Unity in the Body of Christ
1 I therefore, See ch. 3:1a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to Col. 1:10;2:6;1 Thess. 2:12;[Phil. 1:27] walk in a manner worthy of See Rom. 8:28the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all Acts 20:19;Phil. 2:3;Col. 3:12;1 Pet. 3:8;5:5;[Col. 2:18,23] humility and Gal. 5:23gentleness, with Col. 1:11patience, Col. 3:13bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in Col. 3:14;[Acts 8:23]the bond of peace. 4 There is ch. 2:16one body and See ch. 2:18one Spirit—just as you were called to the one ch. 1:18hope that belongs to your call— 5 Zech. 14:9;See 1 Cor. 1:13;8:6one Lord, [ver. 13; Jude 3] one faith, See Gal. 3:27,28one baptism, 6 1 Cor. 12:5,6one God and Father of all, Rom. 9:5who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But See ch. 3:2grace was given [Matt. 25:15;1 Cor. 12:7] to each one of us Rom. 12:3;[ver. 16]according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
Cited from Ps. 68:18"When he ascended on high Judg. 5:12;[Col. 2:15]he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men."4:8 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women
9 (See John 3:13In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into Ps. 63:9;Isa. 44:23the lower regions, the earth?4:9 Or the lower parts of the earth?10 He who descended is the one who also See Mark 16:19ascended Heb. 4:14;7:26;9:24far above all the heavens, that he might ch. 1:23fill all things.) 11 And [1 Cor. 12:5,6] he gave the See 1 Cor. 12:28apostles, the prophets, the Acts 21:8;2 Tim. 4:5evangelists, the Jer. 3:15;[Acts 20:28]shepherds4:11 Or pastors and teachers,4:11 Or the shepherd-teachers12 See 2 Cor. 13:9to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for ver. 16, 29building up See 1 Cor. 12:27the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to [ver. 5] the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, Heb. 5:14to mature manhood,4:13 Greek to a full-grown man to the measure of the stature of ch. 1:23the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, [Matt. 11:7;Heb. 13:9;James 1:6;Jude 12] tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in ch. 6:11deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, 1 John 3:18;[ver. 25] speaking the truth in love, we are to ch. 2:21grow up in every way into him who is See ch. 1:22the head, into Christ, 16 Col. 2:19from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, [ver. 7]when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
The New Life
17 Now this I say and 1 Thess. 2:12testify in the Lord, ver. 22;ch. 2:1-3;Col. 3:7;1 Pet. 4:3that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, Rom. 1:21;1 Pet. 1:18;[Col. 2:18;2 Pet. 2:18]in the futility of their minds. 18 They [Rom. 11:10] are darkened in their understanding, See ch. 2:12alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to See Mark 3:5their hardness of heart. 19 They [Prov. 23:35]; 1 Tim. 4:2have become callous and [1 Kgs. 21:25;Rom. 1:24,26,28]have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you See Matt. 11:29learned Christ!— 21 assuming that ch. 1:13you have heard about him and Col. 2:7were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to Col. 3:8;Heb. 12:1;James 1:21;1 Pet. 2:1put off Rom. 6:6;Col. 3:9your old self,4:22 Greek man; also verse 24 which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through [Heb. 3:13]deceitful desires, 23 and See Rom. 12:2to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on See Rom. 6:4the new self, See ch. 2:10created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you Zech. 8:16;Col. 3:9;[ver. 15] speak the truth with his neighbor, for Rom. 12:5we are members one of another. 26 [Ps. 37:8]Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and See James 4:7give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather Acts 20:35;Gal. 6:10let him labor, 1 Thess. 4:11;2 Thess. 3:8,11,12doing honest work with his own hands, so [Prov. 21:26]that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 ch. 5:4;Col. 3:8;[Matt. 12:34] Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give Col. 4:6;[Eccles. 10:12]grace to those who hear. 30 And Isa. 63:10;[1 Thess. 5:19] do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ch. 1:13by whom you were sealed for the day of See ch. 1:7redemption. 31 Col. 3:8,19Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Col. 3:12,13;1 Pet. 3:8Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, [2 Cor. 2:7,10]; See Matt. 6:14forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.