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1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of
God, To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus:
2: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in
Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4: even
as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and blameless before him.
5: He destined us in love to be his sons
through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
6: to the
praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
7: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
8: which he
lavished upon us.
9: For he has made known to us in all wisdom and
insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in
Christ
10: as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in
him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11: In him, according to
the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his
will,
12: we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and
appointed to live for the praise of his glory.
13: In him you also,
who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have
believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14: which
is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the
praise of his glory.
15: For this reason, because I have heard of
your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16:
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may
give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18: having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know
what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints,
19: and what is the immeasurable greatness
of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20: which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21: far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that
is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;
22:
and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all
things for the church,
23: which is his body, the fulness of him who
fills all in all.
1: And you he made alive, when you were dead
through the trespasses and sins
2: in which you once walked,
following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
3:
Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the
desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the
rest of mankind.
4: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great
love with which he loved us,
5: even when we were dead through our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6: and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7: that in the coming ages he might
show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not
your own doing, it is the gift of God --
9: not because of works,
lest any man should boast.
10: For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk
in them.
11: Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the
flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is
made in the flesh by hands --
12: remember that you were at that time
separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been
brought near in the blood of Christ.
14: For he is our peace, who has
made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility,
15: by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and
ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so
making peace,
16: and might reconcile us both to God in one body
through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.
17: And
he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were
near;
18: for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the
Father.
19: So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but
you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20: built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ
Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21: in whom the whole structure
is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
22: in
whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
1: For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ
Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles --
2: assuming that you have heard of
the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,
3: how
the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
4: When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of
Christ,
5: which was not made known to the sons of men in other
generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit;
6: that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the
same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7: Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of
God's grace which was given me by the working of his power.
8: To me,
though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to
the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9: and to make all
men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all
things;
10: that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might
now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.
11: This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized
in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12: in whom we have boldness and confidence
of access through our faith in him.
13: So I ask you not to lose
heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
14: For
this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15: from whom every
family in heaven and on earth is named,
16: that according to the
riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his
Spirit in the inner man,
17: and that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18: may
have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and
height and depth,
19: and to know the love of Christ which surpasses
knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.
20:
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly
than all that we ask or think,
21: to him be glory in the church and
in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
1: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to
lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2:
with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,
3: eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the
one hope that belongs to your call,
5: one Lord, one faith, one
baptism,
6: one God and Father of us all, who is above all and
through all and in all.
7: But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
8: Therefore it is said,
"When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."
9: (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also
descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10: He who descended is
he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11: And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
12: to equip the saints
for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13:
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;
14: so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their
craftiness in deceitful wiles.
15: Rather, speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
16: from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint
with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily
growth and upbuilds itself in love.
17: Now this I affirm and testify
in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of
their minds;
18: they are darkened in their understanding, alienated
from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their
hardness of heart;
19: they have become callous and have given
themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.
20: You did not so learn Christ! --
21: assuming that you
have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.
22: Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of
life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts,
23: and be renewed in
the spirit of your minds,
24: and put on the new nature, created
after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25:
Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his
neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26: Be angry but do not
sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27: and give no
opportunity to the devil.
28: Let the thief no longer steal, but
rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able
to give to those in need.
29: Let no evil talk come out of your
mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may
impart grace to those who hear.
30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31: Let
all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
with all malice,
32: and be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
1: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
children.
2: And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up
for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3: But fornication
and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting
among saints.
4: Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor
levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving.
5: Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is
covetous (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 it is
because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience.
7: Therefore do not associate with them,
8:
for once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children
of light
9: (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and
right and true),
10: and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
11: Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead
expose them.
12: For it is a shame even to speak of the things that
they do in secret;
13: but when anything is exposed by the light it
becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.
14:
Therefore it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give you light."
15: Look carefully then how you walk, not as
unwise men but as wise,
16: making the most of the time, because the
days are evil.
17: Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what
the will of the Lord is.
18: And do not get drunk with wine, for that
is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,
19: addressing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to
the Lord with all your heart,
20: always and for everything giving
thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
21: Be
subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22: Wives, be
subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.
23: For the husband is the
head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself
its Savior.
24: As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also
be subject in everything to their husbands.
25: Husbands, love your
wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26:
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the
word,
27: that he might present the church to himself in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without
blemish.
28: Even so husbands should love their wives as their own
bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29: For no man ever
hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,
30: because we are members of his body.
31: "For this
reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
the two shall become one flesh."
32: This mystery is a profound one,
and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church;
33: however,
let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she
respects her husband.
1: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for
this is right.
2: "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first
commandment with a promise),
3: "that it may be well with you and
that you may live long on the earth."
4: Fathers, do not provoke your
children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the
Lord.
5: Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters,
with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ;
6: not
in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the
will of God from the heart,
7: rendering service with a good will as
to the Lord and not to men,
8: knowing that whatever good any one
does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is a slave or
free.
9: Masters, do the same to them, and forbear threatening,
knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there
is no partiality with him.
10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in
the strength of his might.
11: Put on the whole armor of God, that
you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12: For we
are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against
the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13:
Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14: Stand therefore, having
girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness,
15: and having shod your feet with the equipment of
the gospel of peace;
16: besides all these, taking the shield of
faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.
17: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
18: Pray at all times in the Spirit, with
all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance,
making supplication for all the saints,
19: and also for me, that
utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of
the gospel,
20: for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may
declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
21: Now that you also may
know how I am and what I am doing, Tych'icus the beloved brother and faithful
minister in the Lord will tell you everything.
22: I have sent him to
you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may
encourage your hearts.
23: Peace be to the brethren, and love with
faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24: Grace be
with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love undying.
|| The Orthodox Faith (Dogma) || Family and Youth || Sermons || Bible Study || Devotional || Spirituals || Fasts & Feasts || Coptics || Religious Education || Monasticism || Seasons || Missiology || Ethics || Ecumenical Relations || Church Music || Pentecost || Miscellaneous || Saints || Church History || Pope Shenouda || Patrology || Canon Law || Lent || Pastoral Theology || Father Matta || Bibles || Iconography || Liturgics || Orthodox Biblical topics || Orthodox articles || St Chrysostom ||
|| Bible Study || Biblical topics || Bibles || Orthodox Bible Study || Coptic Bible Study || King James Version || New King James Version || Scripture Nuggets || Index of the Parables and Metaphors of Jesus || Index of the Miracles of Jesus || Index of Doctrines || Index of Charts || Index of Maps || Index of Topical Essays || Index of Word Studies || Colored Maps || Index of Biblical names Notes || Old Testament activities for Sunday School kids || New Testament activities for Sunday School kids || Bible Illustrations || Bible short notes|| Pope Shenouda || Father Matta || Bishop Mattaous || Fr. Tadros Malaty || Bishop Moussa || Bishop Alexander || Habib Gerguis || Bishop Angealos || Metropolitan Bishoy ||
|| Prayer of the First Hour || Third Hour || Sixth Hour || Ninth Hour || Vespers (Eleventh Hour) || Compline (Twelfth Hour) || The First Watch of the midnight prayers || The Second Watch of the midnight prayers || The Third Watch of the midnight prayers || The Prayer of the Veil || Various Prayers from the Agbia || Synaxarium