Ephesians 4:1-6:20
New Catholic Bible
New Life in the Church
For Christians in General[a]
Chapter 4
Christian Unity and Maturity.[b] 1 Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I implore you to behave in a manner worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in a spirit of love. 3 Make every possible effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, as well as one hope to which you have been called by your vocation, 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 each of us was given grace according to the measure in which Christ allotted it. 8 Therefore, it is written,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he took prisoners into captivity
and gave gifts to men.”
9 Now the word “ascended” implies that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth. 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.
11 It was he who established some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,[c] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry in building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us attain to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to full maturity, as measured by the full stature of Christ.
14 In this way, we will no longer be like children, tossed back and forth by the waves and swept along by every new wind of teaching, emanating from human cunning and craftiness and leading people into error. 15 Rather, professing truth and love, we will in all things grow into him who is the head, Christ. 16 From him, the entire body, joined and held together by every ligament, continues to grow and to build itself up in love, as each part performs its particular function.
17 The Newness of the Christian Life. Therefore, I declare and attest in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and their hardness of heart. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have abandoned themselves to vice, committing every kind of impurity in growing excess.
20 That is not how you learned Christ. 21 Clearly, you were told about him and were taught what the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to cast aside the old self of your former way of life that had been corrupted by its captivating desires. 23 You are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self created in God’s image, in the way of uprightness and holiness that belong to the truth.
25 A Life Based on Love. Therefore, cease your lying and speak the truth to each other, for we are all members of one another. 26 If you are angry, do not sin. Do not let the sun set on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opening. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must no longer do so; rather, let him labor, performing some honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with those in need.
29 Let no foul word ever pass your lips. Say only what is useful for edification, so that your words may benefit your listeners. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for the day of redemption. 31 Remove all forms of bitterness and wrath and anger and shouting and slander, as well as all malice from your lives. 32 Rather, be kind to one another and compassionate, and forgive one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Chapter 5
1 Hence, be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a sacrificial offering whose fragrance is pleasing to God.
Sins To Avoid. 3 Indeed, fornication and impurity of any kind, as well as greed, should not even be mentioned among you. Such talk is not fitting for saints. 4 You should never engage in any obscene or foolish or suggestive conversation. All this is completely out of place. Instead, you should rather be engaged in offering thanks to God.
5 You can be absolutely certain that no immoral or impure person or one who is greedy—that is, an idolater—will have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with worthless arguments. These are the very things that bring down the wrath of God on those who are disobedient. 7 Do not associate with them.
Christians Are Children of Light. 8 Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, 9 for light produces all goodness and righteousness and truth. 10 Discern what the Lord finds pleasing. 11 Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather seek to expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of what deeds people do in secret. 13 However, everything that is exposed by the light is made visible, 14 and whatever is made visible is light. Therefore, it is said,[d]
“Awake, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Therefore, take care to live as intelligent people, and do not be like those who are senseless. 16 Make the most of the present time, for this is a wicked age. 17 Do not be foolish, but recognize what is the will of the Lord. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which can lead to debauchery.
Rather, be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with one another. Sing and chant to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ and Christian Spouses[e]
Be Subject to One Another in Christ. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also wives must be subject to their husbands in everything.25 Love One Another in Christ. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her 26 in order to sanctify her by cleansing her with water and the word,[f] 27 in order to present the Church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such flaw, but holy and without the slightest blemish.
28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body; rather, he nourishes it and cares for it, even as Christ does for the Church, 30 because we are members of his body.
31 For this reason
a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery. Here I am applying it to Christ and the Church. 33 However, each one of you should love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife should respect her husband.
Chapter 6
Christ and the Members of the Household[g]
Children and Parents. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for it is only right that you should do so. 2 “Honor your father and your mother.” This is the first commandment that is connected with a promise: 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth.”4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves and Masters. 5 Slaves, be constant in your unwavering obedience to your earthly masters with fear and trembling and with the same heartfelt sincerity that you show to Christ. 6 Do this not just when they are watching you, as if you only had to please human beings, but as slaves of Christ, wholeheartedly carrying out the will of God. 7 Do your work willingly, as for the Lord and not for human beings, 8 knowing that whatever good we may do, whether as slaves or as free men, we will be repaid by the Lord.
9 And masters, treat your slaves fairly. Stop threatening them. Remember that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and he shows no favoritism.
The Christian Warfare[h]
10 Put On the Armor of God. Finally, find your strength in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the deceit of the devil. 12 For we are not struggling against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, the powers, and the cosmic rulers of this present darkness, and against the spirits of evil in the heavens.
