Walk in Unity
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you towalk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spiritin the bond of peace.
4 Thereisone body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord,one faith,one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, whoisabove all, andthrough all, and in you all.
Spiritual Gifts
7 Butto each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8 Therefore He says:
# “When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is also the Onewho ascended far above all the heavens,that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave sometobeapostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,for the edifying ofthe body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faithand of the knowledge of the Son of God, toa perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer bechildren, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness ofdeceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is thehead—Christ—
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The New Man
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you shouldno longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of theblindness of their heart;
19 who, being past feeling,have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that youput off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 andbe renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that youput on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Do Not Grieve the Spirit
25 Therefore, putting away lying,“Leteach oneofyouspeak truth with his neighbor,” forwe are members of one another.
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the devil.
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but ratherlet him labor, working withhishands what is good, that he may have somethingto give him who has need.
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, butwhat is good for necessary edification,that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 Anddo not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, andevil speaking be put away from you,with all malice.
32 Andbe kind to one another, tenderhearted,forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.