Ephesians 4
Christian Standard Bible
Unity and Diversity in the Body of Christ
4 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord,(A) urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility(B) and gentleness, with patience,(C) bearing(D) with one another in love,(E) 3 making every effort to keep the unity(F) of the Spirit(G) through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit(H)—just as you were called to one hope[a](I) at your calling— 5 one Lord,(J) one faith,(K) one baptism, 6 one God(L) and Father(M) of all, who is above all and through all and in all.(N)
7 Now grace was given to each one of us(O) according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 For it says:
9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he[c] also descended to the lower parts of the earth?[d](R) 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens,(S) to fill all things.(T) 11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,(U) 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son,(V) growing into maturity with a stature(W) measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching,(X) by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head(Y)—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together(Z) by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth(AA) of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Living the New Life
17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because[e] of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity(AB) with a desire for more and more.[f]
20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth(AC) is in Jesus, 22 to take off[g](AD) your former way of life,(AE) the old self(AF) that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed[h] in the spirit(AG) of your minds, 24 and to put on[i](AH) the new self, the one created(AI) according to God’s likeness(AJ) in righteousness and purity of the truth.
25 Therefore, putting away(AK) lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor,[j](AL) because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin.[k](AM) Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don’t give the devil an opportunity. 28 Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share(AN) with anyone in need. 29 No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need,[l] so that it gives grace to those who hear. 30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit.(AO) You were sealed by him[m] for the day of redemption.(AP) 31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind(AQ) and compassionate(AR) to one another, forgiving(AS) one another, just as God also forgave you[n] in Christ.
Footnotes
- 4:4 Lit called in one hope
- 4:8 Ps 68:18
- 4:9 Other mss add first
- 4:9 Or the lower parts, namely, the earth
- 4:18 Or in them because
- 4:19 Lit with greediness
- 4:21–22 Or Jesus. This means: take off (as a command)
- 4:22–23 Or desires; renew (as a command)
- 4:23–24 Or minds; and put on (as a command)
- 4:25 Zch 8:16
- 4:26 Ps 4:4
- 4:29 Lit for the building up of the need
- 4:30 Or Spirit, by whom you were sealed
- 4:32 Other mss read us
Ephesians 4
Common English Bible
Unity of the body of Christ
4 Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. 2 Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, 3 and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. 4 You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.
7 God has given his grace to each one of us measured out by the gift that is given by Christ. 8 That’s why scripture says, When he climbed up to the heights, he captured prisoners, and he gave gifts to people.[a]
9 What does the phrase “he climbed up” mean if it doesn’t mean that he had first gone down into the lower regions, the earth? 10 The one who went down is the same one who climbed up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything.
11 He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. 12 His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ 13 until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. 15 Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, 16 who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part.
The old and new life
17 So I’m telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord: you shouldn’t live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base their lives on pointless thinking, 18 and they are in the dark in their reasoning. They are disconnected from God’s life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts. 19 They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed.
20 But you didn’t learn that sort of thing from Christ. 21 Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, 22 change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. 23 Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit 24 and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.
25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor[b] because we are parts of each other in the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning.[c] Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. 28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need.
29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. 30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible