Walk in Love
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1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
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And 2walk in love, 3as Christ loved us and 4gave himself up for us, a 5fragrant 6offering and sacrifice to God.
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But 7sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness 8must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
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Let there be 9no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, 10which are out of place, but instead 11let there be thanksgiving.
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For you may be sure of this, that 12everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (13that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
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14Let no one 15deceive you with empty words, for because of these things 16the wrath of God comes upon 17the sons of disobedience.
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Therefore 18do not become partners with them;
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for 19at one time you were 20darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. 21Walk as children of light
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(for 22the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
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and 23try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
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For 28it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.
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But when 29anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,
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for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 30"Awake, O sleeper, and 31arise from the dead, and 32Christ will shine on you."
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33Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
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Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what 36the will of the Lord is.
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addressing one another in 40psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
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41giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father 42in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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43submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives and Husbands
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For 47the husband is the head of the wife even as 48Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is 49himself its Savior.
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Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit 50in everything to their husbands.
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so 55that he might present the church to himself in splendor, 56without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.a
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In the same way 57husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
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For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
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because 58we are members of his body.
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59"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and 60the two shall become one flesh."
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This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)