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Ephesians 2

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—

remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Ephesians 2

Paul describes the desperate human condition before grace: dead in trespasses and sins, enslaved to the spirit of the age—the archon of the power of the air working in the sons of disobedience—alienated from God and trapped in empty pursuits that promise life but deliver only death. But the turning point comes with the conjunction alla (but): God, rich in mercy and moved by the great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with Christ, raising us and seating us in the heavenly places in him—a corporate resurrection already accomplished. Salvation comes through grace by faith, not of ourselves or of works (erga), so that no one may boast, yet believers are his poiēma (workmanship, created artistry), fashioned in Christ Jesus for good works prepared beforehand. Paul then addresses the distinctive Gentile predicament—separated from Israel's covenants and promises, strangers to the commonwealth, without hope and without God in the cosmos—but reconciliation comes through Christ's blood as the dividing wall (mesotoichon) of hostility is demolished and the two peoples are made one new humanity (kainē anthropos) in Christ, their former enmity crucified. The section concludes with the building imagery: both Jews and Gentiles are being constructed into a holy temple in the Lord, built upon the apostles and prophets as foundation with Christ as the cornerstone (akrogōniaios), a dwelling place of God in the Spirit that transcends ethnic division.

Ephesians 2:18

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit — the trinitarian formula: dia autou (through Christ), en heni pneumati ('in one Spirit'), to the patri ('Father'), establishes the unified approach ('access,' prosagōgē) of Jews and Gentiles to God through Christ and the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:1

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins — the declaration nekroi ('dead') uses spiritual language: the Gentile converts were dead not physically but in the domain of sin (paraptōmata, 'transgressions,' and hamartiai, 'sins'), spiritually inert before encountering Christ, cut off from the life of God.

Ephesians 2:2

In which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient — the Gentiles were enslaved to the aion ('age,' world system) and the archōn tēs exousias tou aeros ('prince of the power of the air'), Satan himself, who energizes disobedience through spiritual rebellion, a dark portrait of pre-Christian existence.

Ephesians 2:3

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts — even Jewish believers shared this bondage to the epithymiai tēs sarkos ('desires of the flesh') and dianoia ('thoughts'), the entire human race under judgment, phusei tekna orgēs ('by nature children of wrath').

Ephesians 2:4

But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions — the mighty alla ('but') introduces the reversal: God's eleos ('mercy,' compassionate pity) and henotic philanthrōpia ('great love for humanity') break through the death-bondage; 'made alive' (zōopoieō) is resurrection language, the quickening of the spiritually dead.

Ephesians 2:5

It is by grace you have been saved — the parenthetical declaration sōzō ('saved') through charis ('grace') establishes the mode of salvation as purely the gift-action of God, not earned or merited, a principle Paul will emphasize through the exclusion of works.

Ephesians 2:6

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus — the believers share Christ's resurrection (synegeirō, 'raised together with') and ascension (synkathizō, 'seated together with'), a realized eschatology in which the church already inhabits the heavenlies with Christ, seated in authority and power.

Ephesians 2:7

In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus — the purpose (hina) extends into the future: future ages will witness and marvel at the hyperballō ploutē tēs charitos ('surpassing riches of grace'), the kindness (chrēstotēs) of God manifest toward the redeemed.

Ephesians 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — salvation (sōtēria) is by/through grace (charis) and faith (pistis), both the medium and means of salvation, neither originating from human initiative; the clause 'not from yourselves' excludes all human boasting.

Ephesians 2:9

Not by works so that no one can boast — the explicit negation of ergon ('works') as salvific agent establishes justification by grace alone; the purpose clause hina mē tis kauchēsai ('that no one might boast') echoes Romans 3:27-28, making the exclusion of human merit central to Paul's soteriology.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do — the paradox: salvation is not by works (v. 9) but believers are poiēma ('crafted work,' opus, masterpiece) of God, created en Christō ('in Christ') for good works (ergon agathon), which God has proetoimazō ('prepared beforehand'), restoring works to their proper place as the fruit rather than root of salvation.

Ephesians 2:11

Therefore, remember that formerly you, who are Gentiles by birth and called 'uncircumcised' by those who call themselves 'the circumcision' (that done in the body by human hands) — the Gentile addressees are reminded of their former status: akrobystia ('uncircumcision,' both physical and metaphorical), a term of contempt in Jewish discourse, set against peritomē ('circumcision'), the covenant mark and badge of Jewish election.

Ephesians 2:12

Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world — the five-fold deprivation: choris Christou ('apart from Christ'), xenoi tōn diathēkōn ('strangers to the covenants'), elpis ('hope') absent, atheoi ('without God'), the cosmic alienation of pagan existence.

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ — the alla ('but') introduces restoration: hoi pote makran ('those once far away,' quoting Isaiah 57:19) are now engys ('brought near') through the blood (haima) of Christ, the reconciliation achieved through sacrifice.

Ephesians 2:14

For Christ himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility — Christ is eirēnē ('peace,' the reconciliation of opposites); he poieō ('made') heis ('one') the duo ethnē ('two peoples'), destroying the mesotoichon ('middle wall') of hostility (echthra), likely referencing the Temple's outer court barrier separating Jew and Gentile, now demolished in Christ's flesh.

Ephesians 2:15

By setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations — Christ abolished (katargeuō, 'rendered inoperative') the nomos ('law') with its entolai kai dogmata ('commandments and ordinances'), not annulling the law's authority but its divisive power as the means of Jewish-Gentile separation. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace — the telos ('purpose'): to create (ktizō, a new creation verb) hena kainon anthrōpon ('one new humanity'), a unified people transcending ethnic and religious boundaries, the eschatalogical humanity anticipated in Adam and now realized in the church.

Ephesians 2:16

And in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility — in the heis sōma ('one body,' the church), reconciliation (apokatallassō, 'restore to full relationship') occurs to God (theō) via the stauros ('cross'), where echthra ('hostility') is killed, the cosmic alienation ended.

Ephesians 2:17

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near — the allusion to Isaiah 57:19 ('peace to the far and near') applies to Christ's gospel proclamation: euangelizō eirēnēn ('preached peace') to Gentiles and Jews alike, universalizing the promise.

Ephesians 2:19

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household — the status reversal: no longer xenoi kai paroikoi ('foreigners and strangers') but sympolitai ('fellow citizens') and oikeioi tou theou ('members of God's household'), full belonging in the covenant community.

Ephesians 2:20

Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone — the ekklēsia is an oikodomeō ('building') with themelios ('foundation') = apostoloi kai prophētai ('apostles and prophets'), and akrogōniaios ('cornerstone') = Christus, establishing Christ as the foundation-head of the living temple.

Ephesians 2:21

In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord — the sunarmologeō ('fitted together,' architectural terminology) and auxanō ('grows') describes the building as a living naos hagios ('holy temple') in kyriō ('in the Lord'), an organic structure where Christ is simultaneously foundation and head.

Ephesians 2:22

And in him you too are being built together into a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit — the 'you also' (kai hymeis) are being synek ('built together') as katoikēterion ('dwelling place') of God through the pneuma ('Spirit'), reversing the ancient tabernacle imagery: believers themselves are now the temple of God's presence, the eschatalogical fulfillment of indwelling.