Today we have the privilege of working through Ephesians 2:11-22. Let's turn there, and read just the first word. "Therefore." What "therefore" signals, is that Paul is going to draw some conclusions, and an application, from everything he's just said. But it's been a week since we've read Ephesians 2:1-10, and we've probably lost our hold on at least a bit of his argument. So let's read verses 1-10, and then I'll just quickly summarize Paul's main points. As I read, listen for the two groups from last week. There's the "you all," who are the Gentile Christians. And there's the "we also," where Paul deliberately speaks on behalf of Messianic Jews, who grew up living in covenant relationship with God:
(2:1) and (it was) you (plural)--
the ones being dead in your wrongdoings and sins,
(2) in which you all formerly walked
in accordance with the age of this world,
in accordance with the ruler of the authority of the air-- the one now working in the sons of disobedience--
(3) in which we also all lived formerly in the desires of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the mind,
and we were children by nature for wrath as also the rest of them --
(4) Now, God,
rich being in mercy,
because of his great love
with which He loved us --(5) and us being dead in our wrongdoings--
He made us alive together in Christ--by grace you (plural) are saved--
(6) and He raised us together,
and He seated us together in the heavenly places in/by Jesus Christ,
(7) in order that He might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.
(8) For by grace you are saved through faith(fulness)/allegiance, ["by grace" is focused]
and this gift isn't from yourselves,
[but] from God,
(9) not from works,
in order that no one can boast.
(10) For his creation/work, we are, ["his" is focused]
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared before hand,
in order that in them we may walk.
The flow of Paul's argument there goes something like this:
(1) You Gentiles, and we Jews, used to be dead in our wrongdoing and sins, and we lived as a people who simply did what our flesh, and our minds, and satan, wanted (vs. 1-3). We lived as a people who were trapped in satan's kingdom, under satan's authority, with satan as our ruler ("exousia," "authority").
(2) God loved all of us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us to rescue us, to save us, from all of that. This salvation has three parts-- (1) God made all of us, Jew and Gentile, alive in Christ. (2) He raised up all of us-- Jew and Gentile, in Christ. (3) He seated all of us--Jew and Gentile--in the heavenlies in Christ (vs. 4-7). Salvation isn't just about having our sins forgiven. It's not just about going to a better place when we die. Salvation is about being given new life, and being freed from satan's rule, and being transferred into God's kingdom and family. If you've read the news at all in the last four years, you know there's a huge debate about illegal immigrants, and about whether or not it's a good thing to have uncontrolled borders. Does citizenship mean anything anymore? Should it?
When you think about God's salvation, you can think about it as God not just giving us a green card, or temporary residency, or partial citizenship in his kingdom. And we didn't sneak into God's kingdom in the dark, through a hole in the fence, or through a tunnel. Through Jesus, God welcomes us into his kingdom as full citizens.
(3) God does all of this in/by Christ.-- We receive these blessings, and this status, when we pledge our faithfulness, our allegiance, to King Jesus. God's grace-- his favor, kindness, and help-- were given through Jesus (vs. 8-9). We're saved, when we bend our knee, and kneel before King Jesus-- when we pledge our loyalty and allegiance and faithfulness to him. That's how we become citizens. That's the citizenship test.
(4) We are NOT saved through Moses, or the Mosaic covenant. This is what Paul means (arguably, see the last sermon) when he says "not by works" (vs. 8-9).
(5) We are saved FOR good works. God made all of us a new creation so that we could live FOR GOD. There's this list of good works that God saved us to do, and God expects us to walk in that path, and do those things (vs. 10).
This Ephesian church that Paul is addressing, is made up of people who were Gentiles by birth. They've pledged their allegiance to King Jesus. They've made that commitment. But they seem to have this nagging fear that Jesus isn't enough. Do they need to become Jews to be made alive? Are they second-class Christians because they are Gentiles? Does the Mosaic covenant have something extra to offer them if they become Jews? Are they missing out on some of God's blessings? Do they have a green card, but not full citizenship?
