厄弗所书-Ephesians

圣经-新约(天主教思高圣经)

不认识圣经,就是不认识基督,不认识基督,就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。

MHII 221111

 

新约·厄弗所书

共6章:

 

引言:
保禄在写信时,提到自己被监禁,且表示有获得释放希望的书信,共有四封:即《哥罗森书》(4:3, 10, 18)、《厄弗所书》(3:1, 4; 6:20)、《费肋孟书》(9, 13, 23三节)及《斐理伯书》(1:7, 13, 14, 17)。学者大都认为这四封书信写于同一时期,即在罗马首次被监禁的末期,约在公元六三年(宗28:16, 30, 31)。
厄弗所是一个极负盛名的古城,又是小亚细亚很重要的海港,保禄时代,是罗马帝国亚细亚省的省会,因而成为各民族文物会萃的地方。犹太人在此城既建有会堂,可知数目可观(宗18:19)。保禄在第二次传教末期,只经过此城(宗18: 19-21),但在第三次传教期间,却住了将近三年之久(公元五四 – 五七年),建立了厄弗所教会(宗19);在此期间,并亲自或派遣门徒在全亚细亚省传布了福音(格前16:8, 9)。在宗徒巡视了希腊各教会返回时,曾派人请厄城的长老到米肋托会晤,在那里面示一切之后,预言说:“我知道在我离开以后,将有凶暴的豺狼进到你们中间”(宗20:29)。后来果真如此(详见弗、哥二书),不但在厄弗所,即在亚细亚各教会,都闯进了一些凶暴的豺狼。
本书的目的即是为驳斥当时在亚细亚所流行的异端邪说,因为有些人否认耶稣为天主,仅将他列于天使的等级中;另有些人坚持旧约禁食和庆节的法律,还有些人倡言造化二元论。在罗马被监禁的保禄有见及此,遂写下了这封书信。
这封书信实可称为“公函”,因为应在各教会内公开诵读(哥4:16),这样便可容易解释,在本书信中为什麽没有提到私人的消息和个人的心境,以及对私人的问安等语。
本书的主要论题,虽与《哥罗森书》颇相类似,但在理论方面较为抽象与深湛,且颇具系统化;所以本书在各书信中,确是深奥难明的一封,其中心思想,即是基督的教会宛如基督的妙身:为肢体的众信友与为首的基督合而为一,以及肢体间彼此的连系,即是这一妙身生命的基础(1:22, 23; 2:20-22; 4:9-16; 5:23-33)。
本书除题名(1:1,2)与结论外(6:21-24),可分为两部份:一为教义部份,一为伦理部份。在第一部份内(1:3-3:21),首先讨论基督救赎的奥迹,然后讨论基督妙身的道理;在第二部份内(4:1-6:20),劝告信友在各人地位上要保存心神的合一,并勉力修德成圣;最后劝勉信友要时常带着信、望、爱、三德的武器,以攻打灵魂的仇敌。

 

 

第一章(23)

致候辞
1:1 因天主的旨意,做耶稣基督宗徒的保禄,致书给那些【在厄弗所的】圣徒和信仰基督耶稣的人。
1:2 愿恩宠与平安,由我们的父天主和主耶稣基督,赐与你们!

