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Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

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Walk in Unity

I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

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Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

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with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

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Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

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endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

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There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

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There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

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one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

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one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

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one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

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one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in [c]you all.

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But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

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Spiritual Gifts

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

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This is why ita says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”b

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Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

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(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regionsc?

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(Now this, “He ascended” — what does it mean but that He also [d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

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He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

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He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

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So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

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And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

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to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

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for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ,

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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.

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till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

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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.

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that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

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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.

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but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ —

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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.

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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.

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Instructions for Christian Living

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.

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The New Man

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as [f]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

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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.

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having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

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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.

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who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

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That, however, is not the way of life you learned

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But you have not so learned Christ,

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when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

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if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:

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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;

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that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

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to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

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and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

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and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

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and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

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Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

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Do Not Grieve the Spirit

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.

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“In your anger do not sin”d: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

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“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

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and do not give the devil a foothold.

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nor give [g]place to the devil.

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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.

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Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

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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.

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Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary [h]edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

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And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

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And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

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Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

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Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [i]clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

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Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

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And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Parallel

New International Version

New King James Version

Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4