Ephesians 3–4

The Mystery of Christ Revealed

3On account of this I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles ²—if indeed you have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace given to me for you. ³According to^a revelation the mystery was made known to me, just as I wrote beforehand in brief, ⁴so that you may be able when you read^b to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ ⁵(which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit): ⁶that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, ⁷of which I became a servant, according to the gift of God’s grace given to me, according to the working of his power.

⁸To me, the least of all the saints, was given this grace: to proclaim the good news of the fathomless riches of Christ to the Gentiles, ⁹and to enlighten everyone as to what is the administration of the mystery hidden from the ages by God, who created all things, ¹⁰in order that the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church, ¹¹according to the purpose of the ages which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in him.^{c 13}Therefore I ask you^* not to be discouraged at my afflictions on behalf of you, which are your glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

¹⁴On account of this, I bend my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every^d family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that he may grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (you having been firmly rooted and established in love), ¹⁸in order that you may be strong enough to grasp together with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to the one who is able to do beyond all measure more than all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work in us, ²¹to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Christians Should Live in Unity

4Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called: ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, ³being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; ⁴one body and one Spirit (just as also you were called with one hope of your calling), ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.

Gifted Leaders Bring the Church to Maturity

⁷Now to each one of us was given this grace, according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore it says,

“Ascending on high he led captivity captive;

he gave gifts to men.”^a

⁹Now “he ascended,” what is it, except that he also descended^b to the lower regions of the earth? ¹⁰The one who descended himself is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order that he might fill all things.

¹¹And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers ¹²for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit. ¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow into him with reference to all things, who is the head, Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined together and held together by every supporting ligament, according to the working by measure of each single part, the growth of the body makes for the building up of itself in love.

Appeal for New Behavior

¹⁷This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk: in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, ¹⁹who, becoming callous, gave themselves over to licentiousness, for the pursuit of all uncleanness in greediness.

²⁰But you did not learn Christ in this way, ²¹if indeed you have heard about him, and you were taught by him (just as truth is in Jesus), ²²that you take off, according to your former way of life, the old man, who is being destroyed according to deceitful desires, ²³be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴and put on the new man (in accordance with God), who is created in righteousness and holiness from the truth.

Old Behavior, New Behavior, and Motivation

²⁵Therefore, putting aside the lie, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor,^c because we are members of one another. ²⁶Be angry and do not sin;^d do not let the sun set on your anger, ²⁷nor give place to the devil. ²⁸The one who steals must steal no longer, but instead must labor, working with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need. ²⁹No rotten word must proceed^e from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear, ³⁰and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech, must be removed from you, together with all wickedness. ³²Become^f kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you.