1 I am being held in prison because of working for the Lord. I ask you from my heart to live and work the way the Lord expected you to live and work.

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

2 L ive and work without pride. Be gentle and kind. Do not be hard on others. Let love keep you from doing that.

with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;

3 W ork hard to live together as one by the help of the Holy Spirit. Then there will be peace.

being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 T here is one body and one Spirit. There is one hope in which you were called.

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

5 T here is one Lord and one faith and one baptism.

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 T here is one God. He is the Father of us all. He is over us all. He is the One working through us all. He is the One living in us all.

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

7 L oving-favor has been given to each one of us. We can see how great it is by the gift of Christ.

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

8 T he Holy Writings say, “When Christ went up to heaven, He took those who were held with Him. He gave gifts to men.”

Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”

9 W hen they say, “He went up,” what does it mean but that He had first gone down to the deep parts of the earth?

Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 C hrist Who went down into the deep also went up far above the heavens. He did this to fill all the world with Himself.

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

11 C hrist gave gifts to men. He gave to some the gift to be missionaries, some to be preachers, others to be preachers who go from town to town. He gave others the gift to be church leaders and teachers.

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

12 T hese gifts help His people work well for Him. And then the church which is the body of Christ will be made strong.

for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;

13 A ll of us are to be as one in the faith and in knowing the Son of God. We are to be full-grown Christians standing as high and complete as Christ is Himself.

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14 T hen we will not be as children any longer. Children are like boats thrown up and down on big waves. They are blown with the wind. False teaching is like the wind. False teachers try everything possible to make people believe a lie,

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

15 b ut we are to hold to the truth with love in our hearts. We are to grow up and be more like Christ. He is the leader of the church.

but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

16 C hrist has put each part of the church in its right place. Each part helps other parts. This is what is needed to keep the whole body together. In this way, the whole body grows strong in love. The Old and the New Life

from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

17 I tell you this in the name of the Lord: You must not live any longer like the people of the world who do not know God. Their thoughts are foolish.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 T heir minds are in darkness. They are strangers to the life of God. This is because they have closed their minds to Him and have turned their hearts away from Him.

being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;

19 T hey do not care anymore about what is right or wrong. They have turned themselves over to the sinful ways of the world and are always wanting to do every kind of sinful act they can think of.

who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20 B ut you did not learn anything like this from Christ.

But you did not learn Christ that way;

21 I f you have heard of Him and have learned from Him,

if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

22 p ut away the old person you used to be. Have nothing to do with your old sinful life. It was sinful because of being fooled into following bad desires.

that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;

23 L et your minds and hearts be made new.

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

24 Y ou must become a new person and be God-like. Then you will be made right with God and have a true holy life.

and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

25 S o stop lying to each other. Tell the truth to your neighbor. We all belong to the same body.

Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.

26 I f you are angry, do not let it become sin. Get over your anger before the day is finished.

“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,

27 D o not let the devil start working in your life.

and don’t give place to the devil.

28 A nyone who steals must stop it! He must work with his hands so he will have what he needs and can give to those who need help.

Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

29 W atch your talk! No bad words should be coming from your mouth. Say what is good. Your words should help others grow as Christians.

Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30 D o not make God’s Holy Spirit have sorrow for the way you live. The Holy Spirit has put a mark on you for the day you will be set free.

Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 P ut out of your life all these things: bad feelings about other people, anger, temper, loud talk, bad talk which hurts other people, and bad feelings which hurt other people.

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

32 Y ou must be kind to each other. Think of the other person. Forgive other people just as God forgave you because of Christ’s death on the cross.

And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.