4
“You Must No Longer Live Like the Gentiles”
1 In light of these things, I, a prisoner because of my service to the Lord, exhort you to live your lives in a manner befitting the summons you received,
2 with complete humility and meekness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 doing everything you can to maintain the unity that comes from the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were summoned to one hope when God summoned you—
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all mankind, who rules over people of all kinds and works through people of all kinds and dwells in people of all kinds.
7 At the same time, certain gifts and abilities have graciously been given, as apportioned by the Messiah, to each one of us.
8 That is why it says:
“When he ascended to the heights,
he took many prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to mankind.”+
9 Now, what does this phrase “he ascended” imply? It implies a prior descent to the lower regions, that is, the earth.
10 The one who descended is the same one who “ascended” high above all the heavens, in order to bring the whole creation to its final goal.
11 He, likewise, is the one who “gave gifts,” appointing some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as shepherds and teachers,
12 to make sure the Lord’s holy people+ are in proper order, to serve the flock, to build up the Messiah’s body,
13 until we all attain to the unity that comes from our faith and from knowing the Son of God, to mature adulthood, to the full height and stature of the Messiah.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried here and there by every wind of teaching, by human cunning, by clever schemes and deceitful tricks.
15 Instead, being sincere in love, we are to grow into a mature union in all respects with the head, the Messiah,
16 from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by every supporting ligament, brings about for its own good, as each part does what it is supposed to do, the body’s growth, so that it builds itself up in love.
17 In light of these things, I give you this solemn warning by the authority of the Lord: You must no longer live like the Gentiles, whose minds are full of worthless and deluded thoughts,
18 who are so darkened in their way of thinking, excluded from the life of God because of their ignorance and calloused hearts.
19 Having lost all sense of shame, they have surrendered themselves to licentious behavior, to impure conduct of indeed every kind, and to greed.
20 As for you, however, these are the very things you were told to stop doing when you received instruction about the Messiah—
21 assuming, of course, that you have indeed heard about him, and as his followers were in fact taught, as the truth is in Jesus,
22 to take off, as regards your previous way of life, the “old clothes,” your former nature, which is experiencing decay and destruction because of its deceitful desires,
23 to allow yourselves to be renewed, moreover, in the spirit of your minds,
24 and to put on your “new clothes,” the new nature, created to be like God in true righteousness and devotion.
25 That is why, having laid aside falsehood, each of you must “speak truthfully with his neighbor,”+ because as parts of the same body we are connected to one another.
26 “If you become angry, don’t let it lead you into sin.”+ Don’t let the sun go down on the cause of your anger,
27 and don’t give any opportunity to the devil.
28 If someone has been stealing, he must stop doing so. Instead, he is to work hard, using his hands to do honest work, so that he may have something to share with those in need.
29 There must come out of your mouths no foul talk, but only what is useful for building others up where needed, so that your words are a gift of help and blessing to those who hear them.
30 And don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the Day of final release from slavery.
31 Allow to be removed from your lives all bitterness and rage and anger and shouting and slander, along with any sort of malice.
32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you in the Messiah.