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Ephesians 4 :: New International Version (NIV)

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Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:1 - As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:2 - Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:3 - Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:4 - There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:5 - one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:6 - one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:7 - But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:8 - This is why it[fn] says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”[fn]
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:9 - (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[fn]?
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:10 - He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:11 - So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:12 - to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:13 - until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:14 - Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:15 - Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:16 - From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Instructions for Christian Living

Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:17 - So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:18 - They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:19 - Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:20 - That, however, is not the way of life you learned
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:21 - when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:22 - You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:23 - to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:24 - and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:25 - Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:26 - “In your anger do not sin”[fn]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:27 - and do not give the devil a foothold.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:28 - Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:30 - And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:31 - Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Unchecked Copy BoxEph 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
NIV Footnotes
Or God
Psalm 68:18
Or the depths of the earth
Psalm 4:4 (see Septuagint)
NIV

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.


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For more information on this translation, see the NIV Preface.

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