New Testament · Letter

Ephesians 4

One Body, One Spirit

Walk worthy of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. The church must grow up together into the fullness of Christ.

King James Version BSB KJV

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1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

19Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20But ye have not so learned Christ;

21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27Neither give place to the devil.

28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

29Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Understand This

Ephesians 4, explained

What Ephesians 4 is saying

The letter pivots from theology to ethics with Paul's appeal to 'walk worthy of the calling.' Unity is grounded in seven foundational realities: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Christ's ascension gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers—equip the saints for ministry, building the body toward maturity and the 'measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.' Paul then contrasts the old self (palaios anthrōpos) with the new self (kainos anthrōpos), providing concrete ethical instruction: truth-telling, anger management, honest labor, edifying speech.

The background behind it

The ascension-gift passage draws on Psalm 68:18, which Paul interprets christologically with a significant modification ('gave gifts' rather than 'received gifts'), possibly reflecting a targumic tradition. The fivefold ministry gifts have generated extensive ecclesiological debate regarding their continuity and function.

Themes running underneath

Ecclesial unity is both gift and task: grounded in theological reality but requiring active maintenance through humility, gentleness, patience, and love. The body metaphor reaches full development: maturity is corporate, not merely individual—the whole body grows up into Christ the head. The old-self/new-self framework establishes ethical transformation as identity realization rather than mere behavioral modification.

Why it still matters

Walking worthy of the calling means that theology must reshape daily behavior—speech, anger, work, and relationships. The goal is corporate maturity in Christ, which no individual can achieve alone.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.