Made Alive in Christ

And [a]you [b]were (A)dead [c]in your offenses and sins, in which you (B)previously walked according to the [d]course of (C)this world, according to (D)the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in (E)the [e]sons of disobedience. Among them [f]we too all (F)previously lived in (G)the lusts of our flesh, [g]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the [h]mind, and were (H)by nature (I)children of wrath, (J)just as the rest. But God, being (K)rich in mercy, because of (L)His great love with which He loved us, even when we were (M)dead [i]in our wrongdoings, made us alive together [j]with Christ ((N)by grace you have been saved), and (O)raised us up with Him, and (P)seated us with Him in (Q)the heavenly places in (R)Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the [k]boundless (S)riches of His grace in (T)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:1 Lit being
  2. Ephesians 2:1 I.e., Gentile believers
  3. Ephesians 2:1 Or by reason of
  4. Ephesians 2:2 Lit age
  5. Ephesians 2:2 I.e., people opposed to God
  6. Ephesians 2:3 I.e., Jewish believers
  7. Ephesians 2:3 Lit doing
  8. Ephesians 2:3 Lit thoughts
  9. Ephesians 2:5 Or by reason of
  10. Ephesians 2:5 Two early mss in Christ
  11. Ephesians 2:7 Lit surpassing

He Tore Down the Wall

1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Read full chapter

De muerte a vida por Cristo

Y Él les dio vida a ustedes, que estaban[a] muertos en[b] sus delitos y pecados(A), en los cuales anduvieron en otro tiempo(B) según la corriente[c] de este mundo(C), conforme al príncipe de la potestad del aire(D), el espíritu que ahora opera en los hijos de desobediencia(E). Entre ellos también todos nosotros en otro tiempo vivíamos(F) en las pasiones de nuestra carne(G), satisfaciendo[d] los deseos de la carne y de la mente, y éramos por naturaleza(H) hijos de ira(I), lo mismo que los demás(J).

Pero Dios, que es rico en misericordia(K), por causa del[e] gran amor con que nos amó(L), aun cuando estábamos muertos en[f] nuestros delitos(M), nos dio vida juntamente con Cristo (por gracia ustedes han sido salvados)(N), y con Él nos resucitó(O) y con Él nos sentó en los lugares celestiales(P) en Cristo Jesús(Q), a fin de poder mostrar en los siglos venideros las sobreabundantes riquezas de Su gracia(R) por Su bondad para con nosotros en Cristo Jesús.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Efesios 2:1 Lit. estando.
  2. Efesios 2:1 O a causa de.
  3. Efesios 2:2 Lit. la época.
  4. Efesios 2:3 Lit. haciendo.
  5. Efesios 2:4 Lit. de Su.
  6. Efesios 2:5 O a causa de.