even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).

(But what does "He ascended" mean if not that He also [first] descended to the lower parts of the earth [i.e., to the earth below]? [Note: Of the three principal interpretations given to this verse: a) Christ descended to earth, b) Christ descended to the grave, c) Christ descended to Mary's womb. The first is to be preferred. See John 3:13; 6:38, 62].

(for it is Christ whom you have been taught, it is in Christ that you have been instructed ??the real Christ who is in Jesus);

But, just now, in Christ Jesus, ye, who at one time were afar off, were made nigh in the blood of the Christ;

Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

To the saints (God’s people) who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:

Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ,

For this reason [grasping the greatness of this plan by which Jews and Gentiles are joined together in Christ] I bow my knees [in reverence] before the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ],

until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].

in order to equip the saints for the work of serving, for the building up of the Body of Christ??13 till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to the maturity of manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

and ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus,

and in arranging, when the time should have fully come, that everything in heaven and on earth should be unified in Christ??11 the Christ through whom it is our lot to have been predestined by the design of him who in everything carries out the purpose of his will,

And he raised us with Christ, and through our union with Christ Jesus made us sit down with him in heaven,

which is His [spiritual] body. The church is completely filled by Christ [or, "Christ is completely filled by God"], who completely fills everything in every way.

But you people did not learn Christ that way [i.e., the above described life is not compatible with a commitment to Christ].

Yes, to me, who am less than the least of all Christ's People, was this charge entrusted!--to tell the Gentiles the Good News of the boundless wealth to be found in the Christ,

So that the Christ, through your faith, may make his home within your hearts in love; And I pray that you, now firmly rooted and established, may, with all Christ's People,

The same mighty power was exerted upon the Christ, when he raised the Christ from the dead and 'caused him to sit at his right hand' on high, exalting him above all Angels and Archangels of every rank,

That he might point out, in the oncoming ages, the surpassing riches of his favour in graciousness upon us, in Christ Jesus;

His, in fact we are - his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus upon a footing of good works, which God prepared beforehand, that, therein, we might walk.

Having been built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, there being, for chief corner stone, Jesus Christ himself, -

For this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you the nations: -

Respecting which ye can, by reading, perceive my discernment in the sacred secret of the Christ, -

That they who are of the nations should be joint heirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through means of the glad-message, -

To get to know, also, the knowledge-surpassing, love of the Christ, - in order that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God:

Unto him, be the glory, in the assembly, and in Christ Jesus - unto all the generations of the age of ages; Amen: -

To each one of you, however, hath favour been given, according to the measure of the free-gift of the Christ;

But, pursuing truth - may, in love, grow into him in all things, - who is the head, Christ, -

And be ye gracious one to another, tenderly affectionate, in favour forgiving one another - even as, God also, in Christ, hath in favour forgiven you;

And walk in love - even as, the Christ also, loved you, and delivered himself up in your behalf, an offering and sacrifice unto God, for a fragrance of sweet smell.

For, this, ye know, if ye take note - that no fornicator, or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and God.

Wherefore it saith - Up! thou sleeper, and arise from among the dead, and the Christ will shine upon thee.

Giving thanks, always, for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto your God and Father;

Submitting yourselves one to another in reverence of Christ, -

Because, a husband, is the head of his wife, as, the Christ also, is the head of the assembly, he, being the saviour of the body, -

Nevertheless, as, the assembly, submitteth herself unto the Christ, so, the wives, unto their husbands, in everything:

Ye husbands, be loving your wives, even as, the Christ also, loved the assembly, and delivered, himself, up in her behalf,

No one, in fact, ever yet hated, his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, - even as, the Christ, the assembly,

This sacred secret, is, great, - I, however, am speaking as to Christ and as tothe assembly; -

Ye servants, be obedient unto them who, after the flesh, are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto the Christ;

Not by way of eye-service as man-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God, from the soul,

Peace unto the brethren, and love with faith, - from God our Father, and Lord Jesus Christ.

Favour be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptness.

just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love

He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—

so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory.

[I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].

For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;

and to make plain [to everyone] the plan of the mystery [regarding the uniting of believing Jews and Gentiles into one body] which [until now] was kept hidden through the ages in [the mind of] God who created all things.

This is in accordance with [the terms of] the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin].

God has put all things under Christ's feet, and placed him as Head over all in the church,