Ephesians 5

Living in the Light

1Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us#5:2 Some manuscripts read loved you. and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

3Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5You 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.

6Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14for 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.”

Living by the Spirit’s Power

15So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

21And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

25For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.#5:26 Greek washed by water with the word. 27He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30And we are members of his body.

31As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”#5:31 Gen 2:24. 32This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

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Ephesians 5: NLT

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Ephesians 5

Walk in Love

1 # [ch. 4:32; Matt. 5:7, 48; Luke 6:36 ] Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And #Rom. 14:15; [Col. 3:14]; See John 13:34walk in love, #See Rom. 8:37as Christ loved us and #See Rom. 4:25gave himself up for us, a #See Gen. 8:21fragrant #Heb. 7:27; 9:14; 10:10, 12offering and sacrifice to God.

3But #1 Cor. 6:18; See Gal. 5:19sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness #[ver. 12; Ps. 16:4]must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4Let there be #ch. 4:29; [Eccles. 10:13] no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, #[Rom. 1:28] which are out of place, but instead #ver. 20let there be thanksgiving. 5For you may be sure of this, that #See 1 Cor. 6:9everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (#Col. 3:5that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6#See Matt. 24:4Let no one #Col. 2:8deceive you with empty words, for because of these things #Rom. 1:18; Col. 3:6the wrath of God comes upon #ch. 2:2; [1 Pet. 1:14]the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore #ch. 3:6do not become partners with them; 8for #See ch. 2:1, 2at one time you were #See Acts 26:18darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. #Isa. 2:5; See Luke 16:8; John 12:35, 36Walk as children of light 9(for #[Gal. 5:22]; See Rom. 7:4the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and #1 Thess. 2:4; 5:21try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11#See 1 Cor. 5:9Take no part in the #Rom. 6:21unfruitful #Rom. 13:12works of darkness, but instead #Lev. 19:17; 1 Tim. 5:20expose them. 12For #[ver. 3]it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when #John 3:20, 21; [ver. 9]anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

# [ Isa. 51:17; 52:1; 60:1; Mal. 4:2 ]; See Rom. 13:11 “Awake, O sleeper,

and #Isa. 26:19arise from the dead,

and #Luke 1:78, 79Christ will shine on you.”

15 # Col. 4:5; [ Prov. 15:21 ] Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16#[See ver. 15 above] making the best use of the time, because #ch. 6:13; Eccles. 12:1; Amos 5:13; Gal. 1:4the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what #Rom. 12:2; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:18the will of the Lord is. 18And #Prov. 20:1; 23:20, 31; 1 Cor. 5:11do not get drunk with wine, for that is #Titus 1:6; 1 Pet. 4:4debauchery, but #[Luke 1:15]be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in #Acts 16:25; 1 Cor. 14:26; Col. 3:16; James 5:13psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20#Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father #Heb. 13:15; [John 14:13]in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21#[Phil. 2:3]submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

22 # For ch. 5:22–6:9, see Col. 3:18–4:1 Wives, #See Gen. 3:16submit to your own husbands, #[ch. 6:5]as to the Lord. 23For #1 Cor. 11:3the husband is the head of the wife even as #See ch. 1:22, 23Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is #[1 Cor. 6:13]himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit #[Col. 3:20, 22; Titus 2:9]in everything to their husbands.

25 # ver. 28, 33 ; [1 Pet. 3:7] Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and #ver. 2gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by #Titus 3:5; [Rev. 7:14] the washing of water #ch. 6:17; Heb. 6:5; See John 15:3with the word, 27so #2 Cor. 11:2; See ch. 1:4that he might present the church to himself in splendor, #Song 4:7without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.#5:27 Or holy and blameless 28In the same way #ver. 25, 33husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because #[Gen. 2:23]; See 1 Cor. 6:15we are members of his body. 31#Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7, 8; Cited from Gen. 2:24“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and #1 Cor. 6:16the two shall become one flesh.” 32This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33However, #ver. 25, 28let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she #1 Pet. 3:2, 6respects her husband.

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