Chapter II: Personal and Social Duties

1 [4:1]I THEREFORE, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the call with which you were called, [4:2]with all humility and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love, [4:3]using diligence to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. [4:4]There is one body, and one spirit, as you also are called in one hope of your call; [4:5]one Lord, one faith, one baptism; [4:6]one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. [4:7]And to each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

2 [4:8]Wherefore he says, When he ascended on high, he took captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. [4:9]But this, that he ascended, what is it but that he first descended into the lower parts of the earth? [4:10]He that descended is the same also that ascended above all heavens, that he might fill all [places]. [4:11]And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [4:12]for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ, [4:13]till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, [4:14] that we may be no longer children, driven about like waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the art of men, and the craftiness of deceitful wiles, [4:15]but speaking the truth with love we may grow to him in all things, who is the head, Christ; [4:16]by whom all the body being joined together and compacted by the supply of every joint, according to the proportionate operation of every part, makes increase of the body to the edification of itself in love.

3 [4:17]This I say then and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the other gentiles walk, in the vanity of their minds, [4:18]with their understandings darkened, alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance which is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts, [4:19] who being without feeling have given themselves up to lewdness, to commit every impurity with greediness. [4:20]But you have not so learned Christ, [4:21]if you have indeed heard him, and been instructed by him as the truth is in Jesus, [4:22]that you should lay aside your former mode of life the old man destroyed by deceitful desires, [4:23]and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, [4:24] and put on the new man, created after God in righteousness and true holiness.

4 [4:25]Wherefore, laying aside lying let every one speak the truth to his neighbor, for we are members one of another. [4:26]Be angry and sin not; let not the sun go down on your wrath, [4:27]neither give place to the devil. [4:28]Let him that has stolen steal no more, but rather let him labor, doing that which is good with his hands, that he may have to give to him that needs. [4:29]Let no evil word proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for useful edification, that it may afford benefit to those that hear. [4:30]And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by which you were sealed to the day of redemption. [4:31]Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and blasphemy, be banished from among you, with all malice. [4:32]But be kind one to another, merciful, giving one to another, as God also in Christ gave to you. [5:1]Be therefore followers of God, as dear children, [5:2]and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God of good odor.

5 [5:3]Let not fornication and any impurity or covetousness be named among you, as becomes saints, [5:4]nor indecorum and foolish talking, or jesting, things not becoming, but rather giving of thanks. [5:5]For you know this, that no fornicator, or impure, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [5:6]Let no man deceive you with vain words; for on account of these comes the wrath of God on the children of disobedience. [5:7]Be not therefore partakers with them. [5:8]For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,-- [5:9]for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,-- [5:10]proving what is well pleasing to the Lord, [5:11]and be not partakers of the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. [5:12] For the things which are done by them in secret it is base even to mention; [5:13]but all things proved to be wrong are made manifest by the light; for every thing which makes manifest is light. [5:14]Wherefore he says, Awake you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

6 [5:15]See then that you walk discreetly, not as unwise but as wise, [5:16] redeeming the time, because the days are evil. [5:17]Be not foolish therefore, but understand what the will of the Lord is. [5:18]And be not drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the spirit, [5:19]speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, [5:20]giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father, [5:21]being subject one to another in the fear of Christ. [5:22]Let wives [be subject] to their husbands as to the Lord, [5:23]for the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; he is the savior of the body. [5:24]But as the church is subject to Christ, so also let wives be subject to husbands in every thing. [5:25] Husbands, love your wives as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, [5:26]that he might sanctify it, purifying it with the washing of water with the word, [5:27]that he might present the church to himself glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any thing of the kind, but that it should be holy and blameless. [5:28]Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself; [5:29]for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ also the church; [5:30]for we are members of his body. [5:31]For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. [5:32]This is a great mystery; but I speak of Christ and the church. [5:33]But do you also, individually, each one so love his wife as himself, and the wife [see] that she reverences the husband.

7 [6:1]Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. [6:2]Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, [6:3]that it may be well with you, and you shall live long in the land. [6:4] And, fathers, provoke not your children, but bring them up in the instruction and admonition of the Lord.

8 [6:5]Servants, be subject to masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your hearts as to Christ, [6:6]not with eye service as pleasing men, but as servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart, [6:7]performing service kindly as to the Lord and not to men, [6:8] knowing that whatever good each one does, for this he shall receive from the Lord, whether a servant or a freeman. [6:9]And, masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threatening, knowing also that their master and yours is in heaven, and there is no respect of persons with him.

9 [6:10]Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. [6:11] Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; [6:12]for our conflict is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the potentates of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual [hosts] of evil in the heavenly [worlds]. [6:13] Take therefore the whole armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all to stand. [6:14]Stand, therefore, girded about your loins with truth, and having put on the cuirass of righteousness, [6:15] and bound your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [6:16]over all, taking the shield of the faith, with which you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of evil. [6:17]And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, [6:18]praying with all prayer and supplication on every occasion with the spirit, and watching in the same with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, [6:19]and for me, that a word may be given me at the opening of my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, [6:20]in behalf of which I perform an embassy in bonds, that I may speak boldly in them, as I ought to speak.

10 [6:21]But that you may also know the things concerning me, how I do, Tichycus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will inform you of all things; [6:22]whom I have sent to you for this purpose, that you may know the things concerning us and that he may comfort your hearts. [6:23]Peace and love be to the brothers with faith, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [6:24]The grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with constancy.

THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS.

ROME, A.D. 63. (ACTS, 25:4.)