Ephesians 5
1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2and live in love, as Christ loved usa and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Renounce Pagan Ways
3 But fornication and impurity of any kind,
or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. 4Entirely
out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be
thanksgiving. 5Be sure of this, that no
fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater),
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the
wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore
do not be associated with them. 8For once you
were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of
light-- 9for the fruit of the light is found in
all that is good and right and true. 10Try to
find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no
part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For
it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13but
everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for
everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
"Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ
will shine on you."
15 Be careful then how you live,
not as unwise people but as wise, 16making the
most of the time, because the days are evil. 17So
do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18Do
not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the
Spirit, 19as you sing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in
your hearts, 20giving thanks to God the Father
at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian Household
21 Be subject to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, be subject to your
husbands as you are to the Lord. 23For the
husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church,
the body of which he is the Savior. 24Just as
the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything,
to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just
as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26in
order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the
word, 27so as to present the church to himself
in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind--yes, so that
she may be holy and without blemish. 28In the
same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He
who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one
ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as
Christ does for the church, 30because we are
members of his body.b 31"For
this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his
wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This
is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33Each
of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect
her husband.