Read the Bible

By Grace Through Faith

^1 (a)And you were ^(b)dead in the trespasses and sins ^2 (c)in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following ^(d)the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in ^(e)the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in ^(f)the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body^[a] and the mind, and ^(g)were by nature ^(h)children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.^{[b] 4} But^[c] God, being ⁽ⁱ⁾rich in mercy, ^(j)because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even ^(k)when we were dead in our trespasses, ^(l)made us alive together with Christ—^(m)by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and ⁽ⁿ⁾seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable ^(o)riches of his grace in ^(p)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For ^(q)by grace you have been saved ^(r)through faith. And this is ^(s)not your own doing; ^(t)it is the gift of God, ^9 (u)not a result of works, ^(v)so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For ^(w)we are his workmanship, ^(x)created in Christ Jesus ^(y)for good works, ^(z)which God prepared beforehand, ^(aa)that we should walk in them.

One in Christ

¹¹ Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called ^(ab)the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— ¹² remember ^(ac)that you were at that time separated from Christ, ^(ad)alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to ^(ae)the covenants of promise, ^(af)having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were ^(ag)far off have been brought near ^(ah)by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For ^(ai)he himself is our peace, ^(aj)who has made us both one and has broken down ^(ak)in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵ by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ^(al)ordinances, that he might create in himself one ^(am)new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶ and might ^(an)reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. ¹⁷ And he came and ^(ao)preached peace to you who were ^(ap)far off and peace to those who were ^(aq)near. ¹⁸ For ^(ar)through him we both have ^(as)access in ^(at)one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer ^(au)strangers and aliens,^[d] but you are ^(av)fellow citizens with the saints and ^(aw)members of the household of God, ^20 (ax)built on the foundation of the ^(ay)apostles and prophets, ^(az)Christ Jesus himself being ^(ba)the cornerstone, ^21 (bb)in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into ^(bc)a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him ^(bd)you also are being built together ^(be)into a dwelling place for God by^[e] the Spirit.