Ephesians by Martin Manser

Word Come Alive: • is an expanded translation of the New Testament of the Bible by respected editor Martin Manser • supplies linking phrases and background information in italics within the text to help make its message more immediately understandable • aims to express the sense of the original in contemporary, natural English that will have a powerful effect on readers, with a fresh, incisive quality that will make readers sit up and think. Who is behind Word Come Alive? Martin Manser, a professional reference-book editor. He has compiled or edited more than 200 reference books, particularly Bible-reference titles, English-language dictionaries and business-skills books. He is also a Language Trainer and Consultant with national and international companies and organisations. Word Come Alive: an extended translation (paraphrase) of the New Testament that shows additional explanatory phrases in italics in actual text. For example, Ephesians 2:4-6: But God – what marvellous words these are: ‘but God’! God intervened in this desperate situation simply because of who he is. He is infinitely rich in mercy, so he did not deal with us as we deserve. As a result of his great love, with which he loved us, he made us spiritually alive together with Christ. Because we are joined to Christ, God brought us to a new spiritual birth and into a living relationship with him. God made us alive, even when we were spiritually dead because we disobeyed him. You’ve been rescued only because of his grace – his kind love, his generous favour, that gives us life that we don’t deserve in the slightest. Stop and reflect on this: you and I have been rescued from slavery to sin, God’s just anger and death. We’re now alive to God because we’ve been brought into a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ – and all this is only because of God’s incredible love. Even more than this: God raised us up from spiritual death to life together with Christ ...