The Disciples of Christ

Ephesians

Chapter 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, unto all the saints and unto the faithful in Christ Jesus:1

2 Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

3* Blessed be the one God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with the many kinds of spiritual blessings, within the heavenly things in Christ,

4* For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the earth, that we might be holy and unblemished before Him in love,

5* previously marking us for adoption through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the favorable estimation of His will,

6* unto the praise of the glory of His grace, within whom He has greatly favored us within His Beloved Son.2

7* Through whom we establish redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God's grace

8 of which He has abundance for us, in all wisdom and prudence,

9 He has made known unto us the mysteries of His will, according to His good pleasure which He intended through Him,

10* for in relation to the dispensation of the set times, He gathered the whole together in Him by means of the Christ, both those of the heavens and those upon earth;1

11* in whom we also have received a portion, being previously determined according to the plan of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

12 so that we who first trusted in Christ would be purposed unto the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom after believing, you were sealed by The Holy Spirit of promise,

14 who is an assurance of our inheritance, until the redemption of His purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.

15 For this reason I also, after hearing of your faith in our Lord Jesus and your love for all His saints,1

16 I do not cease giving thanks for you, and making mention of you in my prayers;

17 so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of Glory, might impart unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation within the knowledge of Him;

18 having enlightened the eyes of your mind, so that we come to know what the hope of His calling is, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the saints,1

19 and what the incomparable greatness of His power is, for us who believe according to the working of His might,

20 which He exercised in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places,3

21 high above all rule and governments and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in those to come.

22 And He has put all things beneath His feet, and appointed Him as the head above every part of the assembly,

23 which is His body, the fullness of He who fills all in all.

1. P46 - 75-175 A.D

2. Codex Bezae - 400-500 A.D.

3. P92 - 100-200 A.D.

Chapter 2

1 But you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

2 where in times past you walked in conformity with the ways of this world, according to ruler of the power of the lower realm, the spirit that is now at work within the children of disobedience.

3 Among them we all also previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we were by nature the children of wrath, in truth just like everyone else.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, on account of His great love, loved us,

5* even while we were dead unto those who have been brought to life; within the grace of the Christ, we have been saved,1

6 and He has raised us up, and seated us in heavenly places through Christ Jesus,

7 so that throughout the ages to come He might demonstrate the abundant riches of His grace through goodness unto us in Christ Jesus. 8* For by grace we have been saved from sin through the faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is a gift from God;

9* not from works, so that no man can boast.a

10* For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the good works, which God previously ordained in order so that we would live by them.

11 Therefore remember that you were once Gentiles in the midst of the flesh, who are called, "The Uncircumcision” by those who are called, “The Circumcision” which is done by human hands to the flesh,

12 because at that time you were without Christ, having been foreigners excluded from the communities of the inhabitants of Israel, and strangers unto the covenant of the promise, without the hope and godless within the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who were once distant, have been drawn near through the blood of Christ.

14 For He is our peace, who has made both partiesb one, by having torn down the partitioning wall,

15 by abolishing the enmity in the midst of His body, having nullified the prescribed entitlements to the law,c so that within Himself out of the two, He might create one new people, thereby establishing perfect peace,1

16 so that He might reconcile them both into the one body of God through the cross, having put to death the hostility within Himself.

17 After His arrival, He preached peace unto you, those who were far off, and peace unto those are near;

18 For through Him we both have access in one spirit to the Father.

19 Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but rather you are fellow citizens with the saints, and the household of God.

20 Having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Keystone,

21 within whom the entire building is firmly sealed together, growing into a holy temple unto the Lord,

22 within whom together you are also being built into a dwelling place of God through the Spirit.

1. P46 - 75-175 A.D

a. Verse 9 is omitted in Papyrus 46 one of the oldest sources of The Book of Ephesians. What the apostle Paul is trying to say is that you cannot work your way into heaven; however Paul is not saying that there will not be works as part of your covenant with God, as well as, a work-ethic. See Matthew 28:20, Matthew 5:16, John 14:12, and the fourth commandment found in Exodus 20:8, “Six days you shall labor” As Christian’s we are lovingly asked by God to keep our covenant, but it is not perfection that God expects.

b. Referring to the separation between Jews and the Gentiles.

c. Cannot accurately be translated as, “Abolishing the law” or, “Setting aside the law” See Matthew 5:17

Chapter 3

1 Unto this purpose I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

2 if you have truly heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which has been given unto me on your behalf;

3 which through a revelation He has made known to me the mystery, which in short I previously wrote about.

4 By which, while reading you might understand my insight into the mystery of the Christ,

5 which in times past had not been made known unto the sons of men, as it has presently been revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets through the Spirit;

6 so that the gentiles might be fellow heirs and part of the same body, and participants in the promise of Christ, through the gospel,1

7 By whom I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given unto me according to the effectual working of His power.

8 To me, who am the least of all the saints, this grace was given, in order to preach unto the gentiles, the unfathomable abundance of Christ,

9 and to make evident unto all people the fellowship of the mystery that has been hidden from the dawn of time by God who created all things;2

10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be revealed through the assembly to the rulers and principalities in heavenly places,

11* according to the eternal purpose that has been established in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12* within whom we have boldness and access with confidence, through faith in Him.

13* Therefore I implore you not to lose heart during my sufferings on our companies behalf, which is unto our glory.2

14 Unto this end I bow my knees to the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15* by whom the whole family in heaven and upon the earth is named,

16 so that He might grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit within the inner man,

17* in order that Christ might live within your hearts through faith; and that you would be rooted and founded in love,

18 so that you might be able to understand along with all the saints, what is the width and length and depth and the height,

19 and know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, that you might be filled unto all the fullness of God.

20 Now unto the One who is able to do far more abundantly beyond everything we desire or understand, according to the miraculous power working within us,

21 unto Him be the glory within the assembly of Christ Jesus, throughout all the generations from age unto age. Amen.

1. The Mt.Sinai Bible 300-400 A.D.

2. P46 - 75-175 A.D.

Chapter 4

1 Therefore, I, a prisoner of the Lord, would encourage you to live in a manner worthy of the calling by which you were called,

2 with all humility and kindness, and longsuffering, being patient with one another in love,

3 working hard to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were also called to the One hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and within the whole.1

7 And His grace has been given unto each one of us, according to the measure of Christ's gifting.

8 For this reason it states, “After He ascended on high, He led captives out of captivity and having received gifts for mankind”2

9 Now, "He ascended" what does it mean except that He also descended into the lower provinces of the earth?1

10 The One who descended is Himself also the One who ascended high above the heavens, so that He might fulfill all things.

11 And He assigned some accordingly unto the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers,

12 unto the purpose of perfecting the saints, for the works of the ministry, towards the building of the body of Christ;

13 until we all might have joined within the unity of the faith, and the acknowledgment of the Son of God, unto a matured man, unto the measure of stature which is the fulfillment of the Christ.

14 So that we are no longer infants, being tossed to and fro, and carried about by every doctrine of the devil3 in the deception of mankind through fraud, by the shrewdness of lies;

15 but instead by speaking the truth in love, we might mature all things unto He, who is the Head, the Christ,

16 by whom the whole body is sealed together and compacted by what every joint contributes, according to the effectual working of each individual part, which causes the growth of the body, unto the building of itself in love.

17 Therefore I say this, and testify in the Lord, that you are to no longer to live in the manner the rest of the gentiles live, without a purpose in their mind,

18* having had their understanding darkened, being separated from the life of God, on account of the ignorance that is within them, as a result of the hardness of their heart;

19 who are past the point of feeling, having given themselves over unto immoral conduct to practice lustful impurity in every form of covetousness.

20 But these are not the ways you learned through the Christ,

21 if you have truly understood Him and have been taught by Him, since the truth is within Jesus,

22 so that in regards to your former conduct, you put away the old man, who is corrupt in accordance with the lusts of deception,

23 to then be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and put on the new man, which according to God has been created in moral uprightness and the righteousness of the truth.

25 Therefore put away all false religion, “Let every man speak the truth unto his neighbor”4 because we are all members of one another.

26 “Be angry, and don’t sin”5 Do not let the sun go down while you are angry

27 Never give a foothold to the devil.

28 Let those who steal, steal no more; but instead let them work diligently, working what is good through their hands, so that they will have enough to give unto those who have need.1

29 Let no corrupt words proceed from your mouth, but only what is good towards the edification of His purpose, so that it might impart a benefit unto those who hear.

30 And do not grieve The Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness and wrath, and brawling, and you are to remove slander from among you, along with all evil.

32* Be good unto one another, compassionate, being forgiving unto one another just as the One God within Christ, has also been forgiving unto us.6

1. P46 – 75-175 A.D.

2. Psalms 68:18 – P46 – 75-175 A.D.

3. Codex Alexandrinus – 400-500 A.D.

4. Zechariah 8:16 - P46 – 75-175 A.D.

5. Psalms 4:4 - Papyrus 49 – 175-275 A.D.

6. Papyrus 49 – 175-275 A.D.

Chapter 5

1 Therefore become imitators of God, as His beloved children;

2 and live in love, just as the Christ also loved us and surrendered His life on our behalf, as a sacrifice and offering unto God as a sweet savour.1

3 But sexual immorality and all impurity, or covetousness, are not to be known by you, as is proper for His Holy ones;

4 along with wickedness, and careless speech, nor coarse jokes which are not suitable, but instead live thankfully.

5 For you will come to know this, that every whoremonger, or impure or covetous person, which is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

6 Let no one deceive you by proclaiming lies, for because of these things the wrath of God comes against the sons of disobedience.

