Ephesians 4

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling,

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all.

But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.”

Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ,

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ,

from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts.

They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you didn’t learn Christ that way,

if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit,

and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,

and don’t give place to the devil.

Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice.

And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter calls believers to a manner of life consistent with their Christian vocation, urging them to preserve the unity of the church through humility, patience, and love, grounded in the oneness of God and His redemptive work in Christ. It moves from the corporate unity of the body to the spiritual gifts given for its edification, then to the ethical renewal required of those who have learned Christ, concluding with specific moral instructions shaped by the reality of new creation.

Flow.

Begins with an exhortation to walk worthily of the calling in humility, patience, and love, preserving the Spirit’s unity (vv. 1–3).
Proclaims the theological basis of unity: one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father (vv. 4–6).
Explains how Christ, after descending and ascending, gives diverse gifts to equip the saints for ministry and maturity (vv. 7–12).
Describes the goal of this equipping: unity in faith, knowledge of Christ, and spiritual maturity, leading to truthful, loving speech and growth in Christ the head (vv. 13–16).
Shifts to ethical imperatives: rejection of Gentile futility and darkness, renewal of the mind, and putting on the new self created in righteousness (vv. 17–24).
Applies this renewal through concrete commands: truthful speech, righteous anger, honest labor, edifying words, and forgiveness, all rooted in the believer’s union with Christ and indwelling Spirit (vv. 25–32).

Connections. Following chapter 3, which unfolds the mystery of the gospel revealed in the one body of Jew and Gentile reconciled in Christ and prayed for in light of divine strength and love, chapter 4 issues the practical summons to live out that unity. Having learned Christ, believers are now called to daily conduct befitting their identity, which chapter 5 will further unfold in relationships within the household and in mutual submission rooted in reverence for Christ.

What it teaches. The church’s visible unity rests on the objective oneness established by God—Father, Son, and Spirit—and is maintained through humility and peace (WCF 26.1). Christ, having completed His redemptive work, gives spiritual gifts through His ascension to equip the church unto maturity, so that believers grow into Christ’s fullness and are protected from error (WCF 8.8, HC LD 18). This growth includes radical ethical transformation: the old self is rejected, the mind renewed, and the new self put on—created in God’s likeness (; cf. HC LD 33). Believers grieve the Holy Spirit not by minor faults, but by persistent patterns of falsehood, bitterness, and unrighteousness (; WCF 17.3), whereas kindness and forgiveness reflect God’s own action in Christ (; BC, Art. 24).

Apply. Walk in truth and love, letting your speech, labor, and relationships reflect the new life formed by Christ’s ascent and indwelling Spirit.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.