I think we can look at verses 1-10 and probably decide that we Gentiles don't lack anything-- but it'd be nice is if someone would sum up the argument and help explain how these verses relate to us as Gentiles.
It's at this point, that we are ready for the "therefore" of Ephesians 2:11. Paul has explained for us how things work for Jew and Gentile, and what God's done in Christ, and now Paul's going to tell us why it all matters for you Gentiles. Let's read verses 11-12:
(11) Therefore, think about how it used to be that you--
the nations/Gentiles in the flesh, ["in the flesh" = "by human, earthly standards"]
the ones being called "uncircumcision" by the ones being called "circumcision" in the flesh made by hands--,
(12) that you were at that time apart from Christ,
having been alienated from the citizenship of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of the promise,
not having hope
and without God in the world.
If verses 1-10 are true-- and they are-- what difference does it make? What should we do? The first thing Paul says we should do is (1) Think about the past. "Remember." Paul keeps trying to remind the Ephesians of what their lives looked like before they placed their faith in Jesus. "You all" were the nations, the Gentiles, from a strictly earthly, human perspective. "You all" were called "the uncircumcision" by the ones being called "the circumcision."
Now, Paul puts all of this a little awkwardly, right? Why doesn't Paul just say, "You all were the uncircumcision, and we Jews were the circumcision? Why do we have this extra, unnecessary word in here about "being called" this or that?
The answer to this question is found through exploring the meaning of circumcision. In the OT, and at the time Paul wrote, the one single defining mark that determines whether you are part of God's people or not, is circumcision. Let's turn to Genesis 17:9-14 (NRSV updated no reason):
9 God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. 13 Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
In the OT, if you want to be part of God's covenant people, and enter into that relationship with him, you get circumcised. In verse 12, we see that this is also true for foreigners-- for you Gentiles-- who enter into this covenant. In verse 13, God announces that this command is forever. God is talking about an everlasting covenant. And in verse 14, we read that anyone who isn't circumcised is cut off from God's people; he has broken God's covenant.
So circumcision is not optional, and it's not temporary. Right?
It's against this background, that Romans 2:25-29 makes a lot more sense:
25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded[b] as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically[c] uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code[d] and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Circumcision is still required, but it's a different kind of circumcision now. When someone commits to Jesus, the Holy Spirit circumcises that person's heart. What exactly that means, as far as cutting away hardness of heart, or something, I'm not sure. But for sure what it does mean, is that the Holy Spirit marks that person off, as being part of God's covenant people. So a Jew might want to focus on the external, and want to know whether or not someone took a knife to you. A Jew might want to call you uncircumcised. But the circumcision God is interested in, is the heart one, done by the Holy Spirit.
So, getting back from the rabbit trail...
What were you before you were joined to Christ? What does Paul want you to remember about that time?
Basically, back then, you were really far from God, and from Jesus. You had nothing to do with citizenship in Israel. You had no relationship with God. You couldn't claim any part in the covenants that God made with Abraham or Moses. You were without hope in the world.
And when were those things true? When you were apart from Christ.
Paul is making a bold claim here, and it's easy to miss it. If you asked a Jew how you, as a Gentile, could become part of Israel, how you could gain access to the promise the covenants offer, how you gain a relationship to God, they will tell you that it's very easy. You gain those things through Moses. You place yourself under the Mosaic covenant. A Jew would say, your problem is that you are a Gentile. Your problem is that you're not a Jew. They'd point you to Genesis 17, and talk about circumcision, and sharp knives.
But Paul says, whether or not you have these things depends on if you are in Christ. When you didn't have those things, it wasn't because you are Gentiles. The problem was, you didn't have Christ.
Verse 13-18
(13) Now, in Christ Jesus you--the ones formerly being far away--
have now become near by the blood of the Christ.
(14) For he is our peace,
the one making the both [into] one,
and the dividing wall of the partition breaking-- the enmity by his flesh--
(15) the law of the commandments in ordinances abolishing,
in order that:
the two he might create in/by himself into one new person,
making peace.
(16) and he might reconcile both by one body to God through the cross,
killing the enmity in himself.
(17) and coming, he proclaimed the good news of peace to you-- to the far --
and peace to the ones near.
(18) because through him we have access-- we both -- by/in one Spirit to the Father.
In verse 13, Paul uses that little Greek word, "de," to signal he's starting a new paragraph, a new thought. You who used to be far, who used to be apart from Christ, are now near to God. How? It's through Jesus. HE is our peace. Paul emphasizes this by putting it first: HE is our peace. Jesus makes the two people-- Jew and Gentile-- one.
Jesus tore down the dividing wall separating Jew from Gentile. Jesus abolished the Mosaic covenant. Why? For two reasons. The first, is in verse 15: (1) in order that he might create one new person, Jew and Gentile together, making peace between two groups who didn't ever get along. From God's perspective, it doesn't work to have two different groups of people who are in conflict with each other. What God is seeking is only possible if the dividing wall of hostility is torn down, so that people can be at peace. This dividing wall, is the Mosaic covenant. And specifically, the dividing wall is the part of the Mosaic covenant that most obviously fenced off Jew from Gentile-- things like circumcision, and food laws, and holy days. Bacon is the dividing wall.
So that's the first reason Jesus abolished the Mosaic covenant-- to make the two groups, Jew and Gentile, into one, making peace.
The second reason Jesus abolished the covenant, is in verse 16:
(2) In order that he might reconcile both by one body to God through the cross, killing the enmity in himself.
God wants to be at peace with all people, reconciled to all people. This was only possible through Jesus.
So Jesus is our peace. He is the one who made peace between Jew and Gentile by tearing down the dividing wall of the Mosaic covenant. He is the one who made peace between all people, and God.
Jesus, then, is our peace. He's the reason we have good relationships with each other, and with God. In verse 17, we also see that Jesus PROCLAIMED the peace. He offered peace to us, to the Gentiles, who were far away from God. And he also offered peace to those who were near to God-- to the Jews. Jews had a head start; they began closer to God. They worshipped the one true God; they had the covenants; they had the promises. We Gentiles were much farther away. But whether we are Jews or Gentiles by birth, it is THROUGH JESUS that we have access-- both of us-- by one Spirit to the Father. Here again, "THROUGH JESUS" is given emphasis.
Almost everyone we know believes in God. They look up at the heavens, and they know He's there, somewhere. But they don't all have the access to God that we do. All of us are on speed-dial to God. When we look up, we know that God's face is shining down on us. We offer worship, and we know He hears. And when we pray, we know that God hears that, as well.
How do you get that kind of ongoing access to God? Through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit.
With this, we come to verses 19-22. Here, Paul wraps up his teaching:
(19) And so then, consequently, no longer you are strangers and foreigners,
but you are fellow citizens of the holy ones and household members of God,
(20) being built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets,
the cornerstone being King Jesus himself,
(21) in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
(22) in whom you also are being built up together into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.
Probably the easiest way to understand this section is to picture a first century Jew holding a bunch of promises in his hands. A Jew will say, "Because I live within the Mosaic covenant, I'm a citizen of Israel. I'm part of God's family, built on the prophets. I worship in the temple where God lives. I have a ton of reasons to boast. I have massive advantages over you pagan Gentiles."
Now imagine Paul taking those promises from the Jew, and holding them out to you, and saying, "If you want these promises, give your allegiance to King Jesus. It's true that you were strangers and foreigners to God. You were far from him.
Now, though? Now, because you are in Jesus, you are fellow citizens, part of God's family, part of God's temple. If you were to walk by the temple in Jerusalem, you'd say, with a sense of wonder, "God used to live there." But now? God lives in us. God moved. We are God's temple.
