Study Desk

Therefore I, ^(a)the prisoner of the Lord, ^(b)implore you to ^(c)walk in a manner worthy of the ^(d)calling with which you have been ^(e)called,

with all ^(f)humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another ^(g)in love,

being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the ^(h)bond of peace.

There is ⁽ⁱ⁾one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one ^(j)hope of your calling;

^(k)one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all ^(l)who is over all and through all and in all.

But ^(m)to each one of us ⁽ⁿ⁾grace was given ^(o)according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Therefore ^[a]it says, "^(p) When He ascended on high , He ^(q) led captive a host of captives , And He gave gifts to men ."

(Now this expression, "He ^(r)ascended," what ^[b]does it mean except that He also ^[c]had descended into ^(s)the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is Himself also He who ascended ^(t)far above all the heavens, so that He might ^(u)fill all things.)

And He ^(v)gave ^(w)some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as ^(x)evangelists, and some as pastors and ^(y)teachers,

^(z)for the equipping of the ^[d]saints for the work of service, to the building up of ^(aa)the body of Christ;

until we all attain to ^(ab)the unity of the faith, and of the ^[e](ac)knowledge of the Son of God, to a ^(ad)mature man, to the measure of the stature ^[f]which belongs to the ^(ae)fullness of Christ.

^[g]As a result, we are ^(af)no longer to be children, ^(ag)tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by ^(ah)craftiness ^[h]in ^(ai)deceitful scheming;

but ^[i]speaking the truth ^(aj)in love, ^[j]we are to ^(ak)grow up in all aspects into Him who is the ^(al)head, even Christ,

from whom ^(am)the whole body, being fitted and held together ^[k]by what every joint supplies, according to the ^[l]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself ^(an)in love.