以弗所书 2

出死入生

1 从前，你们因着自己的过犯罪恶而死了。 2 那时，你们在过犯罪恶中生活，随从今世的风俗，顺服空中掌权者的领袖，就是现今在悖逆的人心中运行的邪灵。 3 我们从前也都生活在他们当中，放纵肉体的私欲，随着肉体和心中的意念去做，和别人一样，生来就是该受惩罚的人。 4 然而，上帝有丰富的怜悯，因着他爱我们的大爱， 5 竟在我们因过犯而死了的时候，使我们与基督一同活过来—可见你们得救是本乎恩— 6 他又使我们在基督耶稣里与他一同复活，一同坐在天上， 7 为要把他极丰富的恩典，就是他在基督耶稣里向我们所施的恩慈，显明给后来的世代。 8 你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，而是上帝所赐的； 9 也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。 10 我们是他所造之物，在基督耶稣里创造的，为要使我们行善，就是上帝早已预备好要我们做的。

在基督里合而为一

11 所以，你们要记得：从前你们按肉体是外邦人，是“没受割礼的”；这名字是那些凭人手在肉身上“受割礼的人”所取的。 12 要记得那时候，你们与基督无关，与以色列选民团体隔绝，在所应许的约上是局外人，而且在世上没有指望，没有上帝。 13 从前你们是远离上帝的人，如今却在基督耶稣里，靠着他的血，已经得以亲近了。

14 因为他自己是我们的和平t，使双方合而为一，拆毁了中间隔绝的墙，而且以自己的身体终止了冤仇， 15 废掉那记在律法上的规条，为要使两方藉着自己造成一个新人，促成了和平； 16 既在十字架上消灭了冤仇，就藉这十字架使双方归为一体，与上帝和好， 17 并且来传和平的福音给你们远处的人，也传和平给那些近处的人， 18 因为我们双方藉着他，在同一位圣灵里得以进到父面前。

19 这样，你们不再是外人或客旅，是与圣徒同国，是上帝家里的人了， 20 被建造在使徒和先知的根基上，而基督耶稣自己为房角石， 21 靠着他整座房子连接得紧凑，渐渐成为在主里的圣殿。 22 你们也靠他同被建造，成为上帝藉着圣灵居住的所在。

EPHESIANS 2

From Death to Life

1  t In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. 2 You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God.

3 Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.
4-5 But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much he made us alive with Christ, and God's gift of undeserved grace is what saves you. 6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. 7 God did this so in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.t This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.

10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

United by Christ

11 Don't forget that you are Gentiles. In fact, you used to be called “uncircumcised” by those who take pride in being circumcised. 12 At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God,

13 and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life's blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God.
14 Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body 15 t to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. 16 t On the cross Christ did away with our hatred for each other. He also made peacet between us and God by uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body. 17 t Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles, who were far from God, and peace to us Jews, who were near God.

18 And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit.
19 You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God. 20 You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone. 21 Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord. 22 And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God's own Spirit to live.