1 A t one time you were dead because of your sins.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

2 Y ou followed the sinful ways of the world and obeyed the leader of the power of darkness. He is the devil who is now working in the people who do not obey God.

in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

3 A t one time all of us lived to please our old selves. We gave in to what our bodies and minds wanted. We were sinful from birth like all other people and would suffer from the anger of God.

among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 B ut God had so much loving-kindness. He loved us with such a great love.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 E ven when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving-favor.

even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 G od raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the heavens.

and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 H e did this to show us through all the time to come the great riches of His loving-favor. He has shown us His kindness through Christ Jesus.

that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 F or by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 I t is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud.

not of works, lest anyone should boast.

10 W e are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this. Followers Now Become the Body of Christ

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Brought Near by His Blood

11 D o not forget that at one time you did not know God. The Jews, who had gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew by man’s hands, said you were people who do not know God.

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—

12 Y ou were living without Christ then. The Jewish people who belonged to God had nothing to do with you. The promises He gave to them were not for you. You had nothing in this world to hope for. You were without God.

that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 B ut now you belong to Christ Jesus. At one time you were far away from God. Now you have been brought close to Him. Christ did this for you when He gave His blood on the cross.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Christ Our Peace

14 W e have peace because of Christ. He has made the Jews and those who are not Jews one people. He broke down the wall that divided them.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

15 H e stopped the fighting between them by His death on the cross. He put an end to the Law. Then He made of the two people one new kind of people like Himself. In this way, He made peace.

having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

16 H e brought both groups together to God. Christ finished the fighting between them by His death on the cross.

and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

17 T hen Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to you who were far away from God. And He preached it to us who were near God.

And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

18 N ow all of us can go to the Father through Christ by way of the one Holy Spirit.

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Christ Our Cornerstone

19 F rom now on you are not strangers and people who are not citizens. You are citizens together with those who belong to God. You belong in God’s family.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 T his family is built on the teachings of the missionaries and the early preachers. Jesus Christ Himself is the cornerstone, which is the most important part of the building.

having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,

21 C hrist keeps this building together and it is growing into a holy building for the Lord.

in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

22 Y ou are also being put together as a part of this building because God lives in you by His Spirit.

in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.