New Century Version NCV
New International Version NIV
1 In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God.
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As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 Yes, in the past you lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil powers that are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God.
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in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 In the past all of us lived like them, trying to please our sinful selves and doing all the things our bodies and minds wanted. We should have suffered God's anger because of the way we were. We were the same as all other people.
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All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
4 But God's mercy is great, and he loved us very much.
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But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God's grace.
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made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And he raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the heavens. He did this for those in Christ Jesus
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And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 so that for all future time he could show the very great riches of his grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus.
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in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
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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—
9 It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it.
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not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.
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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.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.