Unity in the Body
(Psalm 133:1-3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17)
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.
Living as Children of Light
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.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Unity in the Body
(Psalm 133:1–3; 1 Corinthians 1:10–17)
1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.
7 But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
9 Now this, “He ascended,” what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; 12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 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; 14 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; 15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ; 16 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.
New Life in Christ
(Colossians 3:1–17)
17 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, 18 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; 19 who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ that way; 21 if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Unity in the Body
(Psalm 133:1–3; 1 Corinthians 1:10–17)
1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received: 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 This is why it says: a
“When He ascended on high,
He led captives away,
and gave gifts to men.” b
9 What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended c to the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.
11 And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.
New Life in Christ
(Colossians 3:1–17)
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.
20 But this is not the way you came to know Christ. 21 Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus— 22 to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another. 26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.” d Do not let the sun set upon your anger, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
Footnotes:
8 a Or He says
8 b Psalm 68:18
9 c BYZ and TR except that He also descended first
26 d Or “In your anger do not sin.” Psalm 4:4
Unity in the Body
(Psalm 133:1-3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17)
1Call upon you, then, do I -- the prisoner of the Lord -- to walk worthily of the calling with which ye were called, 2with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, 3being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of the peace; 4one body and one Spirit, according as also ye were called in 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 you all,
7and to each one of you was given the grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ,
8wherefore, he saith, 'Having gone up on high he led captive captivity, and gave gifts to men,' --
9and that, he went up, what is it except that he also went down first to the lower parts of the earth? 10he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things -- 11and He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as proclaimers of good news, and some as shepherds and teachers, 12unto the perfecting of the saints, for a work of ministration, for a building up of the body of the Christ, 13till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ, 14that we may no more be babes, tossed and borne about by every wind of the teaching, in the sleight of men, in craftiness, unto the artifice of leading astray, 15and, being true in love, we may increase to Him in all things, who is the head -- the Christ; 16from whom the whole body, being fitly joined together and united, through the supply of every joint, according to the working in the measure of each single part, the increase of the body doth make for the building up of itself in love.
Living as Children of Light
17This, then, I say, and I testify in the Lord; ye are no more to walk, as also the other nations walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18being darkened in the understanding, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, 19who, having ceased to feel, themselves did give up to the lasciviousness, for the working of all uncleanness in greediness; 20and ye did not so learn the Christ, 21if so be ye did hear him, and in him were taught, as truth is in Jesus; 22ye are to put off concerning the former behaviour the old man, that is corrupt according to the desires of the deceit, 23and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and to put on the new man, which, according to God, was created in righteousness and kindness of the truth.
25Wherefore, putting away the lying, speak truth each with his neighbour, because we are members one of another; 26be angry and do not sin; let not the sun go down upon your wrath, 27neither give place to the devil; 28whoso is stealing let him no more steal, but rather let him labour, working the thing that is good with the hands, that he may have to impart to him having need. 29Let no corrupt word out of your mouth go forth, but what is good unto the needful building up, that it may give grace to the hearers; 30and make not sorrowful the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed to a day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice, 32and become one to another kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, according as also God in Christ did forgive you.
The Favor of God paraphrase
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
¹ As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received! ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
⁷ But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it says:
“When He ascended on high,
He took many captives
and gave gifts to His people.”
⁹ (What does “He ascended” mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) ¹¹ So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Instructions for Christian Living
¹⁷ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
²⁰ That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Footnotes:
1.“Prisoner for the Lord” (verse 1) reflects Paul’s literal imprisonment for preaching the gospel and also symbolizes his total submission to Christ. He uses this phrase to emphasize his credibility and the seriousness of his message.
2.“One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (verse 5) is a key affirmation of the unity believers share in Christ. This was especially significant in the early church, where divisions between Jews and Gentiles were common, but in Christ, all are unified.
3.The phrase “He ascended on high” (verse 8) refers to Christ’s ascension after His resurrection, marking His victory over death and His exaltation. The captives taken refer to powers of darkness defeated by His victory.
4.“Mature body” (verse 15) speaks to the goal of the Christian life: maturity in Christ. Just as a body grows and functions properly when each part works, believers grow when they speak truth in love and live out their faith together.
5.“Darkened in their understanding” (verse 18) refers to the spiritual blindness of those who do not know God. Paul describes how ignorance and hardened hearts lead people away from the life that God offers.
6.“Put off your old self” (verse 22) uses the imagery of changing clothes. Believers are to discard their former, sinful way of life, just as one removes dirty clothes, and instead put on the new, righteous life that Christ gives.
7.“Grieve the Holy Spirit” (verse 30) is a powerful reminder that the Spirit of God is not impersonal but can be deeply affected by the actions of believers. When Christians act in ways that are contrary to God’s holiness, it grieves the Spirit who dwells in them.
