Ephesians 4
4
Unity in the Body of Christ
1I therefore, #See ch. 3:1 a 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. 5:23 gentleness, with #Col. 1:11 patience, #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. 2:16 one body and #See ch. 2:18 one 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; 8:6 one Lord, #[ver. 13; Jude 3] one faith, #See Gal. 3:27, 28one baptism, 6#1 Cor. 12:5, 6 one God and Father of all, #Rom. 9:5who is over all and through all and in all. 7But #See ch. 3:2 grace 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 3:13 In 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 16:19 ascended #Heb. 4:14; 7:26; 9:24 far above all the heavens, that he might #ch. 1:23fill all things.) 11And #[1 Cor. 12:5, 6] he gave the #See 1 Cor. 12:28 apostles, the prophets, the #Acts 21:8; 2 Tim. 4:5 evangelists, the #Jer. 3:15; [Acts 20:28]shepherds#4:11 Or pastors and teachers,#4:11 Or the shepherd-teachers 12#See 2 Cor. 13:9 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for #ver. 16, 29 building 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. 5:14 to 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. 2:21 grow up in every way into him who is #See ch. 1:22the head, into Christ, 16#Col. 2:19 from 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. 2:12 testify in the Lord, #ver. 22; ch. 2:1-3; Col. 3:7; 1 Pet. 4:3 that 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. 2:12 alienated 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. 4:2 have 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. 1:13 you 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. 2:1 put off #Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:9 your 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. 6:4 the 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. 6:10 let him labor, #1 Thess. 4:11; 2 Thess. 3:8, 11, 12 doing 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. 1:13 by 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. 3:8 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, #[2 Cor. 2:7, 10]; See Matt. 6:14forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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