Ephesians 2:1-10
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 2
Christ Brought Us from Death to Life.[a] 1 You formerly were dead as a result of your transgressions and sins, 2 which were your way of life in this worldly era,[b] obeying the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit that is now at work among the children of rebellion. 3 We too were all numbered among them at one time. We were ruled by our sinful nature, succumbing to the temptations of the flesh and desires. And like all others, we were by nature children of wrath.
4 But God is rich in his mercy, and because he had such great love for us, 5 he brought us to life with Christ when we were already dead through sin—it is by grace that you have been saved. 6 He raised us up in union with Christ Jesus and enthroned us with him in the heavens, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace evidenced by his mercy to us in Christ Jesus.
8 [c]For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. This has not come from you but from the gift of God. 9 It does not come from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for a life of good works that God had prepared for us to do.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ephesians 2:1 In Greek, these verses comprise a single sentence.
- Ephesians 2:2 This worldly era: i.e., synonymous with “rulers of this world.” It may also refer to the first of the two ages of the world—the present evil age and the age to come (see 1 Cor 3:19; 5:10; 7:31; Gal 1:4; Tit 2:12).
- Ephesians 2:8 We are saved by God’s gift, not by the works of the Law (see Rom 3:20-21).
