Ephesians 2–3

Made Alive in Christ

2And you, although you were dead^a* in your trespasses and sins, ²in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, ³among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will^b of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath^c by nature, as also the rest of them were.

⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, ⁵and we being dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), ⁶and raised us together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that he might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹it is not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.

Jewish and Gentile Believers United in Christ

¹¹Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, the so-called uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision in the flesh, made by hands, ¹²that you were at that time apart from Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, not having hope, and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you, the ones who once were far away, have become near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of the partition, the enmity, in his flesh, ¹⁵invalidating the law of commandments in ordinances, in order that he might create the two in himself into one new man, thus^* making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, killing the enmity in himself.^{d 17}And coming, he proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to the ones who were near, ¹⁸because through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹Consequently, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,^{e 21}in whom the whole building, joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²²in whom you also are built up together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.^f

The Mystery of Christ Revealed

3On account of this I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles ²—if indeed you have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace given to me for you. ³According to^a revelation the mystery was made known to me, just as I wrote beforehand in brief, ⁴so that you may be able when you read^b to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ ⁵(which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit): ⁶that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, ⁷of which I became a servant, according to the gift of God’s grace given to me, according to the working of his power.

⁸To me, the least of all the saints, was given this grace: to proclaim the good news of the fathomless riches of Christ to the Gentiles, ⁹and to enlighten everyone as to what is the administration of the mystery hidden from the ages by God, who created all things, ¹⁰in order that the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church, ¹¹according to the purpose of the ages which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in him.^{c 13}Therefore I ask you^* not to be discouraged at my afflictions on behalf of you, which are your glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

¹⁴On account of this, I bend my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every^d family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that he may grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (you having been firmly rooted and established in love), ¹⁸in order that you may be strong enough to grasp together with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to the one who is able to do beyond all measure more than all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work in us, ²¹to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.