外邦人应召加入基督妙身的奥秘

基督为万物的元首
1:3 愿我们的主耶稣基督的天主和父受赞美!他在天上,在基督内,以各种属神的祝福,祝福了我们,
1:4 因为他於创世以前,在基督内已拣选了我们,为使我们在他面前,成为圣洁无瑕疵的;
1:5 又由於爱,按照自己旨意的决定,预定了我们藉著耶稣基督获得义子的名分,而归於他,
1:6 为颂扬他恩宠的光荣,这恩宠是他在自己的爱子内赐与我们的;
1:7 我们就是全凭天主丰厚的恩宠,在他的爱子内,藉他爱子的血,获得了救赎,罪过的赦免。
1:8 的确,天主丰厚地把这恩宠倾注在我们身上,赐与我们各种智慧和明达,
1:9 为使我们知道,他旨意的奥秘,是全照他在爱子内所定的计划;
1:10 就是依照他的措施,当时期一满,就使天上和地上的万有,总归於基督元首。
1:11 我们也是在基督内得作天主的产业,因为我们是由那位按照自己旨意的计划施行万事者,早预定了的,
1:12 为使我们这些首先在默西亚内怀著希望的人,颂扬他的光荣;
1:13 在基督内,你们一听到了真理的话,即你们得救的福音,便信从了,且在他内受了恩许圣神的印证;
1:14 这圣神就是我们得嗣业的保证,为使天主所置为嗣业的子民,蒙受完全的救赎,为颂扬他的光荣。

基督为教会的元首
1:15 因此,我一听见你们对主耶稣的信德和对众圣徒的爱德,
1:16 便不断为你们感谢天主,在我的祈祷中纪念你们,
1:17 为使我们的主耶稣基督的天主,即那光荣的父,把智慧和启示的神恩,赐与你们,好使你们认识他;
1:18 并光照你们心灵的眼目,为叫你们认清他的宠召有什麽希望,在圣徒中他嗣业的光荣,是怎样丰厚;
1:19 他对我们虔信的人,所施展的强有力而见效的德能是怎样的伟大。
1:20 正如他已将这德能施展在基督身上,使他从死者中复活,叫他在天上坐在自己右边,
1:21 超乎一切率领者、掌权者、异能者、宰制者,以及一切现世及来世的可称呼的名号以上;
1:22 又将万有置於他的脚下,使他在教会内作至上的元首,
1:23 这教会就是基督的身体,就是在一切内充满一切者的圆满。

 

 

外邦人应召加入基督妙身的奥秘

第二章(22)

天主使人在基督内成为新受造物
2:1 你们从前因著你们的过犯和罪恶是死的;
2:2 那时你们生活在过犯罪恶中,跟随这世界的风气,顺从空中权能的首领,即现今在悖逆之子身上发生作用的恶神。
2:3 就连我们从前也都在这样环境中生活过,放纵肉身的私欲,照肉身和心意所喜好的行事,且生来就是义怒之子,和别人一样。
2:4 然而富於慈悲的天主,因著他爱我们的大爱,
2:5 竟在我们因过犯死了的时候,使我们同基督一起生活──可见你们得救,是由於恩宠──
2:6 且使我们同他一起复活,在基督耶稣内使我们和他一同坐在天上,
2:7 为将自己无限丰富的恩宠,即他在基督耶稣内,对我们所怀有的慈惠,显示给未来的世代。
2:8 因为你们得救是由於恩宠,藉著信德,所以得救并不是出於你们自己,而是天主的恩惠;
2:9 不是出於功行,免得有人自夸。
2:10 原来我们是他的化工,是在基督耶稣内受造的,为行天主所预备的各种善工,叫我们在这些善工中度日。

在基督内犹太人和外邦人合为一体
2:11 所以你们应该记得,你们从前生来本是外邦人,被那些称为受割损的人──割损本是人手在肉身上所行的──称为未受割损的人;
2:12 记得那时你们没有默西亚,与以色列社团隔绝,对恩许的盟约是局外人,在这世界上没有希望,没有天主。
2:13 但是现今在基督耶稣内,你们从前远离天主的人,借著基督的血,成为亲近的了。
2:14 因为基督是我们的和平,他使双方合而为一;他以自己的肉身,拆毁了中间阻隔的墙壁,就是双方的仇恨,
2:15 并废除了由规条命令所组成的法律,为把双方在自己身上造成一个新人,而成就和平。
2:16 他以十字架诛灭了仇恨,也以十字架使双方合成一体,与天主和好。
2:17 所以他来,向你们远离的人传布了和平的福音,也向那亲近的人传布了和平,
2:18 因为借著他,我们双方在一个圣神内,才得以进到父面前。
2:19 所以你们已不再是外方人或旅客,而是圣徒的同胞,是天主的家人;
2:20 已被建筑在宗徒和先知的基础上,而基督耶稣自己却是这建筑物的角石,
2:21 靠著他,整个建筑物结构紧凑,逐渐扩大,在主内成为一座圣殿;
2:22 并且靠著他,你们也一同被建筑,因著圣神,成为天主的住所。

 

 

第三章(21)

天主奥秘的宣传员
3:1 因此,我保禄为你们外邦人的缘故,作基督耶稣囚犯的,为你们祈祷──
3:2 想你们必听说过天主的恩宠,为了你们赐与我的职分:
3:3 就是借着启示,使我得知我在上边已大略写过的奥秘;
3:4 你们照着读了,便能明白我对基督的奥秘所有的了解,
3:5 这奥秘在以前的世代中,没有告诉过任何人,有如现在一样,藉圣神已启示给他的圣宗徒和先知;
3:6 这奥秘就是:外邦人藉著福音在基督耶稣内与犹太人同为承继人,同为一身,同为恩许的分享人。
3:7 至於我,我依照天主大能的功效所赐与我的恩宠,作了这福音的仆役;
3:8 我原是一切圣徒中最小的,竟蒙受了这恩宠,得向外邦宣布基督那不可测量的丰富福音,
3:9 并光照一切人,使他们明白,从创世以来,即隐藏在创造万有的天主内的奥秘,
3:10 为使天上的率领者和掌权者,现在借着教会,得知天主的各样智慧,
3:11 全是按照他在我们的主基督耶稣内所实现的永远计划;
3:12 所以只有在基督内,我们才可藉著对他所怀的信德,放心大胆地怀著依恃之心,进到天主面前。
3:13 为此,我请求你们,不要因我为你们所受的苦难而沮丧,我的苦难原是你们的光荣。

求赐信徒认识基督的爱
3:14 因此,我在天父面前屈膝──
3:15 上天下地的一切家族都是由他而得名──
3:16 求他依照他丰富的光荣,藉著他的圣神,以大能坚固你们内在的人,
3:17 并使基督因着你们的信德,住在你们心中,叫你们在爱德上根深蒂固,奠定基础,
3:18 为使你们能够同众圣徒领悟基督的爱是怎样的宽、广、高、深,
3:19 并知道基督的爱是远超人所能知的,为叫你们充满天主的一切富裕。
3:20 愿光荣归於天主,他能照他在我们身上所发挥的德能,成就一切,远超我们所求所想的。
3:21 愿他在教会内,并在基督耶稣内,获享光荣,至於万世万代!阿们。

 

 

生活行动应相称天主的宠召

第四章(32)

应保持教会的合一
4:1 所以我在这主内为囚犯的恳求你们,行动务要与你们所受的宠召相称,
4:2 凡事要谦逊、温和、忍耐,在爱德中彼此担待,
4:3 尽力以和平的联系,保持心神的合一,
4:4 因为只有一个身体和一个圣神,正如你们蒙召,同有一个希望一样。
4:5 只有一个主,一个信德,一个洗礼;
4:6 只有一个天主和众人之父,他超越众人,贯通众人,且在众人之内。
4:7 但我们各人所领受的恩宠,却是按照基督赐恩的尺度。
4:8 为此经上说:『他带领俘虏,升上高天,且把恩惠赐与人。』
4:9 说他上升了,岂不是说他曾下降到地下吗?
4:10 那下降的,正是上升超乎诸天之上,以充满万有的那一位,
4:11 就是他赐与这些人作宗徒,那些人作先知,有的作传福音者,有的作司牧和教师,
4:12 为成全圣徒,使之各尽其职;为建树基督的身体,
4:13 直到我们众人都达到对於天主子,有一致的信仰和认识,成为成年人,达到基督圆满年龄的程度;
4:14 使我们不再做小孩子,为各种教义之风所飘荡,所卷去,而中了人的阴谋,陷於引入荒谬的诡计;
4:15 反而在爱德中持守真理,在各方面长进,而归於那为元首的基督,
4:16 本著他,全身都结构紧凑,借着各关节的互相补助,按照各肢体的功用,各尽其职,使身体不断增长,在爱德中将它建立起来。

