< Ephesians 1:1-2 | Ephesians 1:15-23 >

 

Note:  This article is a study through this passage of scripture using the SIDL model.  If you are unfamiliar with this, please read this summary, or this more in-depth walk through to understand what's being done here.

 

Ephesians 2:11-22 The Student

 

In this passage Paul begins to lay the foundation for the new culture or new community that will emerge as individuals accept their status in Christ and begin to allow it to form them. They are drawn into a new kind of community.

The distinction between gentile Christians and Jewish Christians is the background to this text. There was a significant divide between these two groups who made up the early church. First, there was a racial division.

Jews were an ethnic group and they considered everyone else "the nations" or gentiles, outsiders. And the only way "in" was biological heritage. Second, there was also a ritual divide. Jews practiced circumcision to identify themselves as the people of God. The Gentiles did not practice this. This physical marker became an issue of pride for the Jews, to the point that they often referred to non-Jews as "the uncircumcision" and they meant it as a derogatory comment. Third, there was a spiritual division. For all their faults, the Jews did have the covenant promise that the Messiah would come to them. The Gentiles had no such hope.

These distinctions and spiritual pride on the part of the Jews had led to deep hatred. William Barclay explaines what had developed: "The Jews".said that the gentiles were created by God to be fuel for the fires of [Gehenna}; that God loved only Israel of all the nations He had made ... It was not even lawful to render help to a gentile woman in childbirth, for that would be to bring another gentile into the world. II (William Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians, p. 107. (c)1976, Westminster Press) This is the background Paul is writing in.

Paul starts this portion of his letter addressing the Gentile Christians--those who had no Jewish heritage and had come into the church directly from a pagan life. (2: 11-12) "Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called 'uncircumcised' by those who call themselves 'the circumcision' (that done in the body by the hands of men)--remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. "

The passage starts with "therefore." Paul has just explained the amazing position that his readers now hold "in Christ." But he doesn't want that new position to lead to spiritual arrogance, and so he reminds his readers where they came from. They were Gentiles by birth. Since Jews were God's chosen people and since the only true way to become a Jew was by birth, these Gentile Christians were automatically spiritual "second-class citizens." They were called names. They were separate from Christ and by their very birth excluded from Israel. That meant that they were not included in the covenant promises God has made to Israel that ultimately led to the coming of the Messiah. For all these reasons, they were people without God and thus without hope.

But here Paul turns the corner. (2: 13) "But now in Christ Jesus you who

once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. II For all these reasons the Gentile Christians had been far from God. But now they have been adopted into Christ and thus are no longer far away. All those old categories have fallen away. Here we come across the phraise "in Christ Jesus" again and this time the result of being "in Christ" is that we are brought near to God.

There are two interesting things in the text of this verse. First, "have been brought near" is in the Aorist tense which means it is an event that happened once in the past and at that point was fully completed. Paul's readers have been brought near to God. It's already done and fully completed.

Second, Paul's use of the far and near image is not just a statement of our new condition of being close to God. It's also an attack on the religious interpretation of his day. The language of far and near comes from Isaiah 52 and in Paul's day the standard rabbinical interpretation was that the people who were "near" were the Jews and the people who were "far" were the Gentiles, and that there was no way those far could be brought near. Paul neatly undercuts that by telling the Gentile Christians directly that they have been "brought near."

In Christ, those who thought they were near to God have truly been brought near and those who thought they were far from God have also been brought near. Everyone who is in Christ has been brought near. Since we are all near

to Christ, we are also all near to each other. That means relationship is formed and reconciliation happens. (2:14-15a) "For he himself is our peace; who has made the two one and has destroyed the barier; the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law and its commandments and regulations. "

He is our peace. Paul tells his readers that Jesus doesn't just bring peace. He's not just teaching a message of peace or an ethic of peace. He himself is actually peace. By being brought into Christ, they are being brought into peace. That means peace with God, but also peace with the people around them--and that is where this verse focuses.

Jesus is our peace. He "made the two one." The two here is referring to the two different groups of people Paul has been addressing - Jews and Gentiles. Now, in Christ, that longstanding division is struck down. They are no longer Jews or Gentiles, they are one brand new kind of people. He has "destroyed the barrier; the dividing wall of hostility" that was between them.

