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Rules for Holy Living

3 You have been raised up with Christ. So think about things that are in heaven. That is where Christ is. He is sitting at God’s right hand. 2Think about things that are in heaven. Don’t think about things that are on earth.

3You died. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4Christ is your life. When he appears again, you also will appear with him in heaven’s glory.

5So put to death anything that belongs to your earthly nature. Get rid of your sexual sins and unclean acts. Don’t let your feelings get out of control. Remove from your life all evil longings. Stop always wanting more and more. You might as well be worshiping statues of gods. 6God’s anger is going to come because of those things. 7That’s the way you lived at one time in your life.

8But now here are the kinds of things you must get rid of. You must put away anger, rage, hate and lies. Let no dirty words come out of your mouths. 9Don’t lie to each other.

You have gotten rid of your old way of life and its habits. 10You have started living a new life. It is being made new so that what you know has the Creator’s likeness.

11Here there is no Greek or Jew. There is no difference between those who are circumcised and those who are not. There is no rude outsider, or even a Scythian. There is no slave or free person. But Christ is everything. And he is in everything.

12You are God’s chosen people. You are holy and dearly loved. So put on tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes. Don’t be proud. Be gentle and patient. 13Put up with each other. Forgive the things you are holding against one another. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you.

14And over all of those good things put on love. Love holds them all together perfectly as if they were one.

15Let the peace that Christ gives rule in your hearts. As parts of one body, you were appointed to live in peace. And be thankful.

16Let Christ’s word live in you like a rich treasure. Teach and correct each other wisely. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing with thanks in your hearts to God. 17Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Always give thanks to God the Father through Christ.

Rules for Christian Families

18Wives, follow the lead of your husbands. That’s what the Lord wants you to do.

19Husbands, love your wives. Don’t be mean to them.

20Children, obey your parents in everything. That pleases the Lord.

21Fathers, don’t make your children bitter. If you do, they will lose hope.

22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything. Don’t do it just to please them when they are watching you. Obey them with an honest heart. Do it out of respect for the Lord.

23Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters. 24Work because you know that you will finally receive as a reward what the Lord wants you to have. You are serving the Lord Christ.

25Anyone who does wrong will be paid back for what he does. God treats everyone the same.

NIrV

About New International Reader’s Version (1998)

The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God.

Copyright

Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society.

All rights reserved.

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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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