Ephesians Chapter 5 — Walking in Love and Light

¹Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.

²Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.

³But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;

⁴nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks.

⁵Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.

⁷Therefore don’t be partakers with them.

⁸For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

⁹for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,

¹⁰proving what is well pleasing to the Lord.

¹¹Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

¹²For it is a shame even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

¹³But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.

¹⁴Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,

¹⁶redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

¹⁷Therefore, don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

¹⁸Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

¹⁹speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

²⁰giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

²¹subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

²²Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

²³For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.

²⁴But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her,

²⁶that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

²⁷that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without defect.

²⁸Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.

²⁹For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly,

³⁰because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.

³¹“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife. Then the two will become one flesh.”✡Genesis 2:24

³²This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly.

³³Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.