Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoners for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthyt of the callingu you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one anotherv in love.w 3 Make every effort to keep the unityx of the Spirit through the bond of peace.y 4 There is one bodyz and one Spirit,a just as you were called to one hope when you were calledb; 5 one Lord,c one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,d who is over all and through all and in all.e

7 But to each one of usf graceg has been givenh as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why ita says:

“When he ascended on high,

he took many captivesi

and gave gifts to his people.”b j

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regionsc? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascendedk higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)l 11 So Christ himself gavem the apostles,n the prophets,o the evangelists,p the pastors and teachers,q 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christr may be built ups 13 until we all reach unityt in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of Godu and become mature,v attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.w

14 Then we will no longer be infants,x tossed back and forth by the waves,y and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.z 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love,a we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,b that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, growsc and builds itself upd in love,e as each part does its work.