Ephesians 2

1 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience.

3 We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

4 But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,

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

6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;

8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not of works, that no one would boast.

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

11 Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision” (in the flesh, made by hands),

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

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation,

15 having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace,

16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it.

17 He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.

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

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

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

21 in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

22 in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

Around Ephesians 2

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Ephesians 2 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Paul begins with a hard picture: you were dead in transgressions and sins, walking according to the course of this world. Then comes the turn. God, rich in mercy and moved by great love, made us alive together with Christ, even when we were dead through our trespasses.

The heart of the chapter is verse 8: “by grace you have been saved through faith”, and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one would boast. And yet people are not left idle: “we are his workmanship”, created for good works that God prepared before.

Then Paul speaks to the Gentiles, who were once far off, strangers to the covenants of promise. Now they are near. Christ is our peace. He “broke down the middle wall of separation”, made the two into one new person, and joins them in one household of God, built on Christ as the chief cornerstone.

Background

Paul, in prison according to tradition, writes to believers whom he addresses mostly as Gentiles. The wall that Christ breaks down is read by some as the barrier in the Jewish temple that kept Gentiles out, and by others as a picture of the law or of hostility. Catholic and Protestant traditions both read verses 8 to 10 and differ on how faith and works relate. The chapter is not against Jews: it speaks of Jews and Gentiles made one.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 17 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes