Show the Family Resemblance
1So here’s what you should do. Imitate God. You’re his cherished kids. Act like it. 2Let people see love when they look at you, just as we see the love in Christ who sacrificed himself for us. He offered himself to God, like a sweet-smelling incense. [1]3When it comes to sex sins, craving what belongs to someone else, or doing anything that makes you feel dirty, don’t even talk about doing it. People devoted to God don’t devote themselves to that kind of behavior. 4They don’t use filthy language, either. So don’t go around telling dirty jokes or saying things that make you look like a fool. Instead, when you talk, spend more time thanking people and God.
5I’ll tell you one thing you can be sure of. There’s no place in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God for people who commit sex sins, or who crave what belongs to someone else, or who behave in a way that should make them feel dirty. People like that are no different than someone who worships idols. 6Don’t let yourself get sucked into believing lies meant to trick you into doing something you know is wrong. God punishes disobedient people. 7So don’t have anything to do with those liars and the people they sucker into believing the lies.
Out of the Dark, into the Light
8You used to live in spiritual darkness. Not anymore. You live in the light that the Lord shines on you. Own it. Embrace it. Then shine as children of light. 9You know what grows out of light like that? Goodness. Spiritual integrity. [2] Truth.10Work on learning what it takes to please God. 11Don’t sneak off into the darkness to take part in what’s going on there. You’ll find nothing worthwhile there. Instead of sneaking into the darkness, shine your light on it. Let people see what’s going on. 12It makes you feel dirty to even talk about what goes on there in secret. 13But once you shine the light into the darkness, it’s easy to see what is going on. 14Yet I want you to know this. When you turn the light on, everything lights up. It’s like you’ve heard it said:
“Wake up, sleepyhead.
Rise and shine, you’re dead no more.
Christ is shining on you.” [3]
Fill Up on the Spirit Instead of Wine
15Be careful how you live. You’ll see people who don’t make wise choices. Do not follow their example. Instead, use your head. 16These are tough times for doing good. So whenever you get a chance to do something positive, go for it.17Don’t do anything dumb. Discover what God wants you to do. 18Another thing, don’t fill up on so much wine that you get drunk. That can mess up your life big-time. Instead, fill up on the Spirit. 19And sing to each other psalms, hymns, and other kinds of songs inspired by the Spirit. Go ahead and sing them out loud. Let your heart enjoy the melody of the music to the Lord. 20All the time and for everything, give thanks to God the Father, through the name of our leader, Jesus the Messiah. [4]
Husbands and Wives, Love Each Other
21Defer to one another. You know that’s what the Messiah would want you to do. 22Wives, defer to your husbands just as you would to the Lord. 23Think of your husband as the head of you and your family just as you think of the Messiah as the head of the church. Christ is the one who is responsible for saving everyone in the body, which is the church. 24Just as the church obeys the Messiah, wives should obey their husbands in everything.25Husbands, love your wives with the kind of love Jesus showed for the church when he gave his life for her. 26He did this to purify her and dedicate her to God. He washed her clean with water and the word. [6] 27He did all this so that when the time comes for the church to be presented to him, she would arrive in glory and spiritually beautiful—without any ugly spots or wrinkles. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with her. 28That’s how much husbands should love their wives—as much as they love their own bodies, and even as much as they love life itself.
29No one hates their own body. Instead, we feed it and take good care of it, just as Christ takes care of the church. 30We are members of Christ’s body. 31“That’s why a man leaves his parents for a woman. The man and woman become part of each other—two people, yet one.” [7] 32This is a perplexing mystery that I’m talking about—the relationship between Christ and the church. 33Anyhow, every husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself. And every wife should respect her husband.