The "barrier" and the "dividing wall" are symbols of whatever might divide people, but they are also technical terms for the wall in the temple enclosure that separated the Court Of The Gentiles from  the rest of the temple. You may recall that the temple in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus had a series of sequential courts. The very outer court could be entered by anyone. The next court could only be entered by Jews. Gentiles were prohibited on pain of death from entering. The next court could only be entered by Jewish men. Then only the priests, and ultimately only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place and then only once a year.

So in practice, the Jews had actually created a division between who could "get near" to God and who had to remain "far." Paul was using the symbol of this physical wall in the temple to indicate how religious law and practice had become a tool of division and separation, and that this barrier above all barriers was torn down by Christ. This in underscored when Paul says that Jesus did this "by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations." No longer would religious standards and practices be allowed to keep people from God or create division between them.

Paul goes on to explain why Jesus did this. (2: 15b-16) "His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace; and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. " Jesus' goal was to create peace between Jews and Gentiles by making them into one new man. That "new man" Paul is referring to is the body of believers who are in Christ. And in this "new body" he reconciled both of the groups to God. That means both groups--not just the Gentiles--were in need of reconciliation to God. He did all of this through the cross.

Interesting thing from the Greek. There are two Greek words for new. Neos which means new by point of time. i.e. At 6:00 AM a brand new day started. The second word is Kainos which means new in kind or quality. i.e. We got a new car, a different kind of car. This second word is the one Paul uses. The "new man" is a completely different kind of man. One of the things about this "new man" that Is different is that it is a corporate man. It is not an individual that Paul is talking about here. He is talking about a new kind of community.

"Notice that the new being is a corporate idea. Jesus Christ in his death and

resurrection identified with and represented humanity. People are incorporated into him; and when he is raised to new life, a new being comes into existance, one in which people are one with Christ and one with each other in him. Grace not only connects us to God and Christ; it connects us to each other. " (Kline Snodgrass, The NIV AppliQiJJL9ILCommentary; Ephesians, p. 134. (c)1996, Zondervan Publishing)

Notice one other important thing. "     and in this one body to reconcile both

of them to God through the cross     II (2: 16) Being brought into Christ brings

us reconciliation with God, but it is us who is reconciled, not God. "The cross is God's act to reconcile people to himsel" not an act by which he is reconciled. Even when people are hostile to God and God is angry, he loves and works to restore relationship. " (Kline Snodgrass, The NIV Application Commentary; Ephesians. p. 135. (c)1996, Zondervan Publishing)

This reconciliation to brings all of us close to God. (2:17-18) "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. " In case there was still any uncertainty, there is no longer any hierarchy before God. Jews and Gentiles both have equal access to the Father.

Now Paul has been explaining all of this process for a reason. It all leads to something important. (2:19-22) "Consequently; you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household; built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets; with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. "

"Consequently" Because of all of this (Jews and Gentiles reconciled into one body, all brought near to God and thus each other, peace brought and hostility ended), something new is happening. Paul addresses the Gentile Christians again: "you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household ... "

The Gentiles were no longer foreigners. The foreigner was someone who was passing through, Without a home and without the rights and security of citizenship. The Gentiles were also no longer aliens. The alien was someone who lived in Israel but who was not of Jewish heritage. They lived in the

land, but they were clearly second-class citizens. As a result of being brought into Christ they were now fellow citizens with God's people. They had the same security and rights as the citizens. But even more than that, they were now members of God's household. They weren't just citizens. They were part of the family.

The Gentile Christians were now a part of this new thing God was creating along with the Jewish Christians. Here Paul switches his metaphor. Until now he has used the image of the body to describe the new thing God was creating. But here he switches to the image of a building, in particular a temple. The Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians are now both part of the same building, built on the foundation of the apostles (the original disciples and Paul who were all commissioned by Jesus) and the prophets (the people who spoke God's words all thoughout the history of God's people, including the Old Testament prophets), with Jesus as the chief cornerstone.

