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.