7 Therefore you are not to be fellow associates with them;

8 for you were once the darkness, but now you are the light within the Lord; living as the children of light.

9 For the fruit of the Spirita is through all goodness, and righteousness and truth.

10 Proving what is pleasing unto the Lord.

11 Therefore have no fellowship with the fruitless practices of the darkness, but rather rebuke them;

12 for it is shameful to even speak of the things done by them in secret.

13 But all things reprimanded are brought into the light, for everything that manifests the light is the light.

14 For this reason it states, “Your dead bodies shall rise up. Awake and shout for joy, you who dwell in the dust”2 “Arise and shine; for your light has dawned, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you”3

15 Therefore be careful how you live, do not be like the fools, but be like the wise,

16* redeeming the time, for the days are troublesome.

17 Therefore you are not to be ignorant, but rather you are to understand what the will of the Lord is.1

18 And you are not to become drunk with wine, for that is excess, but rather be filled with the Spirit,

19 speaking unto one another through psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making a melody with your heart unto the Lord;

20 being thankful at all times for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father;1

21 being respectful unto one another out of reverence for God.

22 Let the wives be reverentb unto your own husbands, as with the Lord.

23 For the husband is the leader of the wife, similar to as the Christ is the head of the assembly, He Himself being the savior of the body.

24* And as the assembly is respectful unto the Christ, so also wives should be unto their own husbands in every way.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved His gathered people and surrendered His life on their behalf,

26* so that He might sanctify them, having cleansed them unto the baptism of the water together with the Word,

27 in order that He might present them unto Himself as a glorious congregation, without blemish or wrinkle or any such thing; but that they would be holy and morally faultless.

28 Therefore husbands should love their own wives just as their own bodies. The one who loves his wife, also loves himself;

29 seeing that no one has ever hated their own flesh, but rather they nurture and cherish it, just as the Christ with His assembly,1

30 for we are the members of His body.1

31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and unite with his wife: and the two shall become one flesh”4

32 This is the profound mystery; but I am speaking concerning the Christ, as well as, in relation to the assembly.

33 Nevertheless, let each and every one of you love his wife as himself, and the wife is to hold her husband in reverence.

1. P46 – 75-175 A.D.

2. Isaiah 26:19 – DSS - 225-125 B.C.

3. Isaiah 60:1 – DSS - 225-125 B.C.

4. Genesis 2:24 - Oxyrhynchus 1007 – 200-300 A.D.

a. Verse variant, “Fruit of the Light”- P49 - 175-275 A.D.

b. The word in ancient Greek has a deeper meaning implying, “Bringing oneself into a state in which they are respectful and allow themselves to be influenced by another individual”

Chapter 6

1 Children, obey your parents within the Lord, for this is righteous.

2* “Honor your father and your mother”1 which is a primary commandment given with a promise,

3 "That your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving to you”1

4 And to fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the knowledge and instruction of the Lord.

5 Servants, give ear unto those who have authority over you according to the body of Christ with reverence and awe, in the midst of sincerity of your heart, on behalf of Christ;2

6* not just to be seen, like the pleasers of mankind, but as the free-slavesa of Christ, accomplishing the will of God from the soul.3

7 carrying out the duties of a free-slavea with goodwill, as unto the Lord, and not unto mankind,

8 knowing that every good thing a person does, shall be brought before the Lord, whether slave or free.

9 and unto those in authority, do the same things unto them, withholding all threats, knowing that the both their and your Lord is in heaven, and there is no prejudice within Him.3

10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you are able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12* For the battle is not against the blood and the body of Christ, but rather against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against all suffocating evils in the midst of unearthly realms.

13 Because of this, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand in opposition on the day of the evil, and having prepared everything to stand.

14 Stand therefore, wearing the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15* with your feet strapped firmly in preparation through the Gospel of Eden;b

16 In every way having taken up the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And with all prayer and petitioning throughout every season within the Spirit, and unto this end, remain watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,

19 as well as, on my behalf, that revelation might be given unto me in the opening of my mouth, to make known in boldness the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in chains: that in them, I might speak out boldly, as I should speak.

21 But so that you also might know my endeavors and how I’m doing, Tychicus, my beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord shall inform you in regards to everything,

22 whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, so that you might come to know our affairs, and so that he may comfort your hearts.

23 Peace be unto the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Written from Rome to the Ephesians delivered by Tychicus.

1. Exodus 20:12 – Nash Papyrus – 300-200 B.C.

2. P46 – 75-175 A.D.

3. The Mt.Sinai Bible 300-400 A.D.

a. A Christian bond slave, I.E. a slave to God of their own free will - see Deuteronomy 15 and Matthew 20:27

b. Or, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven of Earth” In this case the word in ancient Greek defines a very specific kind of, “Peace” the peace which is established by accurately interpreting and applying a correctly translated version of the Holy Bible, and/or following God’s holy ways.

Cannot be translated as, “The Gospel of Peace” See Matthew 10:34