This whole new building is built "in him" and is held together "in him." It is also built with a purpose. It is to be a temple which is a place for God to

dwell. Through the Holy Spirit God is going to live in this new temple. Once again this illustrates a whole new level of "nearness" and intimacy. The people who used to worship at the temple (the Jewish Christians) are now part of the temple. But even more amazing, the people who used to be kept out of the temple (the Gentile Christias) now are the temple.

 

Ephesians 2:11 - 22 The Interpreter

 

The Development of A New Community. This whole section culminates in this point. What God is doing in the lives of individuals by adopting them into Christ creates a whole new corporate reality, a whole new culture or community. The first step in God's plan to restore everything in the universe under Christ's headship is to bring individuals into Christ and begin forming their lives. The second step that naturally follows on its heels is that those people become part of a new family relationship with community ties to everyone else who is "in Christ." This whole passage ought to be read in this light. God reconciles us to Himself in Christ and that automatically begins the process of reconciling us to the people around us. As we are brought into Christ we are brought into peace and any hostility between us and others is destroyed. We were formerly different groups, but now we are the same body, the same building.

What this means practically is that the church is not an afterthought or a convenient place for people who believe the same to hang out together. The church is this new community that was created in Christ's death and resurrection and we are a part of it automatically by our being adopted into Christ. We don't get to choose to belong to the church. Once we accept our status in Christ, we also by definition accept that we are a member (mela=body part) of the church. We only get to choose what local expression of that body we will attach ourselves to--and even this might be something that God actually chooses if we follow his leading.

Have Been Brought Near to God. (2:13) Again Paul indicates that the primary work has already been done. We have already been brought near to God. That means that this state exists now and our role is to choose to enter Into it and experience it. This was done "through the blood of Jesus" which means at the crucifixion. At that point, once and for all, humanity was brought near to God.

Christ is Our peace. Paul makes a powerful statement here. Jesus isn't just a peaceful person. He's not just someone who teaches peace. He is peace. We miss some of the depth of this idea in English. For us the word peace generally means the lack of violence or conflict. While this is a part of the idea, Biblically peace means so much more than that. The background of

this is the Hebrew concept of shalom which means much more than just the absence of conflict. It includes wholeness, blessedness, prosperity, security, good relations and personal integrity. It summarizes life the way God intended it to be lived. This deep condition of well-being is what Jesus lived, what He offers and what He Himself actually is. Karl Barth said, "To say Christ--that is to speak of peace. To speak of peace--that is to speak of Christ. "(Karl Barth, Ephesians, p. 129.)

Abolished the law? This single statement of Paul's has created all kinds of confusion for Christians. At first glance it seems like Paul is saying that in the crucifixion of his flesh, Jesus did away with the "Iaw with its commandments and regulations. " But Paul is talking about a very specific

truth and taking his words to indicate a larger general idea that the whole of God's law is somehow abolished by Jesus death is seriously misreading the text.

The phrase literally reads lithe law of commands in ordinances. If The Greek word translated as ordinances is dogma and it is where we get our equivalent English word. It is referring to practices and expressions of religious law. Paul is not saying that Christ's death abolished the law (the ten commandments, the precepts of God's moral instruction, the principles of how God's universe works, etc.) as the word of God or as a moral guide. He abolished the law as a set of regulations that excludes people. Remember, the phrase that makes up verse 15 is a description of means. Something happened (2: 14, the barrier of hostility was destroyed) when something else was done. (the means, 2:15, abolishing ... )

The thing that happened was the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles. The thing that had created the hostility between them was the ceremonial law, in particular as it was used to indicate who was holy and acceptable and who was wicked and unacceptable. This is why Paul made the distinction between circumcision and uncircumsicism in 2:11. Circumcision was a practice of the ritual law. It was something that God had instructed Isreal to do. But instead of seeing that mark in the flesh as an indication of their obligation of service to God, the Jews began to see it as an indication of their moral superiority. Thus a practice of dogma was perverted into a barrier or a dividing wall that separated people and ultimately kept those on the outside from getting near to God. This is what Paul was indicating had been abolished.

