Unity of the Spirit

1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore [a]it says,

“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,

HE LED CAPTIVE THE CAPTIVES,

AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO PEOPLE.” 9(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what [b]does it mean except that He also [c]had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as [d]pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the [e]saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the [f]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature [g]which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14[h]As a result, 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 people, by craftiness [i]in deceitful scheming; 15but [j]speaking the truth in love, [k]we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together [l]by what every joint supplies, according to the [m]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

The Christian’s Walk

17So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the [n]Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds, 18being darkened in their understanding, [o]excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19and they, having become callous, have given themselves up to indecent behavior [p]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to rid yourselves of the old [q]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23and that you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24and to put on the new [r]self, which [s]in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

25Therefore, ridding yourselves of falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, because we are parts of one another. 26BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and do not give the devil [t]an opportunity. 28The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29Let no [u]unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification [v]according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, [w]by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31All bitterness, wrath, anger, [x]clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven [y]you.

[a] 8 Or He
[b] 9 Lit is it except
[c] 9 One early ms had first descended
[d] 11 From Gr for shepherds
[e] 12 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
[f] 13 Or true knowledge
[g] 13 Lit of the fullness
[h] 14 Lit So that we will no longer be
[i] 14 Lit with regard to the scheming of deceit
[j] 15 Or holding to; or being truthful in
[k] 15 Or let’s grow up
[l] 16 Lit through every joint of the supply
[m] 16 Lit working in measure
[n] 17 I.e., unbelieving Gentiles
[o] 18 Or alienated
[p] 19 Or greedy for the practice of every kind of impurity
[q] 22 Lit person
[r] 24 Lit person
[s] 24 Lit according to God
[t] 27 Lit a place
[u] 29 Lit rotten
[v] 29 Lit of the need
[w] 30 Lit in
[x] 31 Or shouting
[y] 32 Two early mss us