He exhorts them to unity, to put on the new man, and to fly sin.

¹ And so, as a prisoner in the Lord, I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the vocation to which you have been called:

² with all humility and meekness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.

³ Be anxious to preserve the unity of the Spirit within the bonds of peace.

⁴ One body and one Spirit: to this you have been called by the 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 Yet to each one of us there has been given grace according to the measure allotted by Christ.

⁸ Because of this, he says: “Ascending on high, he took captivity itself captive; he gave gifts to men.”

⁹ Now that he has ascended, what is left except for him also to descend, first to the lower parts of the earth?

¹⁰ He who descended is the same one who also ascended above all the heavens, so that he might fulfill everything.

¹¹ And the same one granted that some would be Apostles, and some Prophets, yet truly others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers,¹

1. 4:11Gave some apostles--Until we all meet, etc: Here it is plainly expressed, that Christ has left in his church a perpetual succession of orthodox pastors and teachers, to preserve the faithful in unity and truth.(Challoner)

¹² for the sake of the perfection of the saints, by the work of the ministry, in the edification of the body of Christ,

¹³ until we all meet in the unity of faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as a perfect man, in the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴ So may we then no longer be little children, disturbed and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, and by the craftiness which deceives unto error.

¹⁵ Instead, acting according to truth in charity, we should increase in everything, in him who is the head, Christ himself.

¹⁶ For in him, the whole body is joined closely together, by every underlying joint, through the function allotted to each part, bringing improvement to the body, toward its edification in charity.

¹⁷ And so, I say this, and I testify in the Lord: that from now on you should walk, not as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,

¹⁸ having their intellect obscured, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is within them, because of the blindness of their hearts.

¹⁹ Such as these, despairing, have given themselves over to sexual immorality, carrying out every impurity with rapacity.¹

1. 4:19The word ‘impudicitiae’ can refer generally to severe sexual immorality, or it can refer more specifically to homosexuality. In passages such as this one, where it is the only word referring to sexual immorality, it is understood generally. But in passages where a series of specific sexual sins are named (adultery, fornication, etc.), this word is to be understood more specifically.(Conte)

²⁰ But this is not what you have learned in Christ.

²¹ For certainly, you have listened to him, and you have been instructed in him, according to the truth that is in Jesus:

²² to set aside your earlier behavior, the former man, who was corrupted, by means of desire, unto error,

²³ and so be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

²⁴ and so put on the new man, who, in accord with God, is created in justice and in the holiness of truth.

²⁵ Because of this, setting aside lying, speak the truth, each one with his neighbor. For we are all part of one another.

²⁶ “Be angry, but do not be willing to sin.” Do not let the sun set over your anger.¹

1. 4:26This first part is a quote from the Psalms.(Conte)

²⁷ Provide no place for the devil.

²⁸ Whoever was stealing, let him now not steal, but rather let him labor, working with his hands, doing what is good, so that he may have something to distribute to those who suffer need.

²⁹ Let no evil words proceed from your mouth, but only what is good, toward the edification of faith, so as to bestow grace upon those who listen.

³⁰ And do not be willing to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you have been sealed, unto the day of redemption.

³¹ Let all bitterness and anger and indignation and outcry and blasphemy be taken away from you, along with all malice.

³² And be kind and merciful to one another, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you in Christ.