Ephesians 4:1–16

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.