Ephesians 4:17–32

Living the New Life

¹⁷Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. ¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. ¹⁹They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity ^twith a desire for more and more. ^u

²⁰But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, ²¹assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth ^vis in Jesus. ²²You took off ^wxyour former way of life, ^ythe old self ^zathat is corrupted by deceitful desires; ²³you are being renewed ^bin the spirit ^cof your minds; ²⁴you put on ^dethe new self, the one created ^faccording to God’s likeness ^gin righteousness and purity of the truth.

²⁵Since you put away ^hlying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, ^ijbecause we are members of one another. ²⁶Be angry and do not sin. ^klDon’t let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and don’t give the Devil an opportunity. ²⁸The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share ^mwith anyone in need. ²⁹No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, ⁿso that it gives grace to those who hear. ³⁰And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. ^oYou were sealed by Him ^pfor the day of redemption. ^q31All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. ³²And be kind ^rand compassionate ^sto one another, forgiving ^tone another, just as God also forgave you ^uin Christ.