Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body of Christ

1 I therefore a a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to b walk in a manner worthy of c the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all d humility and e gentleness, with f patience g bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in h the bond of peace. 4 There is i one body and j one Spirit—just as you were called to the one k hope that belongs to your call— 5  l one Lord m one faith n one baptism, 6  o one God and Father of all p who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But q grace was given r to each one of us s according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,

t “When he ascended on high u he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.” ▼
▼ The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women

9 ( w In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into x the lower regions, the earth? ▼
▼ Or  the lower parts of the earth?
 10 He who descended is the one who also z ascended aa far above all the heavens, that he might ab fill all things.) 11 And ac he gave the ad apostles, the prophets, the ae evangelists, the af shepherds ▼
▼ Or pastors
 and teachers ▼
▼ Or  the shepherd-teachers
 12  ai to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for aj building up ak the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to al the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God am to mature manhood ▼
▼ Greek  to a full-grown man
 to the measure of the stature of ao the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, ap tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in aq deceitful schemes. 15 Rather ar speaking the truth in love, we are to as grow up in every way into him who is at the head, into Christ, 16  au from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped av when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The New Life

17 Now this I say and aw testify in the Lord ax that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, ay in the futility of their minds. 18 They az are darkened in their understanding, ba alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to bb their hardness of heart. 19 They bc have become callous and bd have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you be learned Christ!— 21 assuming that bf you have heard about him and bg were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to bh put off bi your old self, ▼
▼ Greek man; also verse 24
 which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through bk deceitful desires, 23 and bl to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on bm the new self, bn created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you bo speak the truth with his neighbor, for bp we are members one of another. 26  bq Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and br give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather bs let him labor, bt doing honest work with his own hands, so bu that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29  bv Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give bw grace to those who hear. 30 And bx do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by by whom you were sealed for the day of bz redemption. 31  ca Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32  cb Be kind to one another, tenderhearted cc forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

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