Chapter 5

¹Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. ²Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, 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 works of darkness, but rather even reprove them. ¹²For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 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 singing praises 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 one to 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, and 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 it; ²⁶that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it 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 it should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸Even so ought husbands also 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. The two will become one flesh.” ³²This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of 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.