But all things, when their true quality is seen, are made clear by the light: because everything which is made clear is light.
For this reason he says, Be awake, you who are sleeping, and come up from among the dead, and Christ will be your light.
Take care then how you are living, not as unwise, but as wise;
Making good use of the time, because the days are evil.
For this reason, then, do not be foolish, but be conscious of the Lord's pleasure.
And do not take overmuch wine by which one may be overcome, but be full of the Spirit;
Joining with one another in holy songs of praise and of the Spirit, using your voice in songs and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving praise at all times for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father;
Letting yourselves be ruled by one another in the fear of Christ.
Wives, be under the authority of your husbands, as of the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body.
And as the church is under Christ's authority, so let wives be under the rule of their husbands in all things.
Husbands, have love for your wives, even as Christ had love for the church, and gave himself for it;
So that he might make it holy, having made it clean with the washing of water by the word,
And might take it for himself, a church full of glory, not having one mark or fold or any such thing; but that it might be holy and complete.
Even so it is right for husbands to have love for their wives as for their bodies. He who has love for his wife has love for himself:
For no man ever had hate for his flesh; but he gives it food and takes care of it, even as Christ does for the church;
Because we are parts of his body.
For this cause will a man go away from his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
This is a great secret: but my words are about Christ and the church.
But do you, everyone, have love for his wife, even as for himself; and let the wife see that she has respect for her husband.
Children, do what is ordered by your fathers and mothers in the Lord: for this is right.
Give honour to your father and mother (which is the first rule having a reward),
So that all may be well for you, and your life may be long on the earth.
And, you fathers, do not make your children angry: but give them training in the teaching and fear of the Lord.
Servants, do what is ordered by those who are your natural masters, having respect and fear for them, with all your heart, as to Christ;
Not only under your master's eye, as pleasers of men; but as servants of Christ, doing the pleasure of God from the heart;
Doing your work readily, as to the Lord, and not to men:
In the knowledge that for every good thing anyone does, he will have his reward from the Lord, If he is a servant or if he is free.
And, you masters, do the same things to them, not making use of violent words: in the knowledge that their Master and yours is in heaven, and he has no respect for a man's position.
Lastly, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his power.
Take up God's instruments of war, so that you may be able to keep your position against all the deceits of the evil One.
For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities and powers, against the world-rulers of this dark night, against the spirits of evil in the heavens.
For this reason take up all the arms of God, so that you may be able to be strong in the evil day, and, having done all, to keep your place.
Take your place, then, having your body clothed with the true word, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness;
Be ready with the good news of peace as shoes on your feet;
And most of all, using faith as a cover to keep off all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.
And take salvation for your head-dress and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
With prayers and deep desires, making requests at all times in the Spirit, and keeping watch, with strong purpose, in prayer for all the saints,
And for me, that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make clear without fear the secret of the good news,
For which I am a representative in chains, and that I may say without fear the things which it is right for me to say.
But so that you may have knowledge of my business, and how I am, Tychicus, the well-loved brother and tested servant in the Lord, will give you news of all things:
Whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, so that you may have knowledge of our position, and that he may give comfort to your hearts.
Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be with all those who have true love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the purpose of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and true brothers in Christ at Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We give praise to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, making prayer for you at all times,
After hearing of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have for all the saints,
Through the hope which is in store for you in heaven; knowledge of which was given to you before in the true word of the good news,
Which has come to you; and which in all the world is giving fruit and increase, as it has done in you from the day when it came to your ears and you had true knowledge of the grace of God;
As it was given to you by Epaphras, our well-loved helper, who is a true servant of Christ for us,
And who, himself, made clear to us your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, we, from the day when we had word of it, keep on in prayer for you, that you may be full of the knowledge of his purpose, with all wisdom and experience of the Spirit,
Living uprightly in the approval of the Lord, giving fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy;
Giving praise to the father who has given us a part in the heritage of the saints in light;
Who has made us free from the power of evil and given us a place in the kingdom of the Son of his love;
In whom we have our salvation, the forgiveness of sins:
Who is the image of the unseen God coming into existence before all living things;
For by him all things were made, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, authorities, lords, rulers, and powers; all things were made by him and for him;
He is before all things, and in him all things have being.
And he is the head of the body, the church: the starting point of all things, the first to come again from the dead; so that in all things he might have the chief place.
For God in full measure was pleased to be in him;
Through him uniting all things with himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, uniting all things which are on earth or in heaven.
And you, who in the past were cut off and at war with God in your minds through evil works, he has now made one
In the body of his flesh through death, so that you might be holy and without sin and free from all evil before him:
If you keep yourselves safely based in the faith, not moved from the hope of the good news which came to you, and which was given to every living being under heaven; of which I, Paul, was made a servant.
