Unity in the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge y’all to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you* were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as y’all also were called in one hope of your* calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all. But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore he says,

“When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to humans.”+Psa 68:18

(Now this phrase, “He ascended”, what does it mean except that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

So Christ gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for works of deacon-work, to build up of the body of Christ, until we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature person, to the measure of the fullness of Christ, that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of humans, in craftiness in deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking truth in love, we are to grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the working of each individual part, causes the body to increase for building itself up in love.

Faithful Christian Living

Now I say this and testify in the Lord, that y’all must no longer walk as the rest of the ethnic groups also walk, in the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves up to sensuality to practice every kind of impurity with greediness. But that is not how y’all learned about Christ, if indeed y’all heard him and were taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus. Y’all were taught, regarding your* former way of life, to put away the old humanity which is being corrupted in accordance with the deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of y’all’s mind, and put on the new humanity, created to be like God in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Therefore, y’all must put away falsehood and speak truthfully each one to their neighbor, for we are members of one another. “Y’all must be angry, but do not sin.”+Psa 4:4 Don’t let the sun go down on y’all’s anger, and y’all must not give the devil an opportunity. The one who steals must no longer steal, but rather must work, producing with their hands something that is good, so that they may have something to give to those in need. Let no unwholesome words come out of y’all’s mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. Y’all must not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom y’all were sealed for the day of redemption. Y’all must put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, along with all malice. Instead, y’all are to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave y’all.