К Ефесеям послание Апостола Павла

The Apostle's stay in Ephesus (Acts 19) lasted for too two years. From here he went to Macedonia and through Miletus returned to Jerusalem. Soon after, according to the slander of the Jews, he was taken into custody and sent to Caesarea (Acts 23) and from there to Rome (28). Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in heaven with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we might be holy and blameless before Him, in love. He predestined us, according to His good pleasure towards us, to adopt us as sons through Jesus Christ, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with it he has graced us in the Beloved (His Son): in Him and in His blood we have redemption and remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace. And He has given it to us in abundance, with all wisdom and understanding, when He told us the secret of His will. He first placed His favor in Him, for the construction of the fullness of times, so that under the head of Christ he will unite everything heavenly and earthly. In Him we have received the lot of inheritance and are destined for this by the determination of Him who perfects all things by the counsel of His will, Let us serve to praise His glory, we who have first placed our trust in Christ. But you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, believed in Him and were sealed with His Holy Spirit of promise. And this Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance, for the redemption of His inheritance (the people of God?), for the praise of His glory. Therefore, when I heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints, I never cease to thank God for you, remembering you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him, and let the eyes of your heart be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance for the saints and how immeasurable is the greatness of His power in us when we believe according to the working of His sovereign strength. The power of God in the resurrection of Christ By this power He worked in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens, above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come, and he put all things under his feet, and made him high above all, as the head of the church, for the church is His body, the fulfillment of Him, fulfilling all things in all. Chapter 2. The Power of God in Converting the Gentiles And you were dead for your trespasses and sins, in which they once walked through the age of this world, according to the power of the prince of the air, the spirit now operating in the sons of disobedience. Among those we were once in the lusts of our flesh. doing the will of the flesh and thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath, like others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His abundant love with which He loved us, He made us alive in Christ, who were dead in trespasses (by grace you have been saved), and raised up with Him and compared with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, may He show us in the coming centuries the exceeding riches of His grace, kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith - and this is not from yourselves, but the gift of God; not from works, but no one will boast. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us, that we might walk in them. Unity of Jews with Gentiles in the Church Therefore, remember that you were once Gentiles in the flesh, and you were called “uncircumcised” by those who were called “circumcised” in the flesh by human hands. Remember that at that time you were without Christ, alienated from the fellowship of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without god in the world. Now, O Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have become close by the blood of Christ. He is our peace; He created one from both and destroyed the barrier that had melted in the middle, having abolished enmity in His flesh and the law of commandments by His teaching, and from the two creating in Himself a new man, He created the world. In one body, on the cross, having killed the enmity on it, he reconciled both with God and he came and preached peace to you, both far and near, for through Him we are brought both to the Father in one Spirit. So you are no longer strangers and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Jesus Christ Himself is the corner stone, and in Him the whole building, being joined together in parts, grows into a holy church in the Lord, in Him you also are being built into a habitation of God by the Spirit. Chapter 3. The Mystery of the Gospel is revealed to the church through the Apostles, and to the heavenly powers through the church For this reason I, Paul, became a prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. Have you heard, I think, about looking at the grace of God given to me for you, how the mystery was revealed to me, about which I had previously written briefly; so that, reading about this, you can understand, just as I understood the mystery of Christ. And it was not announced in former generations to the sons of men, as it is now revealed to His holy Apostles and Prophets by the Holy Spirit, that the Gentiles may be fellow heirs, members of one body, and partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, whose servant I became by the gift of God’s grace given to me, by the operation of His power. To me, the least of all His saints, was given this grace - to preach to the pagans the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to reveal to everyone in the world a glimpse of the mystery hidden for centuries in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, may the manifold wisdom of God now be revealed through the church to the principles and powers of heaven, according to the eternal definition, what He did in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him we have confidence, and by faith in Him we are led to God in hope. So I ask, do not lose heart from my sorrows for your sake: in them is your glory. Prayer for affirmation of faith For this reason I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ - from Him every fatherland is named in heaven and on earth, that He may give you, according to the riches of His glory, strength to be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man, may Christ dwell in your hearts by faith, and you, having been rooted and established in love, will be able, with all the saints, to comprehend what breadth and length and depth and height are, and understand the love of Christ that surpasses understanding, and thus be filled with all the fullness of God. But to Him who is able, according to the power that works in us, to do above all that we ask or think, To him be glory in the church in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, from age to age. Chapter 4. Unity in Christ Therefore I beseech you, O prisoner of the Lord, to walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and meekness and longsuffering, looking upon one another with love, trying to maintain the unity of the spirit in the union of peace. One body, one spirit, just as the hope of your calling is one. