those who are God’s possession
— to the praise of his glory.

Thanks and Prayer

For this reason,
ever since I heard about

• your faith in the Lord Jesus and
• your love for all God’s people,

I have not stopped

• giving thanks for you,
• remembering you

in my prayers.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may give you
the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
so that you may know him better.

I pray
that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened
in order that you may know
the hope to which he has called you,

• the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and
• his incomparably great power

for us who believe.

That Power

That power
is the same as
the mighty strength he exerted when he

• raised Christ from the dead and
• seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
  far above
  • all rule and authority,
  • power and dominion, and
  • every name that is invoked,
    • not only in the present age
    • but also in the one to come.

And God

• placed all things under his feet and
• appointed him to be head over everything
  for the church,
  which is his body,
  the fullness of him
  who fills everything in every way.

Our Previous State

As for you,
you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live
when you followed the ways

• of this world and
• of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,
  the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

All of us
also lived among them at one time,

• gratifying the cravings of our flesh and
• following its desires and thoughts.

Like the rest,
we were by nature deserving of wrath.

What God Has Done

But because of his great love for us,
God,
who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions
— it is by grace you have been saved.

And God

• raised us up with Christ and
• seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

in order that in the coming ages
he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,
expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith
— and this is not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God —
not by works,
so that no one can boast.

For we are

• God’s handiwork,
• created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
  which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Reconciliation of Jew and Gentile

Your Previous State

Therefore, remember that formerly you
who are Gentiles by birth
and called "uncircumcised"
by those who call themselves "the circumcision"
(which is done in the body by human hands) —
remember that at that time you were

• separate from Christ,
• excluded from citizenship in Israel and
• foreigners to the covenants of the promise,
• without hope and
• without God in the world.

But Now

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away
have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For

• he himself is our peace,
• who has made the two groups one and
• has destroyed the barrier,
  the dividing wall of hostility,
  by setting aside in his flesh
  the law with its commands and regulations.

His purpose
was to create in himself
one new humanity
out of the two,
thus making peace,
and in one body
to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,
by which he put to death their hostility.

He came and preached

• peace to you who were far away and
• peace to those who were near.

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but

• fellow citizens with God’s people and also
• members of his household,

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

In him

• the whole building is joined together and
• rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

And In him
you too are being built together to become
a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

God’s Mystery Revealed

For this reason I, Paul,
the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles
— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace
that was given to me for you,
that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation,
as I have already written briefly.

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into
the mystery of Christ,
which was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

This mystery is
that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel,
members together of one body,
and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel
by the gift of God’s grace
given me through the working of his power.
Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people,
this grace was given me:
to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery,
which for ages past was kept hidden in God,
who created all things.
His intent was that now,
through the church,
the manifold wisdom of God
should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
according to his eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for You

For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you
with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray
that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love
that surpasses knowledge
— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory
in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
for ever and ever!

Amen.

How to Live Life

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

• Be completely humble and gentle;
• be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Oneness

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is

• one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
• one Lord,
• one faith,
• one baptism;
• one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Being Equipped for Service

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

This is why it says:

"When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people."

(What does "he ascended" mean
except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?
He who descended
is the very one who ascended
higher than all the heavens,
in order to fill the whole universe.)

So Christ himself gave

• the apostles,
• the prophets,
• the evangelists,
• the pastors and teachers,

to equip his people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Growing

Then we will

• no longer be infants,
• tossed back and forth by the waves, and
• blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

Instead, speaking the truth in love,
we will grow
to become in every respect the mature body of him
who is the head, that is, Christ.
From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
grows and builds itself up in love,
as each part does its work.

Not This Way

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord,
that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,
in the futility of their thinking.

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned
when you heard about Christ and were taught In him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

Put Off and Put On

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life,
to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore
each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor,
for we are all members of one body.

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Anyone who has been stealing

• must steal no longer,
• but must work,
• doing something useful with their own hands,
• that they may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Get rid of all

• bitterness,
• rage and anger,
• brawling and slander,
• along with every form of malice.

Be

• kind and compassionate to one another,
• forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

The Way of Love

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
and walk in the way of love,
just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

The Way of Purity

But among you there must not be

• even a hint of sexual immorality, or
• of any kind of impurity, or
• of greed,

because these are improper for God’s holy people.

Nor should there be

• obscenity,
• foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place,
• but rather thanksgiving.

For of this you can be sure:

No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a person is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

Therefore do not be partners with them.

The Way of Light

For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
and find out what pleases the Lord.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,
but rather expose them.
It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible — and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

The Way of Wisdom

This is why it is said:

"Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

Be very careful, then, how you live
— not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil.

The Way of the Spirit

Therefore

• do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
• Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
• Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.
  Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,
  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Admonishments

• Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
• Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
• Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church — for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
• Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" — which is the first commandment with a promise — "so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
• Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
• Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do,
  whether they are slave or free.
• And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.
  Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

How to Fight

Finally,

be strong in the Lord
and in his mighty power.

Armor

Put on the full armor of God,
so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but

• against the rulers,
• against the authorities,
• against the powers of this dark world and
• against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore

put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to
stand your ground,
and after you have done everything, to stand.

Belt, Breastplate, and Readiness

Stand firm then, with

• the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
• with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and
• with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Shield

In addition to all this,
take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Helmet and Sword

Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And...Pray

And pray in the Spirit
on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind,
be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak,
words may be given me
so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains.
Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Signing Off

Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord,
will tell you everything,
so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.
I am sending him to you for this very purpose,
that you may know how we are,
and that he may encourage you.

Peace to the brothers and sisters,
and love with faith from
God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.