Now I have joy in my pain because of you, and in my flesh I undergo whatever is still needed to make the sorrows of Christ complete, for the salvation of his body, the church;
Of which I became a servant by the purpose of God which was given to me for you, to give effect to the word of God,
The secret which has been kept from all times and generations, but has now been made clear to his saints,
To whom God was pleased to give knowledge of the wealth of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Whom we are preaching; guiding and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that every man may be complete in Christ;
And for this purpose I am working, using all my strength by the help of his power which is working in me strongly.
For it is my desire to give you news of the great fight I am making for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh;
So that their hearts may be comforted, and that being joined together in love, they may come to the full wealth of the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ,
In whom are all the secret stores of wisdom and knowledge.
I say this so that you may not be turned away by any deceit of words.
For though I am not present in the flesh, still I am with you in the spirit, seeing with joy your order, and your unchanging faith in Christ.
As, then, you took Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on in him,
Rooted and based together in him, strong in the faith which the teaching gave you, giving praise to God at all times.
Take care that no one takes you away by force, through man's wisdom and deceit, going after the beliefs of men and the theories of the world, and not after Christ:
For in him all the wealth of God's being has a living form,
And you are complete in him, who is the head of all rule and authority:
In whom you had a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;
Having been put to death with him in baptism, by which you came to life again with him, through faith in the working of God, who made him come back from the dead.
And you, being dead through your sins and the evil condition of your flesh, to you, I say, he gave life together with him, and forgiveness of all our sins;
Having put an end to the handwriting of the law which was against us, taking it out of the way by nailing it to his cross;
Having made himself free from the rule of authorities and powers, he put them openly to shame, glorying over them in it.
For this reason let no man be your judge in any question of food or drink or feast days or new moons or Sabbaths:
For these are an image of the things which are to come; but the body is Christ's.
Let no man take your reward from you by consciously making little of himself and giving worship to angels; having his thoughts fixed on the things which he has seen, being foolishly lifted up in his natural mind,
And not joined to the Head, from whom all the body, being given strength and kept together through its joins and bands, has its growth with the increase of God.
If you were made free, by your death with Christ, from the rules of the world, why do you put yourselves under the authority of orders
Which say there may be no touching, tasting, or taking in your hands,
(Rules which are all to come to an end with their use) after the orders and teaching of men?
These things seem to have a sort of wisdom in self-ordered worship and making little of oneself, and being cruel to the body, not honouring it by giving it its natural use.
If then you have a new life with Christ, give your attention to the things of heaven, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Keep your mind on the higher things, not on the things of earth.
For your life on earth is done, and you have a secret life with Christ in God.
At the coming of Christ who is our life, you will be seen with him in glory.
Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods;
Because of which the wrath of God comes on those who go against his orders;
Among whom you were living in the past, when you did such things.
But now it is right for you to put away all these things; wrath, passion, bad feeling, curses, unclean talk;
Do not make false statements to one another; because you have put away the old man with all his doings,
And have put on the new man, which has become new in knowledge after the image of his maker;
Where there is no Greek or Jew, no one with circumcision or without circumcision, no division between nations, no servant or free man: but Christ is all and in all.
As saints of God, then, holy and dearly loved, let your behaviour be marked by pity and mercy, kind feeling, a low opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, and a power of undergoing all things;
Being gentle to one another and having forgiveness for one another, if anyone has done wrong to his brother, even as the Lord had forgiveness for you:
And more than all, have love; the only way in which you may be completely joined together.
And let the peace of Christ be ruling in your hearts, as it was the purpose of God for you to be one body; and give praise to God at all times.
Let the word of Christ be in you in all wealth of wisdom; teaching and helping one another with songs of praise and holy words, making melody to God with grace in your hearts.
And whatever you do, in word or in act, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving praise to God the father through him.
Wives, be under the authority of your husbands, as is right in the Lord.
Husbands, have love for your wives, and be not bitter against them.
Children, do the orders of your fathers and mothers in all things, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not be hard on your children, so that their spirit may not be broken.
Servants, in all things do the orders of your natural masters; not only when their eyes are on you, as pleasers of men, but with all your heart, fearing the Lord:
Whatever you do, do it readily, as to the Lord and not to men;
Being certain that the Lord will give you the reward of the heritage: for you are the servants of the Lord Christ.
For the wrongdoer will have punishment for the wrong he has done, without respect for any man's position.
Masters, give your servants what is right and equal, conscious that you have a Master in heaven.
