Ephesians 4:15-25

15Instead, we will love each other and we will speak God's true message. As a result, we will become more and more like Christ in every way. He is the head of his body, which is the church.

16As its head, he helps the whole body to grow well. Each part joins with the other parts so that the whole body becomes strong. As each separate part does its proper work, we love each other more and more.

17So I say this to you. I am sure that I have the Lord's authority to say it. You must not live any longer like the Gentile people who do not know God. They do whatever their silly ideas teach them to do.

18They cannot understand God's true message because their minds are in the dark. They have not accepted the life that God gives. They have decided that they do not want to know about God. They do not even try to understand.

19They do not feel ashamed when they do all kinds of disgusting things. They do more and more bad things just to please themselves.

20But when you learned about Christ, you did not learn to do things like that!

21I am sure that you have heard about him properly. People taught you the true message that comes from Jesus.

22They taught you to change the way that you live. You must put away the nature that you had before. That old nature deceived you. As a result, you wanted to do things that would destroy you.

23Instead, let God's Spirit make you think in a new way.

24Take up the new nature that God has prepared for you. That nature is like God's own nature. Then you will live in a truly good way that pleases God.

25So you must stop telling lies. Each of you must say only true things to one another. Remember that all of us belong to one another, like parts of the same body.