New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

3Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

3being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

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

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

7However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

8That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”

8Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."

9Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.

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

10And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

10He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

11Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

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

12Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

13This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

15Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

16He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Living as Children of Light

16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

17With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.

17So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.

18being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

19They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

19and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

20But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.

20But you did not learn Christ in this way,

21Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,

21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,

22throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

22that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

23Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

23and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

24and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

25So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

25Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

26And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,

26BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

27and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

28He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

29Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

29Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

30And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

30Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

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

32Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org