13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, so that you will be able to hold fast on the evil day and to hold your ground with all your strength. 14 Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness clothing you, 15 and with your feet shod in zeal to proclaim the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances, hold in your hand the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation as well as the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Be Vigilant in Prayer. In all of your prayers and entreaties, pray always in the Spirit. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that whenever I open my mouth, I may be given the proper words to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as is my duty.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:1 Christians must conduct themselves in a manner that befits their calling. First of all, they must have unity in the one body of the Church. Unity requires humility as a preliminary condition and meekness and loving patience in bearing with one another. The chief gifts that Paul has in mind are those that Christ communicates to us after the Ascension.
The Spirit of Christ allots to each Christian the measure of Christ needed to fulfill the function of each. This entails a change from one’s old self to a new self in Christ. In this connection, six vices are specified to be avoided: lying, anger, stealing, bad language, uncurbed temper, and lust. Although Paul singles out lying to be described as unbecoming for fellow-members of the body of Christ, the same could be said of all vices. - Ephesians 4:1 The plan of God, which Paul has just revealed, is a vision of unity. To explain this, Paul follows rabbinical practice in taking a passage from Ps 18 and commenting on the two words that strike him: “ascended” and “gave.” In his interpretation, the text announces the Ascension of Christ, who had first descended in the Incarnation on earth and even down to the subterranean regions, the place of the shadowy survival of the dead (see 1 Pet 3:9); the text then proclaims the sovereignty of Christ over all powers; finally, it speaks of the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost.
- Ephesians 4:11 Other lists of ministers in the Church are found in Rom 12:6-8 and 1 Cor 12:28. Apostles: mentioned here because of their role in establishing the Church (see Eph 2:20). In a broader sense, the term “apostle” is also applied to Paul (see Eph 1:1). Prophets: those who brought a message from God appropriate to their people’s situation. Evangelists: missionary preachers (see Acts 2:8 and 2 Tim 4:5), not the writers of the Gospels. Pastors and teachers: those who have pastoral care of the people and feed them with the food of the Scriptures.
- Ephesians 5:14 It is said: the text cited was probably taken from an early Christian liturgical hymn (see also Isa 26:19; 60:1).
- Ephesians 5:21 Christianity promotes, in community and in family, a new kind of relationship that is marked by humility and mutual submission. Here is a practical essay on the subject. The Old Testament had a lofty idea of marriage and liked to use the image of spouses to suggest God’s faithful love for his people (Ps 45; Song 1:3; Isa 54:4, 8; 62:4-5; Ezek 16; Hos 1:3).
21
In the same tradition, Christians compare the relationship of Christ and the Church with a marriage (Mt 9:15; 22:2-4; 25:1-13; Jn 3:29; 2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:7; 21:2-9). Here Paul goes even further: marriage as such is related to the mystery of Christ and the Church; the reciprocal love of Christ and the Church becomes the foundation and model for the life of spouses, who ought to be a sign and manifestation of that reciprocal love. There is a profound connection between the oneness of marriage and the oneness of Christ with the Church; the former reveals the ultimate intention of the creator when he created the human couple: an intention that the first generation of Christians saw in the text of Gen 2:24 (see Mt 19:5; Mk 10:8; 1 Cor 6:16-17). Chapter 5 of the Letter to the Ephesians, following the same theological line of thought, gives us one of the finest passages on the mystery of the Church and the spirituality of marriage. Paul’s ideas on marriage may be completed by a reading of 1 Cor 7:1-14 and Col 3:18-19. - Ephesians 5:26 Cleansing her with water and the word: a reference to Baptism (pouring of water and sacramental formula). Perhaps Paul had in mind the Oriental practice in the purification of a wife.
- Ephesians 6:1 Christian life also gives a new meaning to relations between children and parents. In an age less attentive than ours to the lot of little children, Paul was already emphasizing the responsibility of parents, without denying the duties of the young. The atmosphere he suggests is one of dialogue.
1
As for slavery, Paul does not pass judgment on the social structure of his age (see 1 Cor 7:21-22; Col 3:22-25; 1 Tim 6:1-2; Tit 2:9-10; Philem), but he does foretell new relations between master and slave, since all are equal before God, whatever the differences in their roles and social obligations. - Ephesians 6:10 Christ’s triumph over evil and the devil must be appropriated by individual Christians in the human sphere through a kind of spiritual warfare against the malevolent spirits in the heavens. For this, Christians need to be clothed with the armor of God (see Isa 11:5; 59:17; see also Wis 5:17-20)—a spiritual armor. They must strive to counter the forces of evil by relying on the Gospel and prayer.
