Ephesians 4

¹I therefore , a prisoner for the Lord , urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called ,

²with all humility and gentleness , with patience , bearing with one another in love ,

³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace .

⁴There is one body and one Spirit —just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call —

⁵one Lord , one faith , one baptism ,

⁶one God and Father of all , who is over all and through all and in all .

⁷But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift .

⁸Therefore it says , When he ascended on high he led a host of captives , and he gave gifts to men .

⁹( In saying , He ascended , what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions , the earth ?

¹⁰He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens , that he fill all things .)

¹¹And he gave the apostles , the prophets , the evangelists , the shepherds and teachers ,

¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry , for building up the body of Christ ,

¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God , to mature manhood , to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ ,

¹⁴so that we may no longer be children , tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine , by human cunning , by craftiness in deceitful schemes .

¹⁵Rather , speaking the truth in love , we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head , into Christ ,

¹⁶from whom the whole body , joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped , when each part is working properly , makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love .

¹⁷Now this I say and testify in the Lord , that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds .

¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding , alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them , due to their hardness of heart .

¹⁹They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality , greedy to practice every kind of impurity .

²⁰But that is not the way you learned Christ !—

²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him , as the truth is in Jesus ,

²²to put off your old self , which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires ,

²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds ,

²⁴and to put on the new self , created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness .

²⁵Therefore , having put away falsehood , let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor , for we are members one of another .

²⁶Be angry and do not sin ; do not let the sun go down on your anger ,

²⁷and give no opportunity to the devil .

²⁸Let the thief no longer steal , but rather let him labor , doing honest work with his own hands , so that he may have something to share with anyone in need .

²⁹Let 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 grace to those who hear .

³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God , by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption .

³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you , along with all malice .

³²Be kind to one another , tenderhearted , forgiving one another , as God in Christ forgave you .