1 And you hath he quickened, that were dead in trespasses and sinnes, 2 Wherein, in times past ye walked, according to the course of this world, and after the prince that ruleth in the aire, euen the spirite, that nowe worketh in the children of disobedience, 3 Among whom we also had our conuersation in time past, in the lustes of our flesh, in fulfilling the will of the flesh, and of the minde, and were by nature the children of wrath, as well as others. 4 But God which is rich in mercie, through his great loue wherewith he loued vs, 5 Euen when we were dead by sinnes, hath quickened vs together in Christ, by whose grace ye are saued, 6 And hath raysed vs vp together, and made vs sit together in the heauenly places in Christ Iesus, 7 That he might shewe in the ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace, through his kindnesse toward vs in Christ Iesus. 8 For by grace are ye saued through faith, and that not of your selues: it is the gift of God, 9 Not of workes, least any man should boast himselfe. 10 For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes, which God hath ordeined, that we should walke in them. 11 Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, and called vncircumcision of them, which are called circumcision in the flesh, made with hands, 12 That ye were, I say, at that time without Christ, and were alients from the common wealth of Israel, and were strangers from the couenants of promise, and had no hope, and were without God in the world. 13 But nowe in Christ Iesus, ye which once were farre off, are made neere by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, which hath made of both one, and hath broken the stoppe of the partition wall, 15 In abrogating through his flesh the hatred, that is, the Lawe of commandements which standeth in ordinances, for to make of twaine one newe man in himselfe, so making peace, 16 And that he might reconcile both vnto God in one body by his crosse, and slay hatred thereby, 17 And came, and preached peace to you which were afarre off, and to them that were neere. 18 For through him we both haue an entrance vnto the Father by one Spirit. 19 Nowe therefore ye are no more strangers and forreiners: but citizens with the Saintes, and of the houshold of God, 20 And are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone, 21 In whom all the building coupled together, groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord. 22 In whom ye also are built together to be the habitation of God by the Spirit.
From Death to Life
1 In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. 2 At that time you followed the world's evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God. 3 Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.
4 But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, 5 that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. 6 In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world. 7 He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the extraordinary greatness of his grace in the love he showed us in Christ Jesus. 8-9 For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. 10 God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.
One in Christ
11 You Gentiles by birth—called “the uncircumcised” by the Jews, who call themselves the circumcised (which refers to what men do to their bodies)—remember what you were in the past. 12 At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God's chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God's promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God. 13 But now, in union with Christ Jesus you, who used to be far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies. 15 He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with himself, in this way making peace. 16 By his death on the cross Christ destroyed their enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into one body and brought them back to God. 17 So Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to all—to you Gentiles, who were far away from God, and to the Jews, who were near to him. 18 It is through Christ that all of us, Jews and Gentiles, are able to come in the one Spirit into the presence of the Father.
19 So then, you Gentiles are not foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now citizens together with God's people and members of the family of God. 20 You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself. 21 He is the one who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord. 22 In union with him you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God lives through his Spirit.