Ephesians 2

¹And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

²in which you once walked , following the course of this world , following the prince of the power of the air , the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience —

³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh , carrying out the desires of the body and the mind , and were by nature children of wrath , like the rest of mankind.

⁴But God , being rich in mercy , because of the great love with which he loved us ,

⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses , made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved —

⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus ,

⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus .

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith . And this is not your own doing ; it is the gift of God ,

⁹not a result of works , so that no one may boast .

¹⁰For we are his workmanship , created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared beforehand , that we should walk in them .

¹¹Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh , called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision , which is made in the flesh by hands —

¹²remember that you were at that time separated from Christ , alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise , having no hope and without God in the world .

¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ .

¹⁴For he himself is our peace , who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

¹⁵by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances , that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two , so making peace ,

¹⁶and reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross , thereby killing the hostility .

¹⁷And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near .

¹⁸For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father .

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens , but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God ,

²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets , Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone ,

²¹in whom the whole structure , being joined together , grows into a holy temple in the Lord .

²²In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit .