1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

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

3 Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit. In the same way, you were called to the one hope of your calling.

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

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

7 Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

8 That is why God says, "When he went up to the highest placehe led captives into captivityand gave gifts to people."

9 Now what does this "he went up" mean except that he also had gone down into the lower parts of the earth?

10 The one who went down is the same one who went up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything.

11 And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers,

12 to perfect the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of Christ