Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body

1Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6one God and Father of all,

who is over all, in all, and living through all.

7However, he has given each one of us a special gift#4:7 Greek a grace. through the generosity of Christ. 8That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights,

he led a crowd of captives

and gave gifts to his people.”#4:8 Ps 68:18.

9Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.#4:9 Some manuscripts read to the lower parts of the earth. 10And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Living as Children of Light

17With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

25So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”#4:26 Ps 4:4. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

28If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

30And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,#4:30 Or has put his seal on you. guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

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Ephesians 4: NLT

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Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body of Christ

1I therefore, #See ch. 3:1a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to #Col. 1:10; 2:6; 1 Thess. 2:12; [Phil. 1:27] walk in a manner worthy of #See Rom. 8:28the calling to which you have been called, 2with all #Acts 20:19; Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:12; 1 Pet. 3:8; 5:5; [Col. 2:18, 23] humility and #Gal. 5:23gentleness, with #Col. 1:11patience, #Col. 3:13bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in #Col. 3:14; [Acts 8:23]the bond of peace. 4There is #ch. 2:16one body and #See ch. 2:18one Spirit—just as you were called to the one #ch. 1:18hope that belongs to your call— 5#Zech. 14:9; See 1 Cor. 1:13; 8:6one Lord, #[ver. 13; Jude 3] one faith, #See Gal. 3:27, 28one baptism, 6#1 Cor. 12:5, 6one God and Father of all, #Rom. 9:5who is over all and through all and in all. 7But #See ch. 3:2grace was given #[Matt. 25:15; 1 Cor. 12:7] to each one of us #Rom. 12:3; [ver. 16]according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it says,

# Cited from Ps. 68:18 “When he ascended on high #Judg. 5:12; [Col. 2:15]he led a host of captives,

and he gave gifts to men.”#4:8 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women

9(#See John 3:13In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into #Ps. 63:9; Isa. 44:23the lower regions, the earth?#4:9 Or the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is the one who also #See Mark 16:19ascended #Heb. 4:14; 7:26; 9:24far above all the heavens, that he might #ch. 1:23fill all things.) 11And #[1 Cor. 12:5, 6] he gave the #See 1 Cor. 12:28apostles, the prophets, the #Acts 21:8; 2 Tim. 4:5evangelists, the #Jer. 3:15; [Acts 20:28]shepherds#4:11 Or pastors and teachers,#4:11 Or the shepherd-teachers 12#See 2 Cor. 13:9to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for #ver. 16, 29building up #See 1 Cor. 12:27the body of Christ, 13until we all attain to #[ver. 5] the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, #Heb. 5:14to mature manhood,#4:13 Greek to a full-grown man to the measure of the stature of #ch. 1:23the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, #[Matt. 11:7; Heb. 13:9; James 1:6; Jude 12] tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in #ch. 6:11deceitful schemes. 15Rather, #1 John 3:18; [ver. 25] speaking the truth in love, we are to #ch. 2:21grow up in every way into him who is #See ch. 1:22the head, into Christ, 16#Col. 2:19from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, #[ver. 7]when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The New Life

17Now this I say and #1 Thess. 2:12testify in the Lord, #ver. 22; ch. 2:1-3; Col. 3:7; 1 Pet. 4:3that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, #Rom. 1:21; 1 Pet. 1:18; [Col. 2:18; 2 Pet. 2:18]in the futility of their minds. 18They #[Rom. 11:10] are darkened in their understanding, #See ch. 2:12alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to #See Mark 3:5their hardness of heart. 19They #[Prov. 23:35]; 1 Tim. 4:2have become callous and #[1 Kgs. 21:25; Rom. 1:24, 26, 28]have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20But that is not the way you #See Matt. 11:29learned Christ!— 21assuming that #ch. 1:13you have heard about him and #Col. 2:7were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22to #Col. 3:8; Heb. 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Pet. 2:1put off #Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:9your old self,#4:22 Greek man; also verse 24 which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through #[Heb. 3:13]deceitful desires, 23and #See Rom. 12:2to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24and to put on #See Rom. 6:4the new self, #See ch. 2:10created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you #Zech. 8:16; Col. 3:9; [ver. 15] speak the truth with his neighbor, for #Rom. 12:5we are members one of another. 26#[Ps. 37:8]Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and #See James 4:7give no opportunity to the devil. 28Let the thief no longer steal, but rather #Acts 20:35; Gal. 6:10let him labor, #1 Thess. 4:11; 2 Thess. 3:8, 11, 12doing honest work with his own hands, so #[Prov. 21:26]that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29#ch. 5:4; Col. 3:8; [Matt. 12:34] 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 #Col. 4:6; [Eccles. 10:12]grace to those who hear. 30And #Isa. 63:10; [1 Thess. 5:19] do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, #ch. 1:13by whom you were sealed for the day of #See ch. 1:7redemption. 31#Col. 3:8, 19Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32#Col. 3:12, 13; 1 Pet. 3:8Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, #[2 Cor. 2:7, 10]; See Matt. 6:14forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

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