Essentially, Paul is saying that in Christ there is no room for using religious practice to exclude people or to build up one's own sense of moral and spiritual superiority. The Jewish religion in Christ's day had come to identify their unity by their ethnic heritage and by their rigerous religious and moral practice. But Paul is suggesting that the unity of this new community, the church, comes not from these things but from living in Christ and the peace that He brings us. William Barclay commented on this:

1fT his is what the church should be like. Its unity comes not from organization; or ritual ... Its unity comes from Christ. Ubi Christus; ibi ecclesia, where Christ is; there is the church. The church will realize her unity only when she realizes that she does not exist to propagate the point of view of any body of men, but to provide a home where the Spirit of Christ can dwell and where all men who love Christ can meet in the Spirit. If (William Barclay, The Letters to The Galatians and the Ephesial) p. 119. (c)1976, Westminster Press.)

Reconciled Both of Them to God. (2: 16) Two important ideas come out of this statement. First, both the Jews and the Gentiles had to be reconciled to God. The Gentiles would have know that they needed to come into a new relationship with God. They were coming into the church from a pagan life. But the Jews would never have considered that they needed to be reconciled to God. They were God's chosen people who had the promise of His covenant, the gUidance of His law and His blessing. But Paul says that even they who had all these advantages still needed to be reconciled to God.

Second, Paul reminds us that the reconciliation is of us to God. Often we think of reconciliation in Christianity as reconciling God to us, that is, appeasing His anger at our sin. But here Paul is saying that we are the ones who were living in broken relationship, or even in anger, toward God. And it was God who initiated the reconciliation to draw us to Himself.

Access to the Father. 2:18 says, "For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." While Paul is not directly addressing this issue here, this verse also indicated that our access of God is direct, because of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. It has never been a New Testament position that we require any mediator between the Father and us other than Jesus or that we would access the Father by any other means than the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

No Longer Foreigners and Aliens. (2:19-20) The Gentiles were by birth, by practice, and by morality second-class citizens spiritually. At least that had been the practice and the belief until this point. This attitude was even seen in the 1st century church in Jerusalem when the Greek widows were getting consistantly passed by when it came time to pass out food. fAct~ 6:1-4) But Paul says here that having been adopted into Christ those old distinctions no longer are relevant. What used to be two separate groups living in hostility toward each other are now one new body united and peaceful.

His encouragement to the Gentile Christians is that they are now no longer on the outside. They are a part of the family. While we don't wrestle with the text's culture of division between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians (99% of us today are Gentile Christians, having come to faith not from Judaism, but from paganism or cultural Christianity), we do have spiritual hierarchy in our world and church bodies. The principle that Paul teaches the Gentile Christians applies to anyone in the chuch who has been a considered second-class citizen. You are no longer foreigners and aliens. As long as you receive your position in Christ, You are fully a part of the family.

The Church is Built in Christ. (2:21-22) This new community that God is building by adopting people into His son is the church. Paul has referred to it as a body or a "new man" up until this point in the text. Here he refers to it as a new building and even a temple where God will live. This temple is built with stones and those stones are the believers who are in Christ. God is the one doing the building and the bUilding grows and is joined together in Christ. The ultimate goal is that God will dwell in this new temple (flesh instead of stone) for the accomplishment of the purpose that was laid out in 1:10. The church exists as a natural expression of what God is doing in the life of His people and it exists for a specific purpose defined by God.

 

Ephesians 2:11-22 The Disciple

 

Note: The Disciple role looks at the passage for what it says about how to live. As I look at this passage, some of what I reflect on may be subjectively directed at mensince I'm looking at the issue of how to live my life. Hopefully much of this is transferrable to you.

Do I Remember Where I've Come From? In 2:11-12 Paul reminds the Gentile Christians where they came from as an antidote to the powerful pull towards a sense of spiritual superiority. Do I regularly remember the things that God has brought me out of? Do I regularly remember (or even examine today) where my life tends to go when it is directed by my natural self? As soon as I start to actually consider myself as more holy or more acceptable to God than another, I am beginning to lose my way. The passage is calling me to remember that everything good in my life has been a gift from God.