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, there is one God and Father of all, He is above all and through all and in all of us. And each of us has been given grace according to the gift of Christ. For this reason it is said: he ascended on high, took captivity captive and gave gifts to men (Ps. 67). And “ascended” means nothing more than that he first descended into the underworld of the earth. Whoever descended is the same who ascended above all the heavens, so that He may fulfill everything with Himself. He appointed some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists (evangelists), and others as shepherds and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ: until we reach all the unity of faith and consciousness of the Son of God, into a perfect man, to the extent of the fulfillment of the stature of Christ, and then let us not, like infants, waver and be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, in the deceit of men, in the snares of flattering delusions; but in the spirit of true love, let us begin to grow everything into Him, Who is the Head, Christ. And the whole body, in the composition and union of mutually acting members, each in its own measure, receives from Him the power of growth, to create itself in love. Renewal of life in Christ Therefore, I say and testify by the Lord: do not walk as other nations walk in the vanity of their minds; darkened in mind, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance and hardness of their hearts that exist in them. Having reached the point of shamelessness, they have given themselves over to debauchery, so that they commit all uncleanness with gluttony. But you didn’t know Christ that way, if only you have heard Him and learned from Him what is true about Jesus: put off your former way of life, the old man, which is corrupted by the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and to put on the new man, created in the image of God, in true righteousness and holiness. So, having rejected lies, speak the truth, every one to his neighbor (Zechariah 8), for we are members of one body. Be angry, but not to the point of sin (Ps. 4): let not the sun go down on your anger, and do not give place to the devil. He who stole, let him not steal any more, but let him still work, doing an honest deed with his own hands, so that there will be something to give to the needy. Let not a single rotten word come out of your mouth, but only what is good for edification in faith, for grace to those who hear. And do not offend the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed on the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and anger and rage and crying and slander fall away from you along with all malice. But be kind and merciful to one another, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. So be imitators of God, like beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God, into a fragrant aroma. But let fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness not be remembered among you, as befits saints, and foul language and idle talk or inappropriate ridicule, but rather thanksgiving. For you must know that no fornicator or unclean person or covetous person (this is idolatry) has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with vain words, for for this reason the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience: Do not be in communication with such people. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, and you walk as children of light: spiritual fruit in all goodness, righteousness and truth. Try what pleases God and do not associate with the unfruitful works of darkness, but also expose them. And what they do in secret is shameful to talk about. But everything that is exposed appears in the light, for everything that is revealed is light. Therefore it is said: Arise, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will illuminate you (Ps. 60). See therefore that you walk (live) carefully, not as fools, but as wise, considering the time, for our days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of God is. And do not get drunk with wine - wine causes debauchery; but be filled with spirit, responding to one another in psalms and songs and spiritual songs, singing and shouting in your hearts to the Lord; giving thanks always to God and the Father in everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Instructions on Family Life Wives, submit to your husbands as you submit to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church - He is also the Savior of the body. But just as the church submits to Christ, so do wives to their husbands in everything. Husbands. love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it, may He sanctify it, cleansing it with the washing of water, according to His word, let her present to herself a glorious church, not having filth or vice, or anything like that, but let her be holy and blameless. So husbands should love their wives as their own body, and whoever loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and warms it, just as the Lord does the church: we are all members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and both will become one flesh (Gen. 2). This great mystery - I say this about Christ and about the church. So you too - let each of you love his wife as much as himself; and let the wife fear (honor) her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: this is righteous. “Honor your father and mother” - this is the first commandment with promise: “May you be blessed and long-lived on earth.” And fathers, do not irritate your children, but bring them up in the discipline and teaching of the Lord. Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ, not only working before our eyes to please man, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul, serving good will as the Lord, and not men; knowing that everyone will receive from the Lord according to the measure of his good deed, whether he be a slave or a free man. And masters, do the same to your slaves, easing punishments for them: you know that both your Lord and their Lord are in heaven, and with Him there is no respect of persons. Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His strength. Put on all the armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And our struggle is not with flesh and blood (not with enemies of flesh and blood), but with the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world, with the spirits of wickedness in high places. For this, accept all the weapons of God, so that you may be able to resist on the fierce day and, having completed everything to the end, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of your feet in readiness for the gospel of peace. And most of all, take up the shield of faith, in which you can extinguish all the arrows of the evil one. And receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray in the Spirit at all times. And watch all this vigilantly with all patience, with prayer for all the saints. And pray for me: when my mouth is opened, may a word be given to me to boldly tell the mystery of the gospel. It is for him that I was sent and am sending an embassy - in chains! And may I have the boldness to preach as I should. And so that you may know about me and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant of the Lord, will tell you everything. This is why I sent him to you, so that you would know about us and would comfort your hearts. Peace brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love. Amen. You might be interested in: