The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians

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- Kapitel 4 -

(Psalm 133:1–3; 1 Corinthians 1:10–17)

As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

This is why it says:(a) “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”(b)

What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended

(c)

to the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

New Life in Christ

(Colossians 3:1–17)

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.

But this is not the way you came to know Christ.

Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus—

to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

to be renewed in the spirit of your minds;

and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

“Be angry, yet do not sin.”(d) Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

and do not give the devil a foothold.

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

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

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.

Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Fußnoten

(a)4:8 Or He says

(b)4:8 Psalms 68:18

(d)4:26 Or “In your anger do not sin.” Psalms 4:4

(Psalm 133:1–3; 1 Corinthians 1:10–17)

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling,

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all.

But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.”(a)

Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds

(b)

and teachers;

for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ,

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ,

from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

New Life in Christ

(Colossians 3:1–17)

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts.

They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you didn’t learn Christ that way,

if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit,

and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

“Be angry, and don’t sin.”(c) Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,

and don’t give place

(d)

to the devil.

Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice.

And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Fußnoten

(a)4:8 ℘ Psalms 68:18

(b)4:11 or, pastors

(d)4:27 or, opportunity