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¹ It wasn't long ago that you were hung up in the stirrup of sin because you wouldn't live the way the Boss told you to. ² You weren't just hung up, you were being dragged to death just like the rest of the world. You didn't listen to God, you flat-out followed the devil himself into every bedroom and bottle you could find. He ain't no outlaw to be trifled with. He's the leader of hell itself and you were riding for him. ³ But the truth is, all of us used to act like that. We only followed what felt good at the moment. We thought we were doing what we wanted, but we were being guided by the devil. Because of this, it's no wonder we were destined to be punished by God.

⁴ But we are thankful that the Boss is a merciful God. His mercy don't ever run dry either, and neither does his love. ⁵ Get this, boys! We were dead because we were hung up in the stirrup of sin, but when God brought his son back to life, he grabbed us by the belt and lifted us back in the saddle with a new purpose. It's God's grace that saved us, cowboys! ⁶ God raised Jesus up from the dead and gave him a place of honor in heaven. And we get to go with him because we are part of his crew! ⁷ People will look back and see the extraordinary gift that is available to everyone who rides for the brand. We've got a spot in God's crew because of his grace through Jesus, not because we are top hands.

⁸ It's our faith in God's love for us that does the saving—and this is not from our rope, or our hand, or our horse, it is the gift of the Almighty. ⁹ No matter how tough you think you are, you can't save your own hide. You can't toot your own horn about something you can't do on your own. ¹⁰ Like the greatest saddle maker ever, we were tooled by God himself, created in Christ Jesus to do good things God prepared for us before we even got here.

One in Our Ride with Christ

¹¹ Don't forget that those of you who were not Jews used to be outsiders. The Jews even called y'all, "unclipped outlaws." They were proud of their clipped pickles, but they didn't realize it only affected their body, not their heart. ¹² Back in them days, y'all didn't have a spot with Jesus on the ranch. Y'all had no part in the promise of God because you weren't his people. You rode through this world without God and without hope. ¹³ But now you ride for the brand and have been made one with Christ. There was a time you didn't even know God and now he lives inside you through the blood of Jesus.

¹⁴ Now there is peace throughout the land. Jesus has united the outsiders and the Jews together into one people. He broke down the barbed wire fence that separated us with his own body on the cross. ¹⁵ He ended the Code, with all its rules and regulations, and made one crew out of two groups of people. ¹⁶ Jesus's death on the cross made us right with God and allowed two enemies to ride for one brand.

¹⁷ He rode out and delivered the good news to the outsiders who were far away, but on his way, he gave the same good news to the Jews. ¹⁸ Now we ride right beside God and can ask him anything through the Holy Ghost. All of this is possible because of what Jesus did for us.

A Headquarters for the Lord

¹⁹ So now you Gentiles are no longer outsiders. You are part of the crew along with all of God's other cowboys. Even more than that, you are part of God's family. ²⁰ Together, we are his headquarters. It's built on the foundation laid by the handpicked cowboys and the prophets. The cornerstone of the headquarters is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ He's the one who everything is measured off of. We are joined together with him to make a holy place for God. ²² It's because of him you outsiders are now brought in and made a part of the place where God resides through his Spirit.