1I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, (羅8:28; 弗3:1; 腓1:27; 西1:10; 西2:6; 帖前2:12)2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, (徒20:19; 加5:23; 腓2:3; 西1:11; 西2:18; 西2:23; 西3:12; 西3:13; 彼前3:8; 彼前5:5)3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (徒8:23; 西3:14)4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— (弗1:18; 弗2:16; 弗2:18)5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, (亚14:9; 林前1:13; 林前8:6; 加3:27; 弗4:13; 犹1:3)6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (羅9:5; 林前12:5)7But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (太25:15; 羅12:3; 林前12:7; 弗3:2; 弗4:16)8Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”[1] (士5:12; 诗68:18; 西2:15)9(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?[2] (诗63:9; 赛44:23; 约3:13)10He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) (可16:19; 弗1:23; 來4:14; 來7:26; 來9:24)11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[3] and teachers,[4] (耶3:15; 徒20:28; 徒21:8; 林前12:5; 林前12:28; 提后4:5)12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (林前12:27; 林后13:9; 弗4:16; 弗4:29)13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[5] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (弗1:23; 弗4:5; 來5:14)14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (太11:7; 弗6:11; 來13:9; 雅1:6; 犹1:12)15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (弗1:22; 弗2:21; 弗4:25; 约一3:18)16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (弗4:7; 西2:19)
The New Life
17Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. (羅1:21; 弗2:1; 弗4:22; 西2:18; 西3:7; 帖前2:12; 彼前1:18; 彼前4:3; 彼后2:18)18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. (可3:5; 羅11:10; 弗2:12)19They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. (王上21:25; 箴23:35; 羅1:24; 羅1:26; 羅1:28; 提前4:2)20But that is not the way you learned Christ!— (太11:29)21assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, (弗1:13; 西2:7)22to put off your old self,[6] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (羅6:6; 西3:8; 西3:9; 來3:13; 來12:1; 雅1:21; 彼前2:1)23and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, (羅12:2)24and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (羅6:4; 弗2:10)25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (亚8:16; 羅12:5; 弗4:15; 西3:9)26Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, (诗37:8)27and give no opportunity to the devil. (雅4:7)28Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (箴21:26; 徒20:35; 加6:10; 帖前4:11; 帖后3:8; 帖后3:11)29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (传10:12; 太12:34; 弗5:4; 西3:8; 西4:6)30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (赛63:10; 弗1:7; 弗1:13; 帖前5:19)31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (西3:8; 西3:19)32Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (太6:14; 林后2:7; 林后2:10; 西3:12; 彼前3:8)