In chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul urges believers to live lives worthy of their calling, emphasizing unity and peace. He outlines the concept of the one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. He also delineates various gifts given by Christ to believers, such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, aimed at equipping the saints for ministry and building up the body of Christ. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds, but to put off their old self, be renewed in the spirit of their minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Practical instructions are given concerning truthfulness, anger, theft, corrupting talk, kindness, and forgiveness.

Chapter 5 continues with Paul’s ethical teachings, calling for followers of Christ to be imitators of God and to walk in love, as Christ loved us. He explicitly advises against immorality, impurity, covetousness, and crude jesting, directing instead towards thanksgiving. The theme of light is pivotal, where believers are exhorted to walk as children of light and discern what is pleasing to the Lord, exposing works of darkness. Paul deals with the theme of marital relationships under the analogy of Christ and the Church, instructing husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Wives are counseled to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, respecting them as the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.