Ephesians 4

Legacy Standard Bible

Unity of the Spirit

4 Therefore I, ^(A)the prisoner in the Lord, ^(B)exhort you to ^(C)walk worthy of the ^(D)calling with which you have been ^(E)called, ² with all ^(F)humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another ^(G)in love, ³ being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the ^(H)bond of peace. ⁴ There is ^(I)one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one ^(J)hope of your calling; ^5 (K)one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all ^(L)who is over all and through all and in all.

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

⁹ (Now this expression, “He ^(R)ascended,” what ^[b]does it mean except that He also ^[c]descended into ^(S)the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is Himself also He who ascended ^(T)far above all the heavens, so that He might ^(U)fill all things.) ¹¹ And He Himself ^(V)gave ^(W)some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as ^(X)evangelists, and some as pastors and ^(Y)teachers, ^12 (Z)for the equipping of the ^[d]saints for the work of service, to the building up of ^(AA)the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to ^(AB)the unity of the faith, and of the ^[e](AC)full knowledge of the Son of God, to a ^(AD)mature man, to the measure of the stature ^[f]which belongs to the ^(AE)fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we are ^(AF)no longer to be children, ^(AG)tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by ^(AH)craftiness ^[g]in ^(AI)deceitful scheming, ¹⁵ but ^[h]speaking the truth ^(AJ)in love, ^[i]we are to ^(AK)grow up in all aspects into Him who is the ^(AL)head, that is Christ, ¹⁶ from whom ^(AM)the whole body, being joined and held together ^[j]by what every joint supplies, according to the properly ^(AN)measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself ^(AO)in love.

Put On the New Man

^17 (AP)Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, ^(AQ)that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the ^(AR)futility of their mind, ¹⁸ being ^(AS)darkened in their mind, ^(AT)alienated from the life of God because of the ^(AU)ignorance that is in them, because of the ^(AV)hardness of their heart. ¹⁹ And they, having ^(AW)become callous, ^(AX)have given themselves over to ^(AY)sensuality ^[k]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ²⁰ But you did not ^(AZ)learn ^[l]Christ in this way— ²¹ if indeed you ^(BA)heard Him and were ^(BB)taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, ^22 [m]to ^(BC)lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the ^(BD)old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the ^(BE)lusts of deceit, ²³ and to be ^(BF)renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and to ^(BG)put on the ^(BH)new man, which ^[n](BI)in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

²⁵ Therefore, ^(BJ)laying aside falsehood, ^(BK)speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are ^(BL)members of one another. ^26 (BM)Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and do not ^(BN)give the devil ^[o]an opportunity. ²⁸ He who steals must steal no longer, but rather ^(BO)he must labor, ^(BP)performing with his own hands what is good, ^(BQ)so that he will have something to share with ^[p]one who has need. ²⁹ Let no ^[q](BR)unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for ^(BS)building up ^[r]what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear. ^30 (BT)And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ^[s]by whom you were ^(BU)sealed for the day of redemption. ^31 (BV)Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be ^(BW)put away from you, along with all ^(BX)malice. ^32 (BY)Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, ^(BZ)just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven ^[t]you.