脱去旧人穿上新人
4:17 为此我说,且在主内苦劝你们,生活不要再像外邦人,顺随自己的虚妄思念而生活;
4:18 他们的理智受了蒙蔽,因著他们的无知和固执,与天主的生命隔绝了。
4:19 这样的人既已麻木,便纵情恣欲,贪行各种不洁。
4:20 但你们却不是这样学了基督。
4:21 如果你们真听过他,按照在耶稣内的真理,在他内受过教,
4:22 就该脱去你们照从前生活的旧人,就是因顺从享乐的欲念而败坏的旧人,
4:23 应在心思念虑上改换一新,
4:24 穿上新人,就是按照天主的肖像所造,具有真实的正义和圣善的新人。

忠告信徒躲避罪恶
4:25 为此,你们应该戒绝谎言,彼此应该说实话,因为我们彼此都是一身的肢体。
4:26 『你们纵然动怒,但是不可犯罪;』不可让太阳在你们含怒时西落,
4:27 也不可给魔鬼留有余地。
4:28 那以前偷窃的,不要再偷窃,却更要劳苦,亲手赚取正当的利润,好能周济贫乏的人。
4:29 一切坏话都不可出於你们的口;但看事情的需要,说造就人的话,叫听众获得益处。
4:30 你们不要叫天主的圣神忧郁,因为你们是在他内受了印证,以待得救的日子。
4:31 一切毒辣、怨恨、忿怒、争吵、毁谤以及一切邪恶,都要从你们中除掉;
4:32 彼此相待,要良善,要仁慈,互相宽恕,如同天主在基督内宽恕了你们一样。

 

 

第五章(33)

天主的儿女应戒避邪淫
5:1 所以你们应该效法天主,如同蒙宠爱的儿女一样;
5:2 又应该在爱德中生活,就如基督爱了我们,且为我们把自己交出,献於天主作为馨香的供物和祭品。
5:3 至於邪淫,一切不洁和贪婪之事,在你们中间,连提也不要提:如此才合乎圣徒的身份。
5:4 同样,猥亵、放荡和轻薄的戏言都不相宜;反要说感恩的话,
5:5 因为你们应该清楚知道:不论是犯邪淫的,行不洁的,或是贪婪的──即崇拜偶像的──在基督和天主的国内,都不得承受产业。
5:6 不要让任何人以浮言欺骗你们,因为就是为了这些事,天主的忿怒才降在这些悖逆之子身上。
5:7 所以你们不要作这些人的同伴。
5:8 从前你们原是黑暗,但现在你们在主内却是光明,生活自然要像光明之子一样;
5:9 光明所结的果实,就是各种良善、正义和诚实,
5:10 你们要体察什麽是主所喜悦的;
5:11 不要参与黑暗无益的作为,反要加以指摘,
5:12 因为他们暗中所行的事,就是连提起,也是可耻的。
5:13 凡一切事,一经指摘,便由光显露出来;因为凡显露出来的,就成了光明;
5:14 为此说:『你这睡眠的,醒起来罢!从死者中起来罢!基督必要光照你;

光明之子的行止
5:15 所以,你们应细心观察自己怎样生活;不要像无知的人,却要像明智的人;
5:16 应把握时机,因为这些时日是邪恶的;
5:17 因此不要作糊涂人,但要晓得什麽是主的旨意。
5:18 也不要醉酒,醉酒使人淫乱;却要充满圣神,
5:19 以圣咏、诗词及属神的歌曲,互相对谈,在你们心中歌颂赞美主;
5:20 为一切事,要因我们的主耶稣基督的名,时时感谢天主父;
5:21 又要怀著敬畏基督的心,互相顺从。

婚姻的神圣
5:22 你们作妻子的,应当服从自己的丈夫,如同服从主一样,
5:23 因为丈夫是妻子的头,如同基督是教会的头,他又是这身体的救主。
5:24 教会怎样服从基督,作妻子的也应怎样事事服从丈夫。
5:25 你们作丈夫的,应该爱妻子,如同基督爱了教会,并为她舍弃了自己,
5:26 以水洗,藉言语,来洁净她,圣化她,
5:27 好使她在自己面前呈现为一个光耀的教会,没有瑕疵,没有皱纹,或其他类似的缺陷;而使她成为圣洁和没有污点的。
5:28 作丈夫的也应当如此爱自己的妻子,如同爱自己的身体一样;那爱自己妻子的,就是爱自己,
5:29 因为从来没有人恨过自己的肉身,反而培养抚育它,一如基督之对教会;
5:30 因为我们都是他身上的肢体。
5:31 『为此,人应离开自己的父母,依附自己的妻子,二人成为一体。』
5:32 这奥秘真是伟大!但我是指基督和教会说的。
5:33 总之,你们每人应当各爱自己的妻子,就如爱自己一样;至於妻子,应该敬重自己的丈夫。

 

 

第六章(24)

父母子女间的义务
6:1 你们作子女的,要在主内听从你们的父母,因为这是理所当然的。
6:2 『孝敬你的父亲和母亲──这是附有恩许的第一条诫命──
6:3 为使你得到幸福,并在地上延年益寿。』
6:4 你们作父母的,不要惹你们的子女发怒;但要用主的规范和训诫,教养他们。

主仆间的义务
6:5 你们作奴仆的,要战战兢兢,以诚实的心,听从你们肉身的主人,如同听从基督一样。
6:6 不要只在人眼前服事,好像单讨人的喜欢,而要像基督的仆人,从心里遵行天主的旨意;
6:7 甘心服事,好像服事主,而非服事人,
6:8 因为你们知道:每一个人,或为奴的,或自主的,不论行了什麽善事,都要按他所行的领取主的赏报。
6:9 至於你们作主人的,要同样对待奴仆,戒用恐吓,因为你们知道,他们和你们在天上有同一个主,而且他是不看情面的。

基督徒的全副武装
6:10 此外,你们务要在主内,借他的能力作坚强的人。
6:11 要穿上天主的全副武装,为能抵抗魔鬼的阴谋,
6:12 因为我们战斗不是对抗血和肉,而是对抗率领者,对抗掌权者,对抗这黑暗世界的霸主,对抗天界里邪恶的鬼神。
6:13 为此,你们应拿起天主的全副武装,为使你们在邪恶的日子能够抵得住,并在获得全胜之後,仍屹立不动。
6:14 所以要站稳!用真理作带,束起你们的腰,穿上正义作甲,
6:15 以和平的福音作准备走路的鞋,穿在脚上;
6:16 此外,还要拿起信德作盾牌,使你们能以此扑灭恶者的一切火箭;
6:17 并戴上救恩当盔,拿著圣神作利剑,即天主的话,
6:18 时时靠着圣神,以各种祈求和哀祷祈祷;且要醒寤不倦,为众圣徒祈求,
6:19 也为我祈求,使我在开口的时候,赐我能说相称的话,能放心大胆地传扬福音的奥秘──
6:20 为这福音我竟作了带锁链的使者──使我能放心大胆,照我应该宣讲的去宣讲。

结语与祝福辞
6:21 今有我可爱的弟兄,且忠於主的服务者提希苛给你们报告一切,好使你们知道我的事和我现在做什麽。
6:22 我特意打发他到你们那里去,为叫你们知道我们的情形,并叫他安慰你们的心。
6:23 愿平安、爱德和信德由天主父和主耶稣基督赐与众弟兄!
6:24 愿恩宠与那些以永恒不变的爱爱我们的主耶稣基督的人同在!

BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.

 

JB EPHESIANS Chapter 1

 

THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS

 

Address and Greetings

 

1:1 From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, to the saints who are faithful to Christ Jesus.

1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

  1. THE MYSTERY OF SALVATION AND OF THE CHURCH

 

God’s plan of salvation

1:3 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.

1:4 Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,

1:5 determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes,

1:6 to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved,

1:7 in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. Such is the richness of the grace

1:8 which he has showered on us in all wisdom and insight.

1:9 He has let us know the mystery of his, purpose, the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning

1:10 to act upon when the times had run their course to the end: that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth.

1:11 And it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will;

1:12 chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.

1:13 Now you too, in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise

1:14 the pledge of our inheritance which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised.

 

The triumph and the supremacy of Christ

 

1:15 That will explain why I, having once heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and the love that you show towards all the saints,

1:16 have never failed to remember you in my prayers and to thank God for you.

1:17 May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him.

1:18 May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit

1:19 and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power

1:20 at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven,

1:21 far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come.

1:22 He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church;

1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.

 

JB EPHESIANS Chapter 2

 

Salvation in Christ a free gift

 

2:1 And you were dead, through the crimes and the sins

2:2 in which you used to live when you were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air the spirit who is at work in the rebellious.

2:3 We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world.

2:4 But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy:

2:5 when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ-it is through grace that you have been saved-

2:6 and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.

2:7 This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace.

2:8 Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God;

2:9 not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit.

2:10 We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.

 

Reconciliation of the Jews and the pagans with each other and with God

 

2:11 Do not forget, then, that there was a time when you who were pagans physically, termed the Uncircumcised by those who speak of themselves as the Circumcision by reason of a physical operation,

2:12 do not forget, I say, that you had no Christ and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise; you were immersed in this world, without hope and without God.

2:13 But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ.

2:14 For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility

2:15 caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace

2:16 through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God; In his own person he killed the hostility.

2:17 Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand.

2:18 Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.

2:19 So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household.

2:20 You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.

2:21 As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord;

2:22 and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.

 

JB EPHESIANS Chapter 3

 

Paul, a servant of the mystery

 

3:1 So I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you pagans…

3:2 You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you,

3:3 and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery, as I have just described it very shortly.

3:4 If you read my word you will have some idea of the depths that I see in the mystery of Christ.

3:5 This that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations;

3:6 it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

3:7 I have been made the servant of that gospel by a gift of grace from God who gave it to me by his own power.

3:8 I, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ

3:9 but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why?

3:10 So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is,

3:11 exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3:12 This is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him;

3:13 so, I beg you, never lose confidence just because of the trials that I go through on your account: they are your glory.

 

Paul’s prayer

 

3:14 This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father,

3:15 from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name:

3:16 Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong,

3:17 so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love,

3:18 you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth;

3:19 until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.

3:20 Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine;

3:21 glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.

 

JB EPHESIANS Chapter 4

 

  1. EXHORTATION

 

A call to unity

 

4:1 I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you therefore to lead a life worthy of your vocation.

4:2 Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience.

4:3 Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.

4:4 There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called.

4:5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

4:6 and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

4:7 Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it.

4:8 It was said that he would: When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners, he gave gifts to men.

4:9 When it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth?

4:10 The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended.

4:11 And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers;

4:12 so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.

4:13 In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

4:14 Then we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit.

4:15 If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head

4:16 by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.

 

The new life in Christ

 

4:17 In particular, I want to urge you in the name of the Lord, not to go on living the aimless kind of life that pagans live.

4:18 Intellectually they are in the dark, and they are estranged from the life of God, without knowledge because they have shut their hearts to it.

4:19 Their sense of right and wrong once dulled, they have abandoned themselves to sexuality and eagerly pursue a career of indecency of every kind.

4:20 Now that is hardly the way you have learnt from Christ,

4:21 unless you failed to hear him properly when you were taught what the truth is in Jesus.

4:22 You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires.

