Ephesians 4
1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live in a way worthy of the calling you have received.
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3 Make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were also called to one hope in your calling.
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
6 One God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8 That is why he says, “When he ascended on high, he took captives with him; he gave gifts to people.”
9 Now what does “he ascended” mean, except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth?
10 The one who descended is the same one who also ascended above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.
11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and others to be pastors and teachers.
12 This was to equip the saints for the work of service, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, becoming mature, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be children, tossed by waves and carried here and there by every wind of teaching, by people’s trickery and by their cunning schemes that lead into error.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ.
16 From him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting joint, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work in its proper measure.
17 So I say this and testify in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
18 Their understanding is darkened, and they are alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance in them, because of the hardness of their hearts.
19 Having lost all sensitivity, they gave themselves over to indecency, to practice every kind of impurity with greed.
20 But that is not how you learned Christ.
21 Surely you heard about him and were taught in him, in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus.
22 You were taught to put off your former way of life, the old self, which is being corrupted by deceitful desires;
23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on the new self, created according to God in the righteousness and holiness of the truth.
25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, because we are members of one another.
26 Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun set while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.
28 Let the one who steals steal no longer. Instead, let that person work hard, doing what is good with their own hands, so they may have something to share with anyone in need.
29 Let no corrupt word come out of your mouths, but only what is good for building others up as the need arises, so that it may benefit those who hear.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, rage, anger, shouting, and slander be removed from you, along with every kind of malice.
32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
Read and listen to this chapter in the Shalem app, free: narration, chapter video and reading progress. Get the app