Ephesians 2
(1) God Resurrected Us with Jesus
You used to be dead because of all your infringements and shortcomings. That used to be your default state along with the rest of the world. The rest of the world operates under the influence of the atmosphere’s ruler (the spirit that currently works in disobeyers). We used to be right there with those people, operating in our fleshly desires and doing whatever popped into our minds. Thanks to our lineage, we were children of God’s anger, just like everyone else.
But God was rich in compassion, and He loved us a lot. Even though we used to be dead from stepping out of bounds, God put us together with the Chosen One and made us alive with Him. (Yes, the thing that rescues us is God’s kindness.) God lifted us up with the Chosen One and sat us down with Jesus in the heavenly realm. And now God can show us the overflowing riches of His kindness in Jesus for ages to come.
The thing that rescued us was God’s kindness, which came through trusting Jesus. Our rescue didn’t come from ourselves—it’s a gift from God that isn’t based on our own actions. That means none of us can brag about it. We’re God’s handiwork, and we’ve been crafted in the Chosen One to do good things. Yes, God prepared good deeds for us long in advance so we’d do them.
(11) Jesus Merged Pagans & God’s People
You used to live in the flesh since you weren’t a part of God’s chosen people. The Israelites labeled you as “uncircumcised,” and labeled themselves as “circumcised” (even though circumcision is just the handiwork of human flesh). You were disconnected from the Chosen One and weren’t citizens of God’s empire. When it came to God’s promised arrangements, you were outsiders. You were utterly hopeless as you roamed the world without God.
But in the Chosen One, you who used to be distant now became near thanks to His blood. He Himself is our harmony, because He merged both groups into one by tearing down the wall. God’s rules for the Israelites created a lot of animosity between them and the pagans, but the Chosen One destroyed that animosity when He was in the flesh. Jesus’s goal was to absorb the two groups into Himself, creating one new person and establishing harmony. He wanted to reconcile both Israelites and pagans to God in one body through the cross, killing their animosity. As it says in the ancient writings,
“He came announcing peace to you who were far away, and peace to you who were nearby.”
—Isaiah 57:19
Through Jesus, both pagans and Israelites have access to the Father through one spirit. So you guys aren’t foreigners or outsiders anymore—you’re fellow citizens with God’s sacred people! You’re a part of God’s family now! You were built on the foundation laid by the missionaries and the prophets, and Jesus (the Chosen One) is the first and most important cinder block. The entire building is now being fitted together because of Jesus, growing together as a sacred shrine in our Leader. You’re being built together in Jesus to become God’s home in the spirit.