Ephesians 2
1 At one time you were dead in your sins and evil actions,
He[F] raised you up as well, when you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 living your lives according to the ways of the world, under the control of the devil, whose spirit is at work in those who disobey God. (aiōn g165)
in which you once walked, according to the Aeon of this world, the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of the disobedience; (aiōn g165)
3 All of us were once like that, our behavior determined by the desires of our sinful human nature and our evil way of thinking. Like everyone else, in our nature we were children of anger.
among whom all of us also used to conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the senses, and were by nature children of wrath, just like the rest.
4 But God in his generous mercy, because of the amazing love he had for us
But God—being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even while we were dead in our sins, has made us alive together with Christ. Trusting in him has saved you!
even when we were dead in our transgressions—made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)
6 He raised us up with Christ, and in Christ Jesus seated us with him in heaven,
and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in all eternity to come he could demonstrate the amazing extent of his grace in showing us kindness through Christ Jesus. (aiōn g165)
in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, through His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (aiōn g165)
8 For you've been saved by grace through trusting in him—it's not through yourselves, it's the gift of God!
For by grace you have been saved, through the Faith—and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 This has nothing to do with human effort, so don't be proud of yourselves.
not by works, so that no one may boast.
10 We're the product of what God does, created in Christ Jesus to do good, which God already planned that we should do.
You see, we are His ‘poem’, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance in order that we should walk in them.
11 So you who are “foreigners” humanly-speaking, called “uncircumcised” by those who are “circumcised” (which is only a procedure carried out by human beings), you need to remember
So then, remember that once you physical Gentiles—called ‘uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘circumcision’ (that made in flesh with hands)—
12 that once you had no relationship to Christ. You were barred as foreigners from being citizens of Israel, strangers to the agreement God had promised. You had no hope and you lived in the world without God.
that at that time you were apart from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once a long way off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have come to be near through the blood of the Christ.
14 Christ is our peace. Through his body he made the two into one, and broke down the separating wall of hostility that divided us,
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one and broken down the barrier of separation—the law with its commandments and ordinances—
15 freeing us from the law with its requirements and regulations. He did this so he could create in himself one new person out of the two and so make peace,
having abolished the enmity through His ‘flesh’, so as to mold the two [Jew and Gentile] into one new man in Himself (thus making peace),
16 and completely reconcile both of them to God through the cross as if they were just one body, having destroyed our hostility towards each other.
and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross (by which He killed the enmity).
17 He came and shared the good news of peace with those of you who were far away, and those who were nearby,
He came and proclaimed peace to us, being both far and near,
18 because through him we both gain access to the Father through the same Spirit.
because through Him we both have access to the Father, by one Spirit.
19 That means you're no longer strangers and foreigners; you are fellow citizens of God's people and belong to God's family
So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household,
20 that's being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone;
21 In him the whole building is joined together, growing to form a holy temple for the Lord.
in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
22 You too are being built together in him as a place for God to live by the Spirit.
in whom you also are being built together to become a habitation of God in spirit.
