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Made Alive with Christ

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:2 Greek obeying the commander of the power of the air.

God Has Brought Us from Death to Life

You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient.[a] Indeed, all of us once behaved like[b] them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for[c] wrath, just like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us[d] even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with[e] the Messiah[f] (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in the Messiah[g] Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah[h] Jesus.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:2 Lit. the sons of disobedience
  2. Ephesians 2:3 Or lived among
  3. Ephesians 2:3 Lit. were children of
  4. Ephesians 2:4 Lit. love with which he loved us
  5. Ephesians 2:5 Other mss. read in
  6. Ephesians 2:5 Or Christ
  7. Ephesians 2:6 Or Christ
  8. Ephesians 2:7 Or Christ