Do I Live In the Reality That I've Been Brought Near to God? Paul says it happened once and for all at the cross. I have been brought near. On good days this isn't an issue, but on bad days, when I feel lonely or overwhelmed or like a failure, do I still recognize the truth that I've been brought near to God? This isn't measured by feelings or the "goosebump factor," It's simply truth. Where once I was far from God, now in Christ I have been brought near.

Have I Let Jesus Destroy the Barriers in My Life? I have been adopted into Christ. That means I have been brought into reconciliation with God and into reconciliation with the people around me. Am I choosing to live out this reality? Or am I living with "barriers of hostility" towards others, towards myself or toward God? Those barriers have already been destroyed at the cross. Have I let God bring that power into my life to remove them today?

While this applies to all kinds of "barriers of hostility" It is especially relevant to religious barriers. Paul says there is simply no room in Christianity for spiritual practice to be used to increase my own sense of moral or spiritual superiority or for it to be used to side-line and alienate others. Am I living with barriers of hostllity or have I let Jesus destroy them?

Do I Use My Direct Access to God? Through Jesus I have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit (2: 18) . I don't have access to God through the Bible, although the Holy Spirit uses the Bible to bring God's word to my heart. I don't have access to God through a worship service, although the Holy Spirit might use a song, a prayer or a word to draw my attention to what He's doing. I don't have access to God through any spiritual practice or discipline, although these might be useful in opening my heart to God's work and making me available to God's will. I only have access to God through the Holy Spirit. That means when I read the Bible, participate in worship or engage in any spiritual discipline, the key is to do it "in the Spirit," having invited the Holy Spirit to guide the process and speak to my heart.

Do I Treat Anyone In the Church As An Outcast? In Christ there is no longer anyone who is a foreigner or an alien. Anyone in Christ is now a full member of the family. Do I love all the members of God's church (and all

the members of my local body) this way? Do I serve them In this way? Or do I allow a sense of spiritual hierarchy to guide my actions? God is calling me to set aside any division or hierarchy that I might feel comfortable with and embrace every member of my new family in Christ.

Do I Recognize That I Am A Critical Building Block in the Church? I belong to the church. Not because I've joined any particular local congregation, but because I have accepted my position in Christ. It's automatic. Accepting one means accepting the other. Do I live with a recognition that I am a part of this new body, this new temple that God is building? Do I actively dive into what God is doing to accomplish the building of this new community?

 

Ephesians 2:11-22 The Lover

 

Note: The Lover role looks at the passage for what God is saying to me personally, about Him, about me and about our relationship. As such, I will just reflect on my own experience in this area.

Father, thoughout this passage of scripture I hear You over and over again

reminding me of the importance of the church. This is Your body. It's the new man where You've united people who were once separated, divided, even hostile to each other. It is the temple where You live that You're building even now. Thank You for adopting me into this new community. Help me to know my role in the Body so I can serve best.

Thank You so much that by adopting me into this new family You brought me near to Yourself. I am never alone. No matter how I feel, You are near me. That was settled at the cross. Thank You for being a God who is close and intimate, not just a God who is infinite and overwhelming. This is just one more expression of Your love for me. Thank You.

Thank You for bringing me peace. Help me to live in this deep Peace and be someone who brings it to others. Thank You for the gift of peace with my past, peace with my self, peace with my inadequacies, peace in my relationships, and ultimately peace with You.

In bringing me peace, You also made it possible for me to live above hostilities. I don't always choose to do this, but I know it's possible and I ask for You to gUide me in this path. I know that You are calling me to break down every dividing wall in the church and allow You to make us one as You bring us together into Christ. Don't ever let me see myself as superior or use my faith or my practice to put someone else down. Help me to serve

instead. In serving, maybe I can help bring that peace to others that You've brought to me.

Father, thank You for including me in Your plan to restore everything under the headship of Jesus. I surrender my whole life to You for this purpose and ask to be a tool in Your hands as You build Your church. Thanks for Your love and this purpose. Amen.

(C) 2003 Marc Schelske. All Rights Reserved. This material can be printed or copied for personal use and may be distributed for use in study groups, but it cannot be reproduced for any other reason without permission.