Give yourselves to prayer at all times, keeping watch with praise;
And making prayer for us, that God may give us an open door for the preaching of the word, the secret of Christ, for which I am now in chains;
So that I may make it clear, as it is right for me to do.
Be wise in your behaviour to those who are outside, making good use of the time.
Let your talk be with grace, mixed with salt, so that you may be able to give an answer to everyone.
Tychicus will give you news of all my business: he is a dear brother and true servant and helper in the word;
And I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may have news of how we are, and so that he may give your hearts comfort;
And with him I have sent Onesimus, the true and well-loved brother, who is one of you. They will give you word of everything which is taking place here.
Aristarchus, my brother-prisoner, sends his love to you, and Mark, a relation of barnabas (about whom you have been given orders: if he comes to you, be kind to him),
And Jesus, whose other name is Justus; these are of the circumcision: they are my only brother-workers for the kingdom of God, who have been a comfort to me.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his love, ever taking thought for you in his prayers, that you may be complete and fully certain of all the purpose of God.
For I give witness of him that he has undergone much trouble for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.
Luke, our well-loved medical friend, and Demas, send you their love.
Give my love to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nymphas and the church in their house.
And when this letter has been made public among you, let the same be done in the church of Laodicea; and see that you have the letter from Laodicea.
Say to Archippus, See that you do the work which the Lord has given you to do.
I, Paul, give you this word of love in my handwriting. Keep in memory that I am a prisoner. grace be with you.
You have had news that all those in Asia went away from me; among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes:
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the saints who are living in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: grace to you and peace, from him who is and was and is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before his high seat;
Most of the teaching of Jesus are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Complete Sayings of Jesus presents every word spoken by Jesus in one place and provides an index to assist in finding specific ocassions, places and/or events. It is a must read aid for serious Bible study.
He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ; and they direct us to imitate his life and character. The Imitation of Christ is guide to following the example of Jesus Christ. Let it be our most earnest study to dwell upon the life and example of Jesus.
The Apocrypha books are 14 books that were included between the old and new testaments in the original King James Version of the bible and many others. Church leaders agreed that these books were valuable for instruction in life and manners, but did not all agree that they should be considered cannon.
The Childrens Bible provides bible lessons from the Old and New testaments. There are 216 stories written in plain english. The stories are easy to read and understand but they are not just for childern. It is a pleasure to read and enjoy these important stories.
Let us love one another, for love comes from God and every one who loves is a child of God and knows God. He who loves not man does not know God, for God is love. God showed his love for us, for he sent his only Son into the world that through him we might have life. Love the stranger.
In Mark 12:30 Jesus said;
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
And the second Mark 12:31 [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
The Gospel of The Birth of Mary was attributed to St. Matthew and was received as genuine and authentic by early Christians. It is to be found in the works of Jerome, a Father of the Church in the 4th century and is translated from his collection.
The Book of Enoch is ascribed to the great-grandfather of Noah and is included in the cannon of some churches. It describes the fall of the angels (watchers), visions of heaven and hell and the birth of Noah. Quotes from the book of Enoch are found in the New Testament.
The First Book of Adam and Eve. Books 1 begins immediately after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. We learn about the fall but also of the promise to save Adam and his decendents. The story depicts mans struggle against evil, the devil and sin.
The Second Book of Adam and Eve. Discusses Adam's sorrow and death. The history of the patriarchs who lived before the Flood until the birth of Noah; the children of Seth on Mount Hermon and Cain's death. It ends with the testament and translation of Enoch.
The Infancy of Jesus Christ (Infancy Gospel of Thomas) relates the life of Jesus from the ages of five to twelve. It is believed that the document was transcribed from oral traditions some time prior to the second century. The ancient writing is possibly Gnostic and many early church leaders considered it heretical.
Daily Bible study is essential. The Bible Verse of the Day provides a collection of enlightening and inspiration bible verses. Improve your knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your life by studying the words of the holy scripture. Explore the King James Bible (kjv) and discover new insights.
The World English Bible was produced to provide speakers of modern English with a version of the Bible that is easily understood. The Bible is in the public domain and available world-wide. It is an accurate modern translation of the original King James Bible, including the Apocryphal books.
Looking for something in the Bible? Want to find a specifc verse or list of words? The Bible search feature makes it easy find verses or words. Enter the verses or words in the search bar or visit the search page to access additional search options. Finding information in the Bible will never be easier.
The favorite verses page is a list of popular bible verses. Each verse includes a link to the chapter and verse of the book where it is found in the bible. Click on any link for a bible verse and it will take you to that location in the bible.
The bible contains great stories. Visit the bible stories page for links to some of the best known and most significant stories and passages in the bible.