Eph 4 | LSB | STEP | Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

‏ Ephesians 4

Unity of the Spirit

1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in 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 Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore ^{▼▼Or He}it says,

“When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what ^{▼▼Lit is it except}does it mean except that He also ^{▼▼One early ms had first descended}descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the ^{▼▼Or holy ones}saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the ^{▼▼Or true knowledge}full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature ^{▼▼Lit of the fullness}which belongs to the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness ^{▼▼Lit with regard to the scheming of deceit}in deceitful scheming, 15 but ^{▼▼Or holding to, being truthful in}speaking the truth in love, ^{▼▼Or let us grow up}we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being joined and held together ^{▼▼Lit through every joint of the supply}by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Put On the New Man

17 Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their mind, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart. 19 And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality ^{▼▼Or greedy for the practice of every kind of impurity}for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn ^{▼▼Messiah}Christ in this way— 21 if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 ^{▼▼Lit for you}to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and to put on the new man, which ^{▼▼Lit according to God}in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil ^{▼▼Lit a place}an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with ^{▼▼Lit the one}one who has need. 29 Let no ^{▼▼Lit rotten}unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up ^{▼▼Or according to the need}what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ^{▼▼Lit in}by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven ^{▼▼Two early mss us}you.