Eph 4 | BSB | STEP | [As a] prisoner in [the] Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body

1 [As a] prisoner in [the] Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received: 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 [and] with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 [There is] one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope [when] you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who [is] over all and through all and in all. 7 Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 This is why it says: ^{▼▼Or He says} “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.” ^{▼▼Psalm 68:18} 9 What [does] “He ascended” [mean] , except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the very [one] who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. 11 And [it was] He who gave some [to be] apostles, some [to be] prophets, some [to be] evangelists, and some [to be] pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [as we] mature to the full measure of [the] stature of Christ. 14 Then {we will} no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching [and] by the clever cunning of men in [their] deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, {we will} in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 16 From [Him] the whole body [is] fitted and held together by every supporting ligament; [and as] each individual part does its work, the body grows [and] builds itself up in love.

New Life in Christ

17 So I tell [you] this, and testify [to it] in [the] Lord: You {must} no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in [the] futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in [their] understanding [and] alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sense of shame, [they] have given themselves over to sensuality for [the] practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more. 20 But this is not the way you came to know Christ. 21 Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him, in keeping with [the] truth that is in Jesus, 22 to put off your former way of life, [your] old self, which is being corrupted by [its] deceitful desires; 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each [of you] must put off falsehood [and] speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, yet {do} not sin.” ^{▼▼Or In your anger do not sin; Psalm 4:4} {Do} not {let} the sun set upon your anger, 27 [and] {do} not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with [his] own hands, that he may have [something] to share with the [one] [in] need. 29 {Let} no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the [one] in need [and] bringing grace to those who listen. 30 And {do} not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for [the] day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind [and] tender-hearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.