Ephesians 2

¹And you, although being dead in your trespasses and sins —

²in which you once walked, according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,

³among whom also we all conducted ourselves formerly in the desires of our flesh, doing the willings of the flesh and of the thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath, as also the rest.

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

⁵even while we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ — by grace you are saved —

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

⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves — it is the gift of God,

⁹not 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 might walk in them.

¹¹Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision made by hands in the flesh —

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

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

¹⁴For he himself is our peace, the one who made both groups one and broke down the dividing wall of the fence,

¹⁵having nullified the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that he might create the two in himself into one new humanity, thus making peace,

¹⁶and that he might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having slain the hostility in it;

¹⁷And he came and proclaimed peace as good news 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 upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

²¹in whom every building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

²²in whom you also are being built together into a habitation of God in the Spirit.