EphesiansChapter 2

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¹You were dead in your wrongs and sins. ²You used to live in those sins. You followed the ways of this world. You followed the ruler of the power of the air. He is the spirit who is now at work in those who disobey God. ³At one time all of us lived among them too. We did whatever our sinful nature craved. We followed its desires and thoughts. By nature we were under God's anger, just like everyone else. ⁴But God loves us very much, and he is rich in mercy. ⁵So he made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our sins. It is by grace you have been saved! ⁶God raised us up with Christ. He seated us with him in the heavenly world in Christ Jesus. ⁷He did this so that in the ages to come he could show how very rich his grace is. He shows it by his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸It is by grace you have been saved, through faith. This did not come from you. It is God's gift. ⁹It does not come from the things you do. So no one can brag about it. ¹⁰We are what God has made. He created us in Christ Jesus to do good works. God planned these good works long ago for us to live out. ¹¹So remember what you used to be. You were born as Gentiles. Some people call themselves "the circumcised." That is only something done to the body by human hands. Those people called you "the uncircumcised." ¹²Remember that at that time you were apart from Christ. You were shut out of the people of Israel. You were strangers to the covenants of God's promise. You had no hope, and you were without God in the world. ¹³But now you belong to Christ Jesus. You were once far away, but now you have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴Christ himself is our peace. He has made Jews and Gentiles into one people. He has torn down the wall of hate that kept them apart. ¹⁵He did this by putting an end to the law with its commands and rules. He did it in his own body. He wanted to make one new people out of the two, joined in himself. In this way he made peace. ¹⁶Through the cross he brought both of them back to God as one body. By the cross he put their hate to death. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away. He also preached peace to those who were near. ¹⁸Through Christ we both can come to the Father by one Spirit. ¹⁹So you are no longer strangers and outsiders. You are citizens together with God's people. You are members of God's family. ²⁰You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building is joined together. It grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²²In him you too are being built together. You are becoming a home where God lives by his Spirit.