Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisonera for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthyb of the callingc you have received.  2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one anotherd in love.e  3Make every effort to keep the unityf of the Spirit through the bond of peace.g  4There is one bodyh and one Spirit,i just as you were called to one hope when you were calledj;  5one Lord,k one faith, one baptism;  6one God and Father of all,l who is over all and through all and in all.m

 7But to each one of usn graceo has been givenp as Christ apportioned it.  8This is why it* says:

“When he ascended on high,

he took many captivesq

and gave gifts to his people.”*r

 9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions*?  10He who descended is the very one who ascendeds higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)t  11So Christ himself gaveu the apostles,v the prophets,w the evangelists,x the pastors and teachers,y  12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christz may be built upa  13until we all reach unityb in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of Godc and become mature,d attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.e

 14Then we will no longer be infants,f tossed back and forth by the waves,g and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.h  15Instead, speaking the truth in love,i we will in all things grow up into him who is the head,j that is, Christ.  16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, growsk and builds itself upl in love,m as each part does its work.

 Instructions for Christian Living

17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longera live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.b  18They are darkened in their understandingc and separated from the life of Godd because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.e  19Having lost all sensitivity,f they have given themselves overg to sensualityh so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

 20That, however, is not the way of life you learned  21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put offi your old self,j which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;k  23to be made new in the attitude of your minds;l  24and to put onm the new self,n created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.o

 25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfullyp to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.q  26“In your anger do not sin”*:r Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  27and do not give the devil a foothold.s  28Those who have been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,t doing something useful with their own hands,u that they may have something to share with those in need.v

 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,w but only what is helpful for building others upx according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,y with whom you were sealedz for the day of redemption.a  31Get rid ofb all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.c  32Be kind and compassionate to one another,d forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.e