Ephesians 2:12 Cross References - AUV

¹² [Remember] that you were at that time without Christ; [you were] excluded from citizenship in the nation of Israel; [you were] foreigners regarding the Agreements of [God’s] promises. You had no hope and were without God in the world.

⁷² in order to show mercy to our forefathers and to remember His holy Agreement.

²² You [Samaritans] do not [really] know what you worship; we [Jews] know what we worship because salvation is from the Jews [i.e., through Jewish prophets, Jewish Scriptures and a Jewish Messiah].

¹⁶ I have other sheep [also] which are not [presently] in this corral; I must lead them, too. They will hear my voice and become one flock [i.e., with the others], having one shepherd. [Note: This probably refers to believing Gentiles becoming God’s people, along with the Jews].

⁵ “I am the vine; you people are the branches. The person who remains united to me, and I to him, will bear much fruit. For you cannot do anything if [you are] separated from me.

²⁵ You people are descendants of these prophets and [recipients] of the Agreement God made with your forefathers when He said to Abraham [Gen. 12:3], 'And through your seed [i.e., your descendant Jesus] all the people of the earth will receive the blessings [of God].'

¹⁵ "Gentlemen, why are you doing these things? [Do you not know that] we are also human beings with the same kind of feelings that you have? And we are just bringing you the good news that you should turn away from these useless things [i.e., idol worship] and [turn] to the living God, who created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ¹⁶ God allowed all nations to go their own way in past generations,

²⁰ It was for this reason that I requested to see you and talk with you, for I am wearing this chain because of the hope held by the Israelites."

²⁸ And since these people refused to acknowledge God, He has allowed [or, abandoned] them to have degraded minds and to practice those things which they should not do. ²⁹ They are full of all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and maliciousness. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, hateful toward God, arrogant, proud and boastful. They think up evil things to do; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they do not have any sense; they do not keep their promises; they fail to show natural affection; and they are merciless. ³² These people know that God’s decrees require that those who practice such things deserve to die [i.e., either spiritual or temporal punishment], yet they not only do the same things [themselves], but even approve of other people who practice them.

⁴ the Israelites. These people are God’s adopted children; they have [experienced] His glorious presence; they have [received] His Agreements; they have been given the law of Moses; they possess the [Temple] service and the promises [of God]. ⁵ They are descended from our forefathers; they are the ones from whom Christ was born physically. He is God over everything [Note: Or this may be “God is over everything”] and should be praised forever! May it be so.

⁸ This means that it is not the physical descendants [of Abraham] who are God’s children, but it is the children [born] according to [God’s] promise who are [Abraham’s true] descendants.

⁴ Now concerning [the matter of] eating foods [once] offered as sacrifices to idols, we know that an idol is [really] nothing in the world [at all], and that there is only one God. ⁵ For [even] if there were things called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth; [and even if] there were many “gods” and many “lords,” ⁶ yet there is [only] one God to us, [and He is] the Father, from whom all things have come, and for whom we live. And [there is only] one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things have come, and through whom we live.

¹⁹ So, what am I saying? That an animal sacrificed to idols is [really] anything, or that an idol [itself] is anything? ²⁰ [Certainly not!] But I am saying that the Gentile sacrifices are [really] offered to evil spirits and not to God. And I do not want you to have fellowship with evil spirits.

¹⁶ Now [specific] promises were made to Abraham and to his seed [i.e., descendants]. [God] did not say “seeds” [plural] as though He were referring to many persons but “seed” [singular] showing that He meant one [descendant]; [Gen. 13:15 says] “And to your seed,” referring to Christ. ¹⁷ Here is what I am saying: The Agreement originally made by God [with Abraham], with its attending promises, was not canceled when the law of Moses was given some four hundred and thirty years later.

⁸ At that time, when you did not know God [as your Father], you were in bondage to those who were, by nature, not really gods at all.

¹⁸ Their understanding [of spiritual things] is darkened and excluded from the [spiritual] life that God gives, because of the ignorance in their minds and the stubbornness in their hearts.

⁵ [You have these qualities] because of the hope stored up for you in heaven, which [hope] you previously heard about through the message of truth when the Gospel

²¹ And though you were once estranged [from God] and were enemies [of His] in your mind because of your evil deeds,

²⁷ He was pleased to make known to these people the wealth of His splendor among the Gentiles; this hidden secret, which is Christ among you, [is] the hope of being honored [i.e., in heaven].

⁵ not in passionate lust, as the [unconverted] Gentiles, who do not know God, do.

¹³ But we want you to be informed, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep [in death] so that you do not grieve, as other people do [i.e., the unsaved], who have no hope.

¹⁶ Now, may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us never ending encouragement and good hope through [His] unearned favor,

¹ [This letter is from] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope [of never ending life. See Titus 3:7].

¹⁸ He did this so that by two unchangeable things [i.e., His promise and His oath], (and it is impossible for God to lie), we, who have fled [to God] for refuge, could be greatly encouraged to take hold of the hope set before us [i.e., the hope of never ending life].

³⁴ they put out raging fires, and they escaped being killed by swords. They were strengthened when weak, became mighty in battle, and defeated foreign armies.

³ God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is to be praised for being so merciful as to have given us a new birth, which provides for us a hope of never ending life through the means of Jesus Christ’s return from the dead.

²¹ [It is] through Christ, whom God raised from the dead and honored, that you people have become believers in God, so that your faith and hope could rest in God.

¹⁵ But instead, set aside a place in your hearts where Christ is [in full control as] Lord, and be prepared always to give a suitable reply to every person who asks you for a reason why you have an inner hope. But [be sure you do it] in a meek and respectful way, however.

³ And every person who has set his hope on this [i.e., of being like Jesus], will live [as] purely [as possible], just as He [i.e., Jesus Himself] is pure.