Apr 20
26
New Testament Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22
“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated 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 you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:11–22, ESV)
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[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
The passage that is before us today perfectly mirrors the previous one in it’s progression of thought.
If you remember, in the previous passage Paul addressed the individual Christians who were members of the church in Ephesus to, first of all, remind them of their hopeless and helpless condition prior to knowing Christ; secondly, he reminded them of the mercy of God shown to them to make them alive in Christ; and thirdly, he mentioned God’s purpose for them in Christ — that they would now walk in the good works that God had prepared for them. And so Paul, in Ephesians 2:1-10, addressed the individual Christian to magnify the grace of God that was shown to them. They once once walked in darkness, but by God’s grace that were recreated and renewed so as to walk as children of light.
The progression is identical in Ephesians 2:11-22. Paul again reminds the believers in Ephesus of their previous state of hopelessness, of God’s gracious intervention, and of their new purpose which accompanies their new life. But it is the vantage point that is slightly different. Instead of considering the individual Christian, Paul is here considering the Ephesian Christians as a group. Specifically, he is considering the Ephesian Christians as Gentile Christians. And here Paul is showing that though the Gentiles were once far off and without hope in this world, God has brought them near, to the glory of his grace.
Stated just a little differently, where as Ephesians 2:1-10 has the application of the salvation that Christ has earned to individuals in view, Ephesians 2:11-22 has the progression of the history of redemption in view. For a time God’s redemptive activities were largely confined to only one race of men, namely, the Hebrews. But now that the Christ has come — now that the Christ has come into the world through the Hebrew people — God’s redemptive activities have spread and expanded to all the nations of the earth. This is the thing that Paul is emphasizing here in Ephesians 2:11-22 — the marvelous progress that he himself had witnessed in the history of redemption. The Gentiles, who were once living in darkness and without hope in the world, have been brought near.
You and I should care very much about this theme, for most of us are Gentiles. Living so long after the arrival of the Christ, and living so far away from where he lived, it is a truly marvelous thing to consider that we Gentiles are now citizens of God’s kingdom, members of his household, building blocks in his temple.
Let us now carefully consider Paul’s words, for they are the very words of God.
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At One Time The Gentiles Were Separated From God (vs. 11-12)
In verses 11 and 12 Paul reminds the Ephesians that at one time they, as Gentiles, were separated from God in the world. Verse 11: “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:11–12, ESV).
“Therefore remember that at one time…”, Paul says. What “time” is Paul refering to? Well, clearly he is refering to that time — that very long stretch of time — prior to the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Christ. He is referring to that time — that very long stretch of human history — wherein the good news of Jesus Christ was confined largely to the Hebrews, and thus not available to the Gentile nations. He is refering to the time preceding the issuing and the accomplishment of the Great Commission, wherein the Christ himself said to his Apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19, ESV). Prior to that moment, the Gentile, or non-Jewish nations were largely separated from the Gospel, from Christ, and therefore from God.
When did this time of separation begin? Well, certainly it began with the formation of the nation of Israel at the time of the Exodus. It was certainly at that moment that the prototypical Kingdom of God on earth was committed and confined to that particular people. But, having now studied the book of Genesis with care, you know that God began to carry out his purposes of redemption amongst a particular people prior to the Exodus event. Remember that God set Abraham and his family apart from the nations long before Israel would emerge as a nation. In fact, we are to remember that circumcision (which is mentioned in this Ephesians passage) was given, not first to Moses and Israel as a nation, but to Abraham. The sign of circumcision was connected to the covenant that God made with Abraham. It was to be applied to every male child. Circumcision symbolized many things. Most fundamentally, it marked the person as a descendent of Abraham, as a member of his household, as a partaker of the covenant that was transacted with him. Circumcision signified that theone to whom it was applied was a member of a special people whom God had set a part as distinct from the nations of the earth, so that his plan of redemption for the all nations might be accomplished through them.
So, “at one time” — namely, from the call of Abraham out of Ur to the resurrection of the Christ and the utterance of the command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”, the Gentiles were separated from Christ, from God, and were without hope in the world. These nations lived in near total darkness for long, long time.
These non-Jewish, or non-Hebrew, people are referred to in the scriptures as “Gentiles”. This a very, very broad term that refers to every other ethnicity besides that of the Hebrews.
