Ephesians 4 - Amplified Bible(AMP)

Unity of the Spirit

1So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

2with all humility, and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.

3Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when called—

5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6one God and Father of us all who is over all and through all and in all.

7Yet grace was given to each one of us in proportion to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And He bestowed gifts on men.”

9(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had previously descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10He who descended is the very same as He who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He might fill all things).

11And He Himself appointed some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12[and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ;

13until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ.

14So that we are no longer children, tossed back and forth and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything.

15But speaking the truth in love, let us grow up in all things into Him who is the Head—Christ.

16From Him the whole body, joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in love.

The Christian’s Walk

17So this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds,

18for their understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; alienated and self-banished from the life of God because of the ignorance and spiritual blindness that is within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart.

19And they,, having become callous and unfeeling, have given themselves over to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity.

20But you did not learn Christ in this way!

21If in fact you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, just as truth is in Jesus,

22that, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self, which is being corrupted through deceitful desires,

23and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24and put on the new self, created in God’s image, in the righteousness and holiness of the truth.

25Therefore, rejecting all falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another.

26Be angry, yet do not sin; do not let your anger last until the sun goes down.

27And do not give the devil an opportunity.

28The thief must no longer steal, but instead he must work hard, producing that which is good with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with those in need.

29Do not let unwholesome words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear.

30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed and marked for the day of redemption.

31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice.

32Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.