Ephesians 4

Unity of the body of Christ

1 Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God.2 Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love,3 and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.4 You are one body and one spirit just as God also called you in one hope.5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 and one God and Father of all who is over all, through all, and in all.
7 God has given his grace to each one of us measured out by the gift that is given by Christ.

8 That’s why scripture says, When he climbed up to the heights, he captured prisoners, and he gave gifts to people .t
9 What does the phrase "he climbed up" mean if it doesn’t mean that he had first gone down into the lower regions, the earth?

10 The one who went down is the same one who climbed up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything.
11 He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.12 His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ13 until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.14 As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others.15 Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ,

16 who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does their part.

The old and new life

17 So I’m telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord: you shouldn’t live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base their lives on pointless thinking,18 and they are in the dark in their reasoning. They are disconnected from God’s life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts.

19 They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed.
20 But you didn’t learn that sort of thing from Christ.21 Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus,22 change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires.23 Instead renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit

24 and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.
25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor t because we are parts of each other in the same body.26  Be angry without sinning. t Don’t let the sun set on your anger.27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil.

28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need.
29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption.31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil.

32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.

Ephesians 4

Live in Unity

1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord,t urge you to livet worthily of the calling with which you have been called,s2 with all humility and gentleness,t with patience, bearing witht one another in love,3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling,5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he capturedtcaptives; he gave gifts to men,"s9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descendeds to the lower regions,s namely, the earth?t10 He, the very onet who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.11 It was het who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,s12 to equipt the saints for the work of ministry, that is,t to build up the body of Christ,13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining tot the measure of Christ’s full stature.t14 Sot we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.t15 But practicing the truth in love,t we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.

16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held togethert through every supporting ligament.t As each one does its part, the body grows in love.

Live in Holiness

17 So I say this, and insistt in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futilityt of their thinking.t18 They are darkened in their understanding,t being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.s20 But you did not learn about Christ like this,21 if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus.22 You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay asidet the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires,23 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s imaget – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.t
25 Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor,s for we are members of one another.26 Be angry and do not sin;s do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.t27 Do not give the devil an opportunity.28 The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need.29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need,t that it may give grace to those who hear.30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.31 You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk.

32 Instead,s be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.t