God Has Given Us New Life Through Christ
1You were living in your sins and lawless ways. But in fact you were dead. 2You used to live as sinners when you followed the ways of this world. You served the one who rules over the spiritual forces of evil. He is the spirit who is now at work in those who don’t obey God. 3At one time we all lived among them. Our desires were controlled by sin. We tried to satisfy what they wanted us to do. We followed our desires and thoughts. God was angry with us like he was with everyone else. That’s because of the kind of people we all were. 4But God loves us deeply. He is full of mercy. 5So he gave us new life because of what Christ has done. He gave us life even when we were dead in sin. God’s grace has saved you. 6God raised us up with Christ. He has seated us with him in his heavenly kingdom. That’s because we belong to Christ Jesus. 7He has done it to show the riches of his grace for all time to come. His grace can’t be compared with anything else. He has shown it by being kind to us. He was kind to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. 9It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. 10We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do.
God’s New Family of Jews and Gentiles
11You who are not Jews by birth, here is what I want you to remember. You are called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “circumcised.” But they have only been circumcised in their bodies by human hands. 12Before you believed in Christ, you were separated from him. You were not considered to be citizens of Israel. You were not included in what the covenants promised. You were without hope and without God in the world. 13At one time you were far away from God. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. He spilled his blood for you. This has brought you near to God.
14Christ himself is our peace. He has made Jews and Gentiles into one group of people. He has destroyed the hatred that was like a wall between us. 15Through his body on the cross, Christ set aside the law with all its commands and rules. He planned to create one new people out of Jews and Gentiles. He wanted to make peace between them. 16He planned to bring both Jews and Gentiles back to God as one body. He planned to do this through the cross. On that cross, Christ put to death their hatred toward one another. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away. He also preached peace to those who were near. 18Through Christ we both come to the Father by the power of one Holy Spirit.
19So you are no longer outsiders and strangers. You are citizens together with God’s people. You are also members of God’s family. 20You are a building that is built on the apostles and prophets. They are the foundation. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in the building. 21The whole building is held together by him. It rises to become a holy temple because it belongs to the Lord. 22And because you belong to him, you too are being built together. You are being made into a house where God lives through his Spirit.
La vida en Cristo
1En otro tiempo vosotros estabais muertos en vuestras transgresiones y pecados, 2en los cuales andabais conforme a los poderes de este mundo. Os conducíais según el que gobierna las tinieblas, según el espíritu que ahora ejerce su poder en los que viven en la desobediencia. 3En ese tiempo también todos nosotros vivíamos como ellos, impulsados por nuestros deseos pecaminosos, siguiendo nuestra propia voluntad y nuestros propósitos.2:3 impulsados … propósitos. Lit. en los deseos de nuestra carne, haciendo la voluntad de la carne y los pensamientos. Como los demás, éramos por naturaleza objeto de la ira de Dios. 4Pero Dios, que es rico en misericordia, por su gran amor por nosotros, 5nos dio vida con Cristo, aun cuando estábamos muertos en pecados. ¡Por gracia habéis sido salvados! 6Y en unión con Cristo Jesús, Dios nos resucitó y nos hizo sentar con él en las regiones celestiales, 7para mostrar en los tiempos venideros la incomparable riqueza de su gracia, que por su bondad derramó sobre nosotros en Cristo Jesús. 8Porque por gracia habéis sido salvados mediante la fe; esto no procede de vosotros, sino que es el regalo de Dios, 9no por obras, para que nadie se jacte. 10Porque somos hechura de Dios, creados en Cristo Jesús para buenas obras, las cuales Dios dispuso de antemano a fin de que las pongamos en práctica.
Unidad en Cristo
11Por lo tanto, recordad, gentiles de nacimiento —los que sois llamados «incircuncisos» por aquellos que se llaman «de la circuncisión», la cual se hace en el cuerpo por mano humana—, 12recordad que en ese entonces estabais separados de Cristo, excluidos de la ciudadanía de Israel y ajenos a los pactos de la promesa, sin esperanza y sin Dios en el mundo. 13Pero ahora en Cristo Jesús, a vosotros que antes estabais lejos, Dios os ha acercado mediante la sangre de Cristo.
14Porque Cristo es nuestra paz: de los dos pueblos ha hecho uno solo, derribando mediante su sacrificio2:14 mediante su sacrificio. Lit. en su carne. el muro de enemistad que nos separaba, 15pues anuló la ley con sus mandamientos y requisitos. Esto lo hizo para crear en sí mismo de los dos pueblos una nueva humanidad al hacer la paz, 16para reconciliar con Dios a ambos en un solo cuerpo mediante la cruz, por la que dio muerte a la enemistad. 17Él vino y proclamó paz a vosotros que estabais lejos y paz a los que estaban cerca. 18Pues por medio de él tenemos acceso al Padre por un mismo Espíritu.
19Por lo tanto, ya no sois extraños ni extranjeros, sino conciudadanos de los santos y miembros de la familia de Dios, 20edificados sobre el fundamento de los apóstoles y los profetas, siendo Cristo Jesús mismo la piedra angular. 21En él todo el edificio, bien armado, se va levantando para llegar a ser un templo santo en el Señor. 22En él también vosotros sois edificados juntamente para ser morada de Dios por su Espíritu.
