Ephesians 2

From Death to Life

¹And you were dead ^a in your trespasses and sins ²in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, ^b according to the ruler of the power of the air, ^c the spirit ^d now working in the disobedient. ^{e 3}We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly ^f desires, carrying out the inclinations ^g of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath ^h as the others were also. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, ⁱ because of his great love ^j that he had for us, ^{k 5}made us alive ^l with Christ even though we were dead ^m in trespasses. You are saved by grace! ⁶He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, ^{n 7}so that in the coming ages ^o he might display the immeasurable riches ^p of his grace through his kindness ^q to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For you are saved by grace ^r through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift #— # ⁹not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created ^s in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time ^t for us to do.

Unity in Christ

¹¹So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh #— #called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” ^u which is done in the flesh by human hands. ^{v 12}At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, ^w without hope ^x and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood ^y of Christ. ¹⁴For he is our peace, who made both groups one ^z and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, ¹⁵he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create ^aa in himself one ^ab new man from the two, resulting in peace. ¹⁶He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body ^ac through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. ^{ad 17}He came and proclaimed the good news ^ae of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ^{af 18}For through him we both have access ^ag in one Spirit to the Father. ^{ah 19}So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, ^ai with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building, being put together, ^aj grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ^{ak 22}In him you are also being built together ^al for God’s dwelling ^am in the Spirit.