Notice that Paul here adds that these “Gentiles in the flesh” are also called “‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands…” (Ephesians 2:11, ESV). This is a very interesting remark, for it hints at the hatred that some of the Jews had for the Gentiles. This label, “the uncircumcision”, was not a term of endearment. To the contrary, it was a derogatory term. Many of the Jews in Jesus’ day and in Paul’s had distain for Gentiles. They were dogs. They were unclean. They were to be avoided at all costs.
Now, to be sure, the distinction between Jew and Gentile was a distinction that God himself had made. Under the Old Mosaic Covenant God did in fact give laws to Israel — ceremonial laws — which were meant to highlight and maintain the distinction between Jew and Gentile. All of that was right! It was ordained by God, for a time. But consider three things:
One, the distinction between Jew and Gentile under Abraham, and especially in the law given to Moses, did not require that the Jews look down upon the Gentiles to treat them with distain. To the contrary, even under the Old Covenant the Jews were to pray for and seek the salvation of the nations.
Two, the distinction between Jew and Gentile under Abraham, and especially in the law given to Moses, was to be imposed for a time. This should have been clear to every Hebrew as they considered the call of Abraham and the covenant that was transacted with him. From the start God said that he would uniquely bless Abraham and his descendants so that through them “the nations of the earth” would be blessed. Read also the Prophets and see their love and concern for the nations of the earth. Read the Psalms which do, from time to time, call out to the nations to trust in the God of Israel. For example, Psalm 117 says, “Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 117:1–2, ESV). What I am saying is that a proper and true understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures, and of the Old Covenant, is that God’s purpose in entering into a covenant with Abraham, in setting his descendants apart and making them into a holy nation, was to redeem people from every nation through them.
Three, with that said it is not hard to understand why many of the Hebrews living in the days of Christ had a very difficult time adjusting to the change that accompanied the transition from the Old Covenant to the New. The transitions was extreme. Those civil laws which were given through Moses to govern Israel as a nation were taken away. So too were those ceremonial laws which distinguished Israel from the nations. They were abolished having been fulfilled by Christ, for they did also point forward to him. Peter, remember was told to rise, kill and eat things that were unclean to him under the Old Covenant. This was hard for him to swallow, pun intended. And these Gentile “dogs” — these pagan sinners who had for so long been excluded from the worship of God — were now being grafted into Israel, adopted as Sons, and were by faith called true children of Abraham, whereas as many who were children of Abraham according to the flesh were called children of the Evil One because of their unbelief. This transition from Old Covenant to new was very extreme. It is no wonder that the early Christians — Jew and Gentile alike — struggled to navigate these uncharted waters. Read the book of Acts sometime and look for this theme. Watch the early disciples of Christ wrestle with the question, how should we view these Gentiles who have now believed the Gospel of Jesus, the Hebrew Christ, and have clearly received the same Holy Spirit as we have received?
Here in the little phrase, “you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands…” we are given a small taste of the hostilities that still existed between Jew and Gentile in the early church. Paul seems to indicate that the hostility was coming predominantly from the Jews and was directed towards the Gentiles. They spoke condescendingly towards them. But notice Paul’s little remark that the circumcision that some of these Jews were so proud of is “made in the flesh by hands”. Paul develops this theme in his other writings, but here I think we have a cutting little remark from Paul (pun intended), suggesting that the circumcision that some of the Jews were so proud of, is really nothing. It is a fleshly and merely external thing, and it counts for nothing if there is no faith. Faith is what makes a person a true child of Abraham. Circumcision of the heart is what actually matters. For it is by faith that a person is united to Christ, is forgiven, and partakes of all the benefits of the Covenant of Grace. This is how things have always been — yes, even in the days of Abraham. And ironically, these Gentile Christians living in Ephesus had true faith, and were in fact true Children of Abraham, whereas many of those who were circumcised according to the flesh were cut off from Abraham, for they rejected their own Messiah, who descended from Abraham’s loins. Their circumcision was merely fleshly and external, therefore. They were uncircumcised of heart. But these Gentiles, though uncircumcised according to the flesh, were circumcised in the only way that matters, having been united to Abraham and to Christ by faith, and thus they were reconciled to God.
But again, Paul is here urging the Ephesians (and also us, by way of extension) to “remember”. Picking up in verse 12: Remember “that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12, ESV). This is a very informative verse. It helps us to understand two things, which are are really two sides to the same coin. One, what the Gentiles lacked prior to the arrival of the Christ and the establishment of the New Covenant. And two, by way of implication, what the Hebrews enjoyed!
