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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
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not by works, so that no one can boast.
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For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—
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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.
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But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
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For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
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by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,
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and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
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He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
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For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
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Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,
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built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
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In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
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And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
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God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
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that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
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In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
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which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
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This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
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I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
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Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
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and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
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His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
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according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
