Ephesians 2

Made Alive with Christ

1Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.#2:2 Greek obeying the commander of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Oneness and Peace in Christ

11Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

A Temple for the Lord

19So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

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Ephesians 2

By Grace Through Faith

1 # Col. 2:13; [ Col. 1:21 ] And you were #ver. 5; [ch. 4:18]; See Luke 15:24dead in the trespasses and sins 2#ch. 4:17, 22; 5:8; Col. 3:7; See Rom. 11:30; 1 Cor. 6:11in which you once walked, following the course#2:2 Or age of this world, following #[ch. 6:12; Rev. 9:11]; See John 12:31the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in #ch. 5:6; [1 Pet. 1:14]the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in #Gal. 5:16the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and #See Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12were by nature #[2 Pet. 2:14]children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.#2:3 Greek like the rest 4But#2:4 Or And God, being #ver. 7; Titus 3:5; See Rom. 2:4rich in mercy, #See John 3:16because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even #ver. 1; [Rom. 5:6, 8, 10] when we were dead in our trespasses, #Col. 2:12, 13; [John 14:19; Rev. 20:4] made us alive together with Christ—#ver. 8; See Acts 15:11by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and #See ch. 1:20seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable #ver. 4riches of his grace in #Titus 3:4kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For #ver. 5by grace you have been saved #1 Pet. 1:5; [Rom. 4:16] through faith. And this is #[2 Cor. 3:5] not your own doing; #[John 4:10; Heb. 6:4]it is the gift of God, 9#2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5; See Rom. 3:20, 28not a result of works, #1 Cor. 1:29; [Judg. 7:2]so that no one may boast. 10For #Deut. 32:6, 15; Ps. 100:3we are his workmanship, #[ch. 3:9; 4:24; Col. 3:10] created in Christ Jesus #ch. 4:24for good works, #[ch. 1:4] which God prepared beforehand, #Col. 1:10that we should walk in them.

One in Christ

11Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called #Rom. 2:26, 28; [Col. 2:11, 13]the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12remember #1 Cor. 12:2; [ch. 5:8; Col. 3:7] that you were at that time separated from Christ, #ch. 4:18; Col. 1:21; [Ezek. 14:5; Gal. 2:15; 4:8] alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to #See Rom. 9:4the covenants of promise, #1 Thess. 4:13; See ch. 1:18having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were #ver. 17; Acts 2:39far off have been brought near #[Col. 1:20]; See Rom. 3:25by the blood of Christ. 14For #Ps. 72:7; Mic. 5:5; Zech. 9:10; [Col. 3:15]; See Luke 2:14he himself is our peace, #See Gal. 3:28who has made us both one and has broken down #Col. 1:21, 22; [Rom. 7:4]in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in #Col. 2:14, 20ordinances, that he might create in himself one #See Rom. 6:4new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might #Col. 1:20-22; [1 Cor. 12:13]reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and #Isa. 57:19preached peace to you who were #ver. 13far off and peace to those who were #Deut. 4:7; Ps. 148:14near. 18For #[John 14:6] through him we both have #ch. 3:12; [John 10:7, 9]; See Rom. 5:2access in #ch. 4:4; 1 Cor. 12:13; [John 4:23]one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer #ver. 12; [Heb. 11:13; 13:14] strangers and aliens,#2:19 Or sojourners but you are #Phil. 3:20; [Heb. 12:22, 23] fellow citizens with the saints and #See Gal. 6:10members of the household of God, 20#[Jer. 12:16]; See 1 Cor. 3:9built on the foundation of the #Matt. 16:18; Rev. 21:14apostles and prophets, #[1 Cor. 3:11] Christ Jesus himself being #Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16the cornerstone, 21#ch. 4:15, 16in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into #See 1 Cor. 3:16, 17a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him #1 Pet. 2:5you also are being built together #[ch. 3:17; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Tim. 3:15]into a dwelling place for God by#2:22 Or in the Spirit.

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