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so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,
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But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us
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So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,
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for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,
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and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,
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that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
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Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.
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Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ,
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I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.
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and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
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But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
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(When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?
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until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
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They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.
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Rules for the New Life
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.
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Renounce Pagan Ways
But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints.
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Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
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For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly;
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as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts,
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because we are members of his body.
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Slaves and Masters
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ;
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not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
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Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women,
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Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
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I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are, and to encourage your hearts.
