remem.me

Opening

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

unity

to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—
to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

predestined

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,

the first

in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ,
might be for the praise of his glory.

included

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,

deposit

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—
to the praise of his glory.

faith and love

For this reason, ever since I heard about
your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

thanks and prayers

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers.

the Spirit

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.

eyes

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,

power

and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength

Grace

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

raised & exalted

he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

above

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.

head

And God placed all things under his feet
and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

body

which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Praise

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.

Chosen

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

adoption

he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with his pleasure and will—

Grace

to the praise of his glorious grace,
which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Jesus and His cross: Forgiveness and redemption

In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

wisdom

that he lavished on us.
With all wisdom and understanding,

mystery of God's will

he made known to us the mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

Sin

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

handiwork

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

uncircumcised

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)—

hopeless

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.

brought near

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

Jesus and His Cross: Jesus is our peace

For he himself is our peace,
who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier,
the dividing wall of hostility,

new humanity

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,

Jesus and His Cross: peace instead of hosility

and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,
by which he put to death their hostility.

peace

He came and preached peace to you who were far away
and peace to those who were near.

access

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

belonging

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,
but fellow citizens with God’s people
and also members of his household,

sin

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.

foundation

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

temple

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

dwelling

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

All were sinners

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.

God's character

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

Grace

made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead in transgressions—
it is by grace you have been saved.

resurrection

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

grace

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.

B07a - Salvation is not by Works

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

B07b - Salvation is not by works

not by works, so that no one can boast.

prisoner

For this reason I, Paul,
the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

God's intent

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,

mission accomplished

according to his eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

approach God

In him and through faith in him
we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

don't be discouraged

I ask you, therefore,
not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you,
which are your glory.

kneel

For this reason I kneel before the Father,

family names

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

prayer for strength

I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you with power
through his Spirit in your inner being,

faith and love

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

love of Christ

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,

know and be filled

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

administration given

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you,

His Power

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,

Glory

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations,
for ever and ever! Amen.

mystery

that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation,
as I have already written briefly.

insight

In reading this, then,
you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

revelation

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.

mystery

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.

servant

I became a servant of this gospel
by the gift of God’s grace given me
through the working of his power.

grace given

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,

make plain

and to make plain to everyone
the administration of this mystery,
which for ages past was kept hidden in God,
who created all things.

live your calling

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

down and up

He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

Christ's gifts

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets,
the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

to equip

to equip his people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up

maturity

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.

avoiding shipwreck

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.

grow up

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.

body

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.

be different

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.

Unbelieving gentiles

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.

Sin

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.

Humility

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

way of life

That, however, is not the way of life you learned

Christ's truth

when you heard about Christ
and were taught in him
in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

out with the old

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;

renewal

to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

new self

and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

truth

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

devil

and do not give the devil a foothold.

work

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.

speech

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.

Unity

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

Holy Spirit

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

sin

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger,
brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

forgiveness

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

One 1

There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

One 2

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

One 3

one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

Grace

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

captives

This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”

up and down

(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?

God's example

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children

pleases

and find out what pleases the Lord.

dark deeds

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,
but rather expose them.

shameful

It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

light

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

awake!

This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

careful

Be very careful, then, how you live—
not as unwise but as wise,

evil days

making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil.

no foolishness

Therefore do not be foolish,
but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Holy Spirit (be filled)

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

sing

speaking to one another
with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.
Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

Jesus and his cross: way of love

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.

thanks

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

submit

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

wives

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

head

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.

submit like church

Now as the church submits to Christ,
so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

husbands

Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

washing

to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

radiant

and to present her to himself as a radiant church,
without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish,
but holy and blameless.

love wives as bodies

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.

love body

After all, no one ever hated their own body,
but they feed and care for their body,
just as Christ does the church—

How Can I Grow? Purity (E05)

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.

Christ's body

for we are members of his body.

leave and cleave

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

mystery

This is a profound mystery—
but I am talking about Christ and the church.

love and respect

However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself,
and the wife must respect her husband.

improper talk

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking,
which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

sure thing

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.

don't be deceived

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

partners

Therefore do not be partners with them.

dark vs. light

For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light

fruit

(for the fruit of the light consists
in all goodness, righteousness and truth)

children

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

be strong

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

armour

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

struggle

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.

armour - stand

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.

stand firm

Stand firm then,
with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

feet

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

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

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 for Paul

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,

honour parents

“Honor your father and mother”—
which is the first commandment with a promise—

fearlessly

for which I am an ambassador in chains.
Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Tychicus

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.

encouragement

I am sending him to you for this very purpose,
that you may know how we are,
and that he may encourage you.

peace

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

grace

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

promise

“so that it may go well with you
and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

fathers

Fathers, do not exasperate your children;
instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

slaves

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear,
and with sincerity of heart,
just as you would obey Christ.

slaves of 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.

service

Serve wholeheartedly,
as if you were serving the Lord, not people,

reward

because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do,
whether they are slave or free.

masters

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.