The bottom line is that there is no reason for you, as Gentile Christians, to feel inadequate. There's no reason to worry that you are second class citizens of God's kingdom, or that God has special blessings that are only for his Jewish people. What else could God possibly offer you, more than what he's already done through Jesus? God has richly blessed you; he's loved you with the entirety of who He is. God held out both hands to you, offering his beloved son. Do you think he has a third hand behind his back, with secret blessings for Jews? NO. With both hands, God offers every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies to you.
So at this point, we can make a checklist of all of the ways that God blesses his people in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. All of these things are part of what Paul calls "salvation." As I read them, ask yourself the question, do these things sound like something you want? Do you want:
1) to be freed from living under the thumb of satan, living under satan's authority?
2) to be a citizen in God's nation?
3) to be part of God's family?
4) to be at peace with God?
5) access to God?
6) hope (of the inheritance; see 1:11)?
7) to be God's temple?
If you want what God offers through Jesus, you turn away from your sin, and you turn to God, and you bend your knee before Jesus. You pledge yourself to Jesus, as being your Master, and Lord, and Savior, and King. This is not a one-time pledge. This first act of faith, becomes a lifetime of faithfulness and loyalty. But there does need to be a first act of faith.
It's just possible this morning that some of you have never actually made this kind of commitment. I grew up in a church that invited people, on a regular basis, to be forgiven, to receive Jesus as Savior, and to join God's family. But it wasn't until I was 15, that I had someone explain to me about how faith includes the idea of loyalty and commitment and allegiance. I'd prayed the sinner's prayer many times. I'd been through the Baptist equivalent of confirmation. But I'd never really committed to Jesus. I'd never surrendered everything to him, and truly bent my knee. No one told me that was a thing.
Maybe this morning, somehow surprisingly, you find yourself in this same situation. You've been here forever. But you've never made this commitment to Jesus, because you didn't realize that's what Jesus wanted. If that's you, I'd like to pray a prayer of commitment to Jesus that you can pray with me. If you don't want to pray this, no pressure. But if you want to, join me. You can whisper if you want. "Jesus, I commit to you as being my Lord, and my Savior. I give myself completely to you. I surrender. I bend my knee before you. In Jesus' name, Amen.
If you just prayed this prayer, I'd love to talk to after the service. Or, you can reach out to Pastor Jordan, and I'm sure he'd love to talk to you as well.
For the rest of you, for all of you, really, I hope you enter into this next week thankful. Praise God that He's rescued you from satan's kingdom, and given you new life. That He's invited you into his family, his kingdom. And that He's made you full citizens, with all of the blessings that come with that. You aren't second class citizens. You don't fly coach. God's given you everything. Go in God's grace.
Translation:
(11) Therefore, think about how it used to be that you--
the nations/Gentiles in the flesh,
the ones being called "uncircumcision" by the ones being called "circumcision" in the flesh made by hands--,
(12) that you were at that time apart from Christ,
having been alienated from the citizenship of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of the promise,
not having hope
and without God in the world.
(13) Now, in Christ Jesus you--the ones formerly being far away--
have now become near by the blood of the Christ.
(14) For he is our peace,
the one making the both [into] one,
and the dividing wall of the partition breaking-- the enmity by his flesh--
(15) the law of the commandments in ordinances abolishing,
in order that:
the two he might create in/by himself into one new person,
making peace.
(16) and he might reconcile both by one body to God through the cross,
killing the enmity in himself.
(17) and coming, he proclaimed the good news of peace to you-- to the far --
and peace to the ones near.
(18) because through him we have access-- we both -- by/in one Spirit to the Father.
(19) And so then, consequently, no longer you are strangers and foreigners,
but you are fellow citizens of the holy ones and household members of God,
(20) being built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets,
the cornerstone being King Jesus himself,
(21) in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
(22) in whom you also are being built up together into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.