Five things are to be noted:
One, Paul says that the Gentiles in Old Covenant times were “separated from Christ”. Think about that phrase for a moment. Let it sink in. In saying that the Gentiles were “separated from Christ”, Paul also means that the Hebrew people had access to him. That is the flip side of the coin, isn’t it? When Paul says that the Gentiles were alienated from him (or “without” him, as other English translations say), he implies that the Hebrews had access to the Christ. Now, how in the world can Paul say that the Gentiles were separated or alienated from Christ, implying that Hebrews had access to him, in the days prior to the birth of Christ? How could the Hebrew people have had access to the Christ who had not yet been born? And the answer is, through the gospel of Christ. The answer is that the Hebrews could know Christ and could partake of the salvation which he earned even prior to his coming being united to him by a forward looking faith. The Old Covenant saints looked forward to the Christ, seeing him in the promises, prophesies, types and shadows that were delivered to them, whereas we look back upon his coming.
Our confession is correct, therefore, when it says in 8.6, “Although the price of redemption was not actually paid by Christ until after his incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefit thereof were communicated to the elect in all ages successively from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices wherein he was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman which should bruise the serpent’s head; and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, being the same yesterday, and today and forever.”
The Hebrew people were blessed from the days of Abraham onward, for they enjoyed special access to Christ through the gospel that was entrusted to them. But Paul’s point is that the Gentiles were separated from Christ. They were “without him” in the world (as some English translations say). This is what Paul is calling the Ephesians to “remember”.
Two, Paul says that the Gentiles in Old Covenant times were “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel”. Stated differently, they were excluded from citizenship in Israel. They were separated from that nation, from the Kingdom of God that was prefigured there, and from all of the covenantal the blessing associated with that.
Three, Paul says that the Gentiles in Old Covenant times “were strangers to the covenants of promise.” This also is an interesting and very instructive phrase. Notice that “covenants” is in the plural. As you know, God entered into a number of “covenants” with the Hebrew people. One, he made a covenant with Abraham and his descendents. Two, he made a covenant with Israel through Moses. And three, he made a covenant with King David. All three of these covenants were related to one another. The Mosaic and Davidic Covenants grew naturally out of the Abrahamic. All, three marked progression in God’s plan of redemption which was established before the foundation of the world. And each covenant was clearly different — each reveled something new and impacted the lives of those who lived under them in some way. But notice that Paul refers to these covenants as “covenants of promise”. So what did all three of these covenants have in common? They were all “covenants of promise”. These covenants were forward looking, therefore. Whatever the unique terms of each covenant were, they were all pregnant with promise. They, in their own unique way, pointed forward to the Christ who would one day come to pay for sin, and to inaugurated the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of Grace, by which all who are saved, are saved. The Covent of Grace was not transacted until Christ died and rose again, therefore, that covenant being ratified in his shed blood. But the Covenant of Grace was present long before — yes, even in the days of Adam! — In the form of promise. The Abrahamic, Mosaic and David covenants that were transacted with the Hebrew people, though each unique, shared this in common — they were all covenants that carried along the promise of God concerning the Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord. The Gentiles were for a very long time “strangers to the covenants of promise”, while the Jews were partakers of these covenants.” Some of the children of Abraham even believed the promise concerning the coming Messiah, and were thus justified and saved from their sins in him.
Four, Paul says that the Gentiles in Old Covenant times had “no hope” as they lived in this world. Now, Paul does not mean that they had “no hope” at all. I’m sure that the Gentiles hoped in many things — in health, wealth and prosperity. In a long life, etc. What Paul means is that they were without Christian hope — the kind of hope that we have in Christ. Hope that is real and sure concerning the forgivness of sin, and eternal inheritance, and life everlasting. The Gentiles for a long time were without hope, while the Hebrews had access to it in the gospel of the Christ.
Lastly, Paul says that the Gentiles in Old Covenant times were “without God in the world”. And indeed this is the heart of the matter. We were created to know God. We were made to live in obedience to him, and to enjoy sweet communion with him. This communion with God is what Adam lost when he sinned. This is now the natural state of every human being, Jew and Gentile. And this is the problem that Christ came to solve. He came to forgive sins, not only so that we might be forgiven, but is that we might be reconciled to God! That was the mission of Christ, to mediate between God and man, and to reconcile us to the Father. When God set Israel apart in the world as his special people he said concerning them, “I will be there God” (see Gen 17:8, etc.). Not all were faithful. Under Abraham and Moses, some belonged only externally. But others did have faith and belonged to him truly and eternally. King David was certainly one of those! And this is why he said, “I cry to you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5, ESV). But the Gentiles were for a long, long time, without God in the world.
Paul is here calling the Gentiles to remember this — to remember, to stop and think about the fact that for a long, long time, their ancestors walked in darkness.
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But In Christ They Have Been Brought Near
In verse 13 the message shifts from bad news to good. True as it may be that for hundreds and even thousands of years the Gentile nations were hopelessly alienated from God as they lived in this world, “now in Christ Jesus [they]… have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
As in the previous passage, the bad news turns to good with the word “but”. Remember how Paul said in Ephesians 2:1ff., “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked… But God, being rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…” (Ephesians 2:1–5, ESV). Here something similar is said. “Remember that at one time you Gentiles… were… separated from Christ, alienated 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 you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11–13, ESV).
Instead of good news for the individual believer, here we have good news for the world. Through Israel’s mediation, and through the mediation of the Christ who arose from her, the Gentile nations who were once far off, have been brought near.
Brought near to what or to whom?
Well, they have been brought near to all of the things that Paul said they were separated from in the previous sect verses. They have been brought near to Christ, to the commonwealth of Israel, to the covenants of promise (or better yet, to the Covenant of Grace, which is the fulfillment of the covenants of promise), to hope, and to God. Clearly Paul is not here teaching that all Gentiles are made to partake of these things. But rather, something has changed now that the Christ has come so that the Gentile nations have access to the the things — things that they we were at one time separated from.
And all this was made possible, we are told at the end of verse 13, by the blood of Christ. When the Christ shed his blood he fulfilled the covenants of promise that came beforehand. When Christ shed his blood he instituted the Covenant of Grace, which is why he “took a cup” in the presence of his disciples, “and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27–28, ESV). When Christ shed his blood he payed for the sins, not only of Jews, but also Gentiles, for Christ is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. “For God so love the world that he gave his only Son…”
Paul continues to speak of Christ in verse 14, saying, “For he himself is our peace…” What peace is Paul here refering to? Well, as we will see Paul is teaching that in Christ Jew and Gentile are made to be at peace with one another because in Christ, and by the Spirit, both Jew and Gentile are made to be at peace with the Father.
Look again at verse 14: “For he himself is our peace who has made us [Jew and Gentile] both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:14–18, ESV)
This is really a lovely passage. Notice that it is Trinitarian. Christ the Son is our peace, for he has reconciled us to the Father by the Spirit. And here is the most significant peace that Christ has brought us — peace with the Father. He has reconciled us to God through the cross. Through Christ we have access to the Father by the Spirit.
The cross — that is, the image of the cross — may be used to illustrate. The cross consists of two parts, a vertical and horizontal beam. And these might represent the two types of peace that Paul here refers to in this passage. The first peace that Christ has secured for the believer is vertical peace with our Father in Heaven. Christ has reconciled us to God the Father. We were once children of wrath like the rest of mankind, but in Christ we are now beloved children of the Father. But this vertical peace has also produced a horizontal peace — peace among men. Peace between the races. Peace between Jew and Gentile. As Paul so beautifully says in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, ESV).
And it is this horizontal peace that is emphasized in this text. Because Jew and Gentile have both been reconciled to God in Christ, they have also been reconciled to one another. Jews and Gentiles in Christ are at peace, in Christ — being united to him by faith — they are one. And that is what Paul is concerned to teach in this passage. Though the Gentiles were under the Old Covenant alienated from God and the people of God, under the New both Jew and Gentile are one in Christ.
And what specifically has Christ accomplished so that Jew and Gentle might live at peace in him? Notice four things:
One, Christ “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances…” This is fascinating. Again, Paul says that Christ has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…” It is well known that in the days of Christ there was an inscription on the outer wall of the temple in Jerusalem which warned Gentiles, saying, “No outsider shall enter the protective enclosure around the sanctuary. And whoever is caught will only have himself to blame for the ensuing death.” Perhaps Paul had this wall and this inscription in mind when he wrote that Christ “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…” Certainly he meant more than this, but this warning inscription and the outer wall of the temple which was to keep the Gentiles away was certainly included.
It is interesting to note that in Acts 21 we are told that some of the Jews desired to put Paul to death, “crying out, ‘Men of Israel, help! This is the man [refering to Paul] who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place [refering to the temple]. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.’ For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple” (Acts 21:28–29, ESV). Now, Paul had not brought him into the temple physically. But I think it is clear what really bothered the Jews — Paul, by his teaching, was in fact bring the Gentiles into the temple spiritually. And this enraged many of the Jews.
Paul taught that Christ “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances…” Pay careful attention to this. Paul did not do away with the whole law. He did not abolish it all together. This is clear from Paul’s other teachings. For example, in Romans 7:12 he says, “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12, ESV). But here he is refering to those laws which kept the Jews and Gentiles separate. Those laws — those ceremonial laws, most of them having been added in the days of Moses — were fulfilled by Christ, and were thus abolished.
Paul is not here referring to the ten commandments, nor to the moral law which is contained within, and is also written on mans heart. Those laws clearly stand even to this day. They are a rule for righteous living. The show us our need for Christ. They are even used by God to restrain evil in the world to this present day. But those civil laws which governed Israel as a nation, and those ceremonial laws which set the Hebrews apart from the Gentiles and unto God — theses have been abolished now that the Christ has come in fulfillment to them.
Circumcision no longer matters, friends. For that was a mark for the Hebrew people under the Old Covenant. The dietary restriction imposed upon the Hebrews under the Old Covenant no longer stand. Jew and Gentile may now enjoy table fellowship with one another. And all of those ceremonial laws regarding purification have also been fulfilled by Christ and thus taken away.
Christ “has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances…” And later in verse 15 Paul says, “in order that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two…” The words “in order that” are again important. They express purpose. Christ’s purpose for abolishing those laws which separated, and for breaking down the middle wall of separation , was to “create in himself one new man in place of the two…” It is also possible to translate this phrase this way: in order that he might create one new humanity in himself in place of the two… This, I think, gets the point across. Through Christ, God is bringing forth a new humanity.
Through Adam, sin entered the world. And with sin came division. Man was alienated from God. And man was alienated from man. We are to remember that after man’s fall in to sin Cain killed his own brother, Able. Men oppressed men. And men took advantage of women. After the flood a distinction was made between the sons of Noah. And though men tried to unify, their intentions were evil, and they were eventually dispersed across the face of the earth, their languages having been confused. The story of the human race that has emerged from Adam is one of division. But in Christ a new humanity is being formed. And the story of this new humanity is one of peace — peace with God and peace amongst men. The distinction between Jew and Gentile is no more, for the Christ, who is the second Adam, has come. And he has come to “create” a perfectly unified new humanity out of the two, and to “reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.” (Ephesians 2:16, ESV)
In verse 17 Paul says, “And [Christ] came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:17, ESV). In other words, Christ, and his Apostles as well, preached peace to both Gentiles and to Jews. Verse 18: “For through [Christ] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18, ESV).
Read the book of Acts sometime and look for this theme. The Holy Spirit was at first poured out upon the Jewish disciples of Christ. This outpouring of the Spirit was accompanied by signs. The Jewish disciples spoke in tongues, meaning, the languages of many nations. As the gospel was preached by those Jewish disciples of Christ, first“in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV), the Gentiles believed, and the Holy Spirit was poured out also upon them. Signs were given to verify this radical new development. The Spirit was no longer confined, if you will, to Israel, but was being poured out on all flesh, just as the prophets predicted. The Jewish disciples marveled at this. For example, as Peter preached the Gospel to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ household, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ‘Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days” (Acts 10:44–48, ESV). This is the historical phenomenon that Paul is here refering to when he wrote to the Ephesians, saying, “For through [Christ] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”
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To Be A Dwelling Place For God By The Spirit (vs. 19-22)
Paul bring this all to a conclusion in verses 19-22 beginning with the words, “so then”.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints…” Here Paul uses language familiar to the Ephesians. The Ephesians would have certainly understood the benefits of citizenship. Very few of the residence of Ephesus actually enjoyed citizenship. Most of them were strangers and aliens who did not enjoy the full benefits of citizenship. And yet here Paul insists that when it comes to the kingdom of God, they are not strangers and aliens, they are not second rate citizens, but are fellow citizens along with the Jews who have believed upon Christ.
In fact, they are, as adopted children, “members of the household of God…” They, along with the believing Jews, have God as Father. They are not second rate citizens, and neither are they second rate children.
