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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.&rdquo^(a);⁹ What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended 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, 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 is fitted and held together by every supporting ligament; and as each individual part does its work, the body grows and builds itself up in love.

New Life in Christ

¹⁷ So I tell you this, and testify to it in the Lord: 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 members of one another.²⁶ “Be angry, yet do not sin.&rdquo^(a); 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 tender-hearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.