EphesiansChapter 4

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¹I am a prisoner because I serve the Lord. So I urge you to live in a way that fits the calling you have received. ²Always be humble and gentle. Be patient. Put up with one another in love. ³Work hard to keep the unity the Spirit gives. Let peace hold you together. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit. In the same way, when God called you, he called you to one hope. ⁵There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. ⁶There is one God and Father of all. He is over all and through all and in all. ⁷Christ has given grace to each one of us. He gave it in the amount he chose to give. ⁸That is why Scripture says,
"When he went up on high,
he led captives away,
and he gave gifts to people." ⁹What does "he went up" mean? It must mean that he also came down to the lower parts of the earth. ¹⁰The One who came down is the same One who went up far above all the heavens. He did this so that he could fill all things. ¹¹Christ himself gave some people to be apostles. He gave some to be prophets and some to be people who spread the good news. He gave some to be pastors and teachers. ¹²He gave them to get God's people ready to serve. They help build up the body of Christ. ¹³This will go on until we are all one in our faith. We will all know the Son of God. We will grow up and become fully like Christ. ¹⁴Then we will no longer be like babies. We will not be tossed around by the waves. We will not be blown here and there by every wind of teaching. We will not be fooled by the tricks of people who plan to lie to us. ¹⁵Instead, we will speak the truth in love. In every way we will grow up into Christ himself. He is the head. ¹⁶From him the whole body is joined and held together by every joint. As each part does its work, the body grows. It builds itself up in love. ¹⁷So I tell you this, and I insist on it in the Lord. You must no longer live as the Gentiles do. Their thinking is empty and useless. ¹⁸Their minds are in the dark. They are cut off from the life God gives. This is because they do not know him, and because their hearts are hard. ¹⁹They have lost all sense of shame. They have given themselves over to wild, sinful pleasure. They do every kind of impure thing, and they always want more. ²⁰But that is not the way you came to know Christ. ²¹Surely you heard about him and were taught in him. You were taught the truth that is in Jesus. ²²You were taught to take off your old way of life, like old clothes. Take off your old self. It is being ruined by its lying desires. ²³You were taught to let your minds and spirits be made new. ²⁴You were taught to put on the new self. It was created to be like God. It is truly right and holy. ²⁵So each of you must stop lying. Tell your neighbor the truth. We all belong to one another, like parts of one body. ²⁶"Be angry, but do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. ²⁷And do not give the devil a place to get a hold on you. ²⁸Anyone who has been stealing must stop stealing. Instead, he must work and do something good with his own hands. Then he will have something to share with those in need. ²⁹Do not let any harmful words come out of your mouths. Say only what helps build others up, as they need it. Then your words will bring grace to those who listen. ³⁰Do not make God's Holy Spirit sad. In him you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger. Stop all shouting and lies that hurt others. Get rid of every kind of evil feeling toward others. ³²Be kind and tenderhearted to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you in Christ.