4:23 Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution

4:24 so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth.

4:25 So from now on, there must be no more lies: You must speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one another.

4:26 Even if you are angry, you must not sin: never let the sun set on your anger ‘

4:27 or else you will give the devil a foothold.

4:28 Anyone who was a thief must stop stealing; he should try to find some useful manual work instead, and be able to do some good by helping others that are in need.

4:29 Guard against foul talk; let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners,

4:30 otherwise you will only be grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes.

4:31 Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness.

4:32 Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.

 

JB EPHESIANS Chapter 5

 

5:1 Try, then, to imitate God as children of his that he loves

5:2 and follow Christ loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.

5:3 Among you there must be not even a mention of fornication or impurity in any of its forms, or promiscuity: this would hardly become the saints!

5:4 There must be no coarseness, or salacious talk and jokes-all this is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead.

5:5 For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity-which is worshipping a false god-can inherit anything of the kingdom of God.

5:6 Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against him.

5:7 Make sure that you are not included with them.

5:8 You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light,

5:9 for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth.

5:10 Try to discover what the Lord wants of you,

5:11 having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast.

5:12 The things which are done in secret are things that ashamed even to speak of;

5:13 but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated

5:14 and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said: Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, Christ will shine on you.

5:15 So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people.

5:16 This may be a wicked age, but you redeem it.

5:17 And do not be thoughtless but recognise what is the will of the Lord.

5:18 Do not drug yourselves with wine, this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit.

5:19 Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together, and go on singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts,

5:20 so that always and everywhere you are giving thanks to God who is our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The morals of the home

 

5:21 Give way to one another in obedience to Christ.

5:22 Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord,

5:23 since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife;

5:24 and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything.

5:25 Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her

5:26 to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words,

5:27 so that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.

5:28 In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself.

5:29 A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church,

5:30 because it is his body-and we are its living parts.

5:31 For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body.

5:32 This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the

Church.

5:33 To sum up; you too, each one of you, must love his wife as he loves himself; and let every wife respect her husband.

 

JB EPHESIANS Chapter 6

 

6:1 Children, be obedient to your parents in the Lord-that is your duty.

6:2 The commandment that has a promise attached to it is: Honour your father and mother,

6:3 and the promise is: and you will prosper and have a long life in the land.

6:4 And parents, never drive your children to resentment but in bringing them up correct them and guide them as the Lord does.

6:5 Slaves, be obedient to the men who are called your masters in this world, with deep respect and sincere loyalty, as you are obedient to Christ:

6:6 not only when you are under their eye, as if you had only to please men, but because you are slaves of Christ and wholeheartedly do the will of God.

6:7 Work hard and willingly, but do it for the sake of the Lord and not for the sake of men.

6:8 You can be sure that everyone, whether a slave or a free man, will be properly rewarded by the Lord for whatever work he has done well.

6:9 And those of you who are employers, treat your slaves in the same spirit; do without threats, remembering that they and you have the same Master in heaven and he is not impressed by one person more than by another.

 

The spiritual war

 

6:10 Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power.

6:11 Put God’s armour on so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics.

6:12 For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.

6:13 That is why you must rely on God’s armour, or you will not be able to put up any resistance when the worst happens, or have enough resources to hold your ground.

6:14 So stand your ground, with truth buckled round your waist, and integrity for a breastplate,

6:15 wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace

6:16 and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one.

6:17 And then you must accept salvation from God to be your helmet and receive the word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword.

6:18 Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints;

6:19 and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel

6:20 of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as boldly as I ought to.

 

Personal news and final salutation

 

6:21 I should like you to know, as well, what is happening to me and what I am doing; my dear brother Tychicus, my loyal helper in the Lord, will tell you everything.

6:22 I am sending him to you precisely for this purpose, to give you news about us and reassure you.

6:23 May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ grant peace, love and faith to all the brothers.

6:24 May grace and eternal life be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

END OF JB EPHESIANS [6 Chapters].

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *