Efesiërs 4

Al die gelowiges is saam soos een liggaam, want hulle behoort aan Christus

1 Ek, Paulus, is in die tronk omdat ek die Here dien. Ek sê ernstig vir julle: God het julle gekies en julle behoort nou aan Hom. Daarom moet julle nou lewe soos mense wat aan Hom behoort. 2 Julle moenie hoogmoedig wees en gou kwaad word nie. Julle moet geduldig wees, julle moet mekaar vergewe omdat julle lief is vir mekaar. 3 Die Heilige Gees het julle saamgebind soos een liggaam. Julle moet baie hard probeer om te lewe soos mense wat een liggaam is, julle moet in vrede lewe. 4 Julle is een, en soos ’n mens net een liggaam het, so het julle almal dieselfde Heilige Gees in julle harte. Want God het julle almal gekies, julle almal behoort aan Hom, en julle is nou almal seker dat God sal doen wat Hy belowe het. 5 Julle het almal een Here, julle glo dieselfde dinge, julle is almal gedoop.

6 Julle behoort almal aan dieselfde God. Hy is die Vader van almal. Hy regeer oor almal en oor alles, Hy laat almal en alles vir Hom werk, Hy is in almal.
7 Christus het vir elkeen van ons die tgenadegawe gegee wat Hy vir ons wou gee. Die genadegawe wat Hy vir ons gegee het, is soos ’n present.

8 Daarom lees ons in die Ou Testament:
tHy het opgegaan na die hemel
en Hy het tgevangenes
saamgeneem,
Hy het vir die mense
presente gegee.

9 Ons lees:
Hy het opgegaan.
Dit beteken Christus het eers afgekom ondertoe, na die aarde. 10 Ja, Christus het afgekom na die aarde en toe het Hy weer teruggegaan na die hoogste hemel. Hy het dit gedoen sodat Hy oral en altyd kan regeer. 11 En Christus het vir ons presente, genadegawes, gegee. Die genadegawes is die tapostels, die tprofete, en die leiers wat die goeie boodskap bring of vir die tgelowiges sorg of vir hulle leer. 12 Christus wil hê hierdie mense moet God se mense help sodat hulle beter en beter vir God kan werk, en sodat die kerk sterker en groter kan word, die kerk wat soos Christus se liggaam is. 13 Christus wil hê ons moet almal dieselfde dinge glo en ons moet Hom, die Seun van God, baie goed ken. Ons moet soos kinders wees wat grootgeword het en wat nou grootmense is, soos Christus wat is soos God wil hê Hy moet wees. 14 Daar is mense wat skelm is, hulle wil hê ons moet dinge glo wat nie waar is nie. Hulle kom vertel vir ons dinge wat verkeerd is en hulle wil hê ons moet dit glo. Maar ons moenie dit glo nie, ons moenie soos kinders wees nie, of soos iets wat op die see ronddryf of wat in die wind heen en weer waai nie. 15 Ons moet altyd die waarheid praat en altyd lief wees vir mekaar. So word ons meer en meer soos Christus, Hy is ons Hoof.

16 Die kerk is soos ’n liggaam wat baie dele het, die dele is almal vas aan mekaar. Elke deel van die liggaam werk saam en help die liggaam om te groei en sterker te word. So laat Christus die kerk groei en sterker word. Dit gebeur wanneer ons lief is vir mekaar en vir mekaar help.

Gelowiges moet lewe soos nuwe mense

19 Hulle voel nie skaam wanneer hulle verkeerde dinge doen nie. Hulle doen meer en meer slegte dinge, omdat hulle altyd meer en meer wil hê.
20 Maar julle het vir Christus leer ken en toe het julle geleer dat al daardie dinge verkeerd is. 21 Ja, julle het gehoor van Hom, julle het geleer van Hom, julle weet Jesus is self die waarheid. 22 Julle het geleer dat julle moet ophou om te lewe soos julle voorheen gelewe het. Toe was julle sleg en julle het die slegte dinge gedoen wat julle graag wou doen. 23 Maar julle het geleer dat julle anders moet dink en nuwe mense moet word.

24 Ja, God het julle verander en Hy het julle nuwe mense gemaak. Nou moet julle lewe soos nuwe mense. Julle moet waarlik lewe soos God wil hê en julle moet doen wat Hy wil hê.

Hoe gelowiges moet lewe

Ephesians 4

The Body of Christ Is One

1 I am a prisoner because of the Lord. So I am asking you to live a life worthy of what God chose you for.
2 Don't be proud at all. Be completely gentle. Be patient. Put up with one another in love.3 The Holy Spirit makes you one in every way. So try your best to remain as one. Let peace keep you together.
4 There is one body. There is one Spirit. You were appointed to one hope when you were chosen.5 There is one Lord. There is one faith and one baptism.6 There is one God and Father of all. He is over everything. He is through everything. He is in everything.
7 But each one of us has received a gift of grace, just as Christ wanted us to have it.

8 That is why Scripture says,
"When he went up to his place on high,
he led a line of prisoners.
He gave gifts to people." (Psalm 68:18)
9 What does "he went up" mean? It can only mean that he also came down to the lower, earthly places.10 The One who came down is the same as the One who went up higher than all the heavens. He did it in order to fill all of creation.11 He is the One who gave some the gift to be apostles. He gave some the gift to be prophets. He gave some the gift of preaching the good news. And he gave some the gift to be pastors and teachers.12 He did it so that they might prepare God's people to serve. If they do, the body of Christ will be built up.
13 That will continue until we all become one in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son. Then we will be grown up in the faith. We will receive everything that Christ has for us.
14 We will no longer be babies in the faith. We won't be like ships tossed around by the waves. We won't be blown here and there by every new teaching. We won't be blown around by the cleverness and tricks of people who try to hide their evil plans.15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love. We will grow up into Christ in every way.
He is the Head.16 He makes the whole body grow and build itself up in love. Under the control of Christ, each part of the body does its work. It supports the other parts. In that way, the body is joined and held together.

Living as Children of Light

17 Here is what I'm telling you. I am speaking for the Lord as I warn you. You must no longer live like those who aren't Jews. Their thoughts don't have any purpose.18 They can't understand the truth. They are separated from the life of God. That is because they don't know him. And they don't know him because their hearts are stubborn.
19 They have lost all feeling for what is right. They have given themselves over to the evil pleasures of their bodies. They take part in every kind of unclean act. And they always long for more.
20 But that is not what you have learned about Christ.21 I'm sure you heard of him. I'm sure you were taught by him. What you learned was the truth about Jesus.
22 You were taught not to live the way you used to. You must get rid of your old way of life. That's because it is polluted by longing for things that lead you down the wrong path.
23 You were taught to be made new in your thinking.24 You were taught to start living a new life. It is created to be truly good and holy, just as God is.
25 So each of you must get rid of your lying. Speak the truth to your neighbor. We are all parts of one body.
26 Scripture says, "When you are angry, do not sin." (Psalm 4:4) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.27 Don't give the devil a chance.
28 Those who have been stealing must never steal again. Instead, they must work. They must do something useful with their own hands. Then they will have something to give to people in need.
29 Don't let any evil talk come out of your mouths. Say only what will help to build others up and meet their needs. Then what you say will help those who listen.
30 Do not make God's Holy Spirit sad. He marked you with a seal for the day when God will set you completely free.
31 Get rid of all hard feelings, anger and rage. Stop all fighting and lying. Put away every form of hatred.32 Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done.