Notice how abrupt Paul transitions from one metaphor to the next. First he uses the metaphor of citizenship, then the metaphor of the household, but now he transitions to the metaphor of the temple, saying that the Ephesians are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” The Gentile believers are stones in God’s temple, therefore. It is no wonder that some of the Jews were so hostile to Paul. Though he may not have brought “Trophimus the Ephesian” into the temple, as some assumed, his teaching was in fact even more radical than this! For he did not merely teach that Gentiles should now be allowed to enter the temple of the Jews. More than that, he taught that that earthy temple was now nothing, that God was building his heavenly and spiritual temple, and he was using Gentile believers as the very stones.
Pay careful attention to the metaphor. In God’s heavenly and spiritual temple, believers, both Jew and Gentile, are the spiritual stones out of which the temple is constructed. But Christ is the cornerstone. He is the most important and precise stone in God’s temple. He is the stone that is most right and true. He is the stone to which every other stone must be aligned. He is the first stone, and is therefore, most foundational. And the Apostles and Prophets of Christ make up the rest of the foundation in God’s new creation temple. Prophets may here refer to the Old Testament prophets. But it is better to take this as a reference to the Old and New Covenant prophets. We should remember that there were Prophets active within the early church in the days when the Apostles were alive and active, Agabus of Acts 11:28 being one of those. The Apostles of Christ and the Prophets are the foundation of the heavenly and spiritual new creation temple of God. They were foundational, for they spoke and wrote the very words of God. The Apostles were Christ’s special representatives. There are no longer Apostles and Prophets active in the church today, for they were foundational. Upon them — Christ, the Apostles and Prophets — the church, which is the heavenly, new creation temple of God, has been built.
Lastly Paul says, “In [Christ] you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19–22, ESV). This is, after all, the purpose of a temple. The Old Covenant temple was designed to house, if you will, God’s presence. It was there at the temple that the people of God enjoyed communion with God. And the same is true for the heavenly, new creation temple. Though it is constructed of souls, and not stone, it is still a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. This corresponds to what Paul said to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that you [in the plural] are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV). Here in Ephesians Paul wants us to understand that this temple is constructed, if you will, of Hebrew and Gentile believers together, with Christ as the cornerstone, and the Jewish Apostles and Prophets as the foundation.
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Conclusion
Let me now conclude by making a few suggestions for application.
As we who are predominately, if not exclusively, Gentile believers, living 2,000 years after the resurrection of Christ, “remember” that we “who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13, ESV), let us, first of all, give thanks to God for our privileged position in him. We have been adopted as sons, we are members of his house, and citizens in his kingdom. We, being built upon the foundation of Christ, his Apostles and Prophets, are stones in his temple, the Holy Spirit now dwelling in us. We are blessed. We who were once far off have been brought.
Secondly, let us give thanks to God for what he accomplished through the Hebrews from the days of Abraham through to resurrection of Christ, and even in the age of the Apostles. Truly, by the appointment of God Israel is the root into which we have been grafted. Let us give thanks to God for the root! And as we pray for the advancement of the kingdom of God amongst all nations, so too should we pray for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom amongst the Jews. As Paul say, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:1–5, ESV). We should still long to see them receive Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah, and to pray towards that end.
Thirdly, let us be zealous to maintain unity in the house of God, and to fight against all manner of division.
There is no room for racism in God’s house, friends. Christ is the savior of the world. He has redeemed for himself people from every tongue, tribe and nation. We should be eager to see God’s house filled with diversity and to pray towards that end. We should long to see diversity within the local church. And we should pray that the church would flourish in foreign lands, and be filled with ever kind of person, to the praise of God’s glory and grace.
Neither is their room in God’s house for favoritism. Things are different in our day from the day in which Ephesians was written. In that day the Jew’s had distain for the Gentiles, and I’m sure that some Gentiles had distain for the Jews. In our day, the opposite problem has arisen within Christ church through that very strange teaching that we call dispensationalism. Many Christians unwittingly sow seeds of division within God’s house by teaching that the Jewish people still have a privileged place in God kingdom, that God is saving them in a different way than he is saving the Gentiles, and that they are the true people of God. Dispensationalism, in its more radical forms, does teach that the Gentiles are second rate citizens. And this is in direct contradiction to what Paul so clearly teaches, that Christ “is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14, ESV), and “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:28–29, ESV).
Indeed, we must be eager to guard against division of any kind in God’s house. And this is the application that Paul himself will make, saying, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV)
