EFESIËRS 4

Die eenheid van die kerk

1 Ek druk julle dit op die hart, ek wat 'n gevangene is omdat ek die Here dien: Laat julle lewenswandel in ooreenstemming wees met die roeping wat julle van God ontvang het. 2 Wees altyd beskeie, vriendelik en geduldig, en verdra mekaar in liefde. 3 Lê julle daarop toe om die eenheid wat die Gees tussen julle gesmee het, te handhaaf deur in vrede met mekaar te lewe.

4 Daar is net één liggaam en net één Gees, soos daar net één hoop is waartoe God julle geroep het. 5 Daar is net één Here, één geloof, één doop, 6 één God en Vader van almal: Hy wat oor almal is, deur almal werk en in almal woon.

7 Aan elkeen van ons is 'n genadegawe gegee volgens die mate waarin Christus die gawes uitgedeel het. 8 Daarom sê die Skrif: “Toe Hy na die hoogte opgevaar het, het Hy krygsgevangenes saamgeneem en gawes aan die mense gegee.”t

9 Hierdie uitdrukking: “Hy het opgevaar”, veronderstel tog dat Hy eers neergedaal het na wat laer is, naamlik na die aarde toe. 10 Die Een wat neergedaal het, is ook die Een wat opgevaar het bo alle hemelruimtes uit om alles met sy teenwoordigheid te vul. 11 En dít is die “gawes” wat Hy “gegee het”: apostels, profete, evangeliste, en herders en leraars. 12 Sy doel daarmee was om die gelowiges toe te rus vir hulle diens en vir die opbou van die liggaam van Christus. 13 So sal ons uiteindelik almal kom tot die werklike eenheid in ons geloof en in ons kennis van die Seun van God. Dan sal ons, sy kerk, soos 'n volgroeide mens wees, so volmaak en volwasse soos Christus. 14 Dan sal ons nie meer kinders wees nie; ons sal nie meer soos golwe op en af en heen en weer geslinger word deur elke wind van dwaalleer as vals leraars ons met hulle slinksheid en listigheid op dwaalweë wil wegvoer nie. 15 Nee, ons sal in liefde by die waarheid bly en so in alle opsigte groei na Christus toe. Hy is immers die hoof, 16 en uit Hom groei die hele liggaam. Die verskillende liggaamsdele pas by mekaar en vorm saam 'n eenheid. Elkeen van hulle vervul sy funksie, en so bou die liggaam homself op in liefde.

Die ou en die nuwe lewe

20 Maar dit is nie hoe julle Christus leer ken het nie. 21 Julle het tog van Hom gehoor, en omdat julle sy volgelinge is, is julle onderrig volgens die waarheid wat in Jesus is. 22 Hou dan op om te lewe soos julle vroeër gelewe het; breek met die ou, sondige mens in julle wat deur sondige begeertes verteer word. 23 Julle gees en gedagtes moet nuut word; 24 lewe as nuwe mense wat as die beeld van God geskep is: lewe volkome volgens die wil van God en wees heilig.

Riglyne vir die nuwe lewe

25 Noudat julle die valsheid afgelê het, moet julle onder mekaar die waarheid praat, want ons is lede van dieselfde liggaam.

26 As julle kwaad word, moenie sondig nie, en moenie 'n dag kwaad afsluit nie. 27 Moenie die duiwel vatkans gee nie.

28 As iemand 'n dief is, moet hy ophou steel; hy moet deur harde werk op 'n eerbare manier self in sy lewensonderhoud voorsien; dan sal hy iets hê om vir die armes te gee.

29 Vuil taal moet daar nooit uit julle mond kom nie; praat net wat goed en opbouend is volgens die eis van omstandighede, sodat dit julle hoorders ten goede kan kom.

30 En moenie die Heilige Gees van God bedroef nie, want Hy het julle as die eiendom van God beseël met die oog op die verlossingsdag.

31 Moet nooit verbitter of opvlieënd wees of woedend word nie; moenie vloek of skel nie; moet niks doen wat sleg is nie. 32 Wees goedgesind en hartlik teenoor mekaar, en vergewe mekaar soos God julle ook in Christus vergewe het.

Ephesians 4

1  I THEREFORE, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service,2  Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.3  Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.4  [There is] one body and one Spirit--just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received--5  [There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,6  One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all.7  Yet grace (God’s unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and bounteous] gift.8  Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. 9  [But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth?10  He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest).11  And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.12  His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),13  [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.14  So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.15  Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).16  For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.17  So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds.18  Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature].19  In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand].20  But you did not so learn Christ!21  Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],22  Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;23  And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],24  And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.25  Therefore, rejecting all falsity and being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another. 26  When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.27  Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].28  Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.29  Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).31  Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).32  And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.