Imitators of God

1Therefore be ye imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk about in divine love, as Christ also loved you, and gave himself for you, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of sweet savor.

3But all fornication, and uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be named among you, as it becomes saints; 4and indecorum, or foolish talking, or indecent jesting, which is not becoming, but rather the giving of thanks: 5for you are knowing this, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6Let no one deceive you with empty words: for through these the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore be not partakers along with them.

Children of Light

8For at one time ye were darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk about as children of the light, 9(for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10proving what is acceptable to the Lord; 11and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather indeed convict them. 12For it is disgraceful even to speak of those things which are done by them in concealment: 13but all things being convicted by the light are made manifest; for everything made manifest is light.

14Therefore he says, Awake, thou sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon thee.

15Therefore see how you walk about circumspectly, not as unwise, but wise; 16buying in the opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore be not unwise, but understand whatsoever is the will of the Lord. 18Be not drunk with wine, in which there is riot, but be ye filled with the Spirit; 19speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Wives and Husbands
(1 Peter 3:1–7)

21being submissive to one another in the fear of Christ.

22Wives, be submissive to your own husbands, as to the Lord, 23because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is also the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body. 24But as the church is submissive to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives with divine love, as Christ also loved the church with divine love, and gave himself for her; 26in order that he might sanctify her, having purified her by the washing of water through the word, 27in order that he might present to himself the glorious church, having not spot or wrinkle or any of such things; but that she might be holy and blameless. 28So the husbands ought to love their own wives with divine love as their own bodies. The one loving his own wife is loving himself: 29for no one ever yet hated his own flesh; but he nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ also the church; 30because we are members of his body: 31on account of this a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife: and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. 33Moreover you also each one thus love his own wife with divine love as himself; and that the wife also reverence the husband.