Ephesians 2

1 And you, being dead in your transgressions and sins, [a] 2 in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience — [c] 3 among whom we all also once conducted ourselves in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath, as the rest also were —

4 but God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even while we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with the Christ — by favor you have been saved — [d] 6 and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages that are coming on he might show the surpassing riches of his favor in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by favor you have been saved through faith; and this not out of yourselves — it is God’s gift; [e] 9 not out of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that once you, the nations in flesh — the ones called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision, made in flesh by hand — [f] 12 that you were at that time apart from Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [g] 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have become near in the blood of the Christ. [h]

14 For he himself is our peace, the one who made both one and tore down the middle wall of the fence, the hostility, in his flesh, [i] 15 doing away with the law of the commands in decrees, so that he might create the two in himself into one new man, making peace, [j] 16 and might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, killing the hostility in it. 17 And coming, he brought the good news of peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; [k] 18 because through him we both have the access, in one Spirit, to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer strangers and resident foreigners, but you are fellow citizens of the holy ones and members of God’s household, [l] 20 built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [m] 21 in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord, [n] 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. †