Ephesians - 3

Ephesians - 3

Ephesians 2:11-22

Introduction

The American author and politician, Bruce Barton, wrote, “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.” The doctrine of Union with Christ could seem like a ‘little thing.’ It could be merely a way for the Apostle Paul to refer to the realities of salvation. It could be considered shorthand for Paul’s ideas of salvation. However, once a person begins to comprehend the enormous consequences of this particular doctrine, it becomes clear that it is no ‘little thing.’ In fact, if a person takes their cue from the consequences of this doctrine, it would be easy, and correct, to conclude that the doctrine of Union with Christ may be the most important doctrine in all the world.

For the last two sermons in Ephesians, we have covered two texts in depth…1:3-14 and 2:1-10, showing that the Bible summarizes salvation by stating that believers are ‘in Christ.’ Blessing from God comes to those who are ‘in Christ.’ God the Father loves those who are ‘in Christ.’ The Holy Spirit seals eternally those who are ‘in Christ.’ Jesus forgives those who are ‘in Him.’ Grace is shown to those ‘in Christ.’ Mercy is granted to those ‘in Christ.’ Outside of Christ you are ‘in sin.’ Outside of Christ you are ‘in death.’ All of what it means to be saved, all of what it means to be a Christian, can be summed up by those two words…’in Christ.’

But what does that mean? ‘In Christ’ is a pretty vague, mystical sort of phrase. It means you have been incorporated into or now live in the sphere that is Christ. Think of it this way…this room is Christ. It has borders and there are clear lines for being inside or outside of it. Outside of this room is sin, death, destruction. No hope. No joy. No life. No forgiveness. No blessing. Only inside this room can you experience any of those things. So God, in His kindness, mercifully saves some of those who are outside of this room. He opens their eyes to the reality of their sin. He flips the switch to cause them to believe the truth of the gospel message. He saves them. He resurrects their dead soul…by putting them into this room. He picks up those who are outside of this room, dead in sin, and causes them to live by anchoring them in here.

And now that you are in this room, all the blessing of God is yours to have. Forgiveness is yours. Life is yours. Salvation is yours. All because God put you in here. And now, everything about your life, your faith, your reality, your eternal destination, your everyday life…are all defined by being ‘in Christ.’ But what does that do in your life? What are the consequences of being ‘in Christ’? There are countless dominos that fall, but Paul has one in particular in mind. It is the theme of Ephesians. And now that Paul has established the doctrine of Union with Christ, he will now expound and explain what it does in your life and how you are to live out its reality every single day. Here is the foundational theme of the entire book of Ephesians…Union with Christ creates Unity with Christians.

That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? If I am united to Christ and you are united to Christ, then we are, by default, united to one another. It is inescapable. For the rest of the letter, Paul is going to explain this theologically and practically. Our text for today is the theological explanation of the primary consequence of Union with Christ creating Unity with Christians. The rest of our texts, looking at the 40 different commands given in Ephesians 4-6, are all to be understood as how to live out Unity with Christians. Here is the theological explanation:

Ephesians 2:11-22 - 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you—the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—

12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups one and broke down the dividing wall of the partition

15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might create the two into one new man, making peace,

16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity.

17 And He came and preached the good news of peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;

18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord,

22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

TS - there are vertical aspects to salvation…between you and God. But there are also horizontal aspects to salvation…between you and all others who are ‘in Christ.’

THE ABSENCE OF UNITY (V. 11-12)

As he did with 2:1-10 talking about salvation by beginning with the bad news before the good news, Paul begins presenting these truths with the negatives. The Gentiles, all the non-Jews, were v. 11 - the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands. The Jews, who were virtually alone in their commitment to circumcision, had this physical marker to indicate they were recipients of God’s covenant love and promises.

To flesh out the stark contrast between the insider Jews and the outsider Gentiles, Paul summarizes their lack of unity with five deficiencies on the part of the Gentiles. Verse 12, they were ‘without Christ.’ Due to their lack of knowledge of the Holy One of Israel, they would have no knowledge of who Christ is or even what that term meant. Without any knowledge of the promised Messiah, they had no hope personally or nationally. Secondly, they were ‘alienated from the citizenship of Israel.’ Again they are outsiders. Paul only uses this term ‘alienated’ two other times, and both of them are in reference to alienation from God. The implication is the same here. Due to their exclusion from Israel and the Jew’s exclusive relationship to God, the Gentiles are excluded from God too.

Third, they are ‘strangers to the covenants of promise.’ God had promised in His covenants to work in and through Israel, to bless them, to protect them. Outside of Israel, they are strangers to that reality. Fourth, they have ‘no hope.’ Just like ‘without Christ’ this has Messianic overtones. Because the Gentiles were ignorant of God’s Word, there is nothing and no one to place their hope in for salvation. Lastly, they are ‘without God in the world.’ To explain this, Paul uses a term used only here in the entire NT. Atheos, which comes into English as atheist. Because God was only concerned with Israel, the Gentiles were so excluded from God, it is as if God does not even exist to them.

Just as 2:1-3 offers a comprehensive condemnation on humanity for their sin, 2:11-12 offers a comprehensive condemnation on the Gentiles regarding their lack of relationship with God and with God’s people. There is a clear lack of unity between Jews and Gentiles. These two groups could not be more opposite in every way imaginable. All that divides them is absolutely insurmountable…until Christ steps in.

THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF UNITY (V. 13-18)

After the darkness of disunity in v. 11-12, verse 13 shines like a beacon of hope. V. 13 - But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The Gentiles were ‘far off’, perfectly describing the deficiencies of v. 12. But now…in Christ Jesus…they are close to God. They are in Union with Christ. They are now in the room. And this has happened solely by the work of Jesus. It is ‘by the blood of Christ.’ His sacrifice was not just for the Jews, not only for the religious, but for those who come from all over the world. And while that is true theologically, it is not Paul’s point here. It is not the disunity between God and Gentiles that he focuses on. The disunity that once existed between Jews and Gentiles is his main point.

‘Brought near’ isn’t talking about salvation for the Gentiles, but for the unity that now exists between God’s people. v. 14 - For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups one and broke down the dividing wall of the partition. The peace Paul is talking about here is relational peace. He will deal with salvation peace in a bit. But here he is marveling that God, in Christ, would bring Jews and Gentiles together. He is our peace. Where there was once disunity, where there used to be hostility, now exists peace. ‘Peace’ is definitely the theme of the text. He uses the word 4x. Then in v. 16 he talks about reconciliation. v. 14 Jesus makes both groups ‘one.’ v. 15, they are now ‘one new man.’ Even the antonym of peace, ‘enmity’ is used twice in v. 15 and v. 16 to show the contrast to peace. Those who have lived in ‘enmity’, in hatred towards one another, are now in total unity ‘in Christ.’ How did Jesus accomplish that?

Paul explains 3 actions of Christ that accomplished this peace. First, he ‘made’ both groups into one. Now, this is not some sociological truth that all Jews and all Gentiles now exist as one person now in unity…cue ‘We are the World’ with Michael Jackson. Not at all. This is only ‘in Christ.’ Jews who are now ‘in Christ’ and Gentiles now ‘in Christ’ are ‘one.’ Outside of Christ is nothing but division and disunity. But ‘in Christ,’ He has unified them as one new group. The critical important of this cannot be overstated. The Jews/Gentiles had hated each other for 8 centuries. And it is healed in an instant ‘in Christ.’

I’m not sure what metrics people would use to divide from you. Or what metrics you’d use to divide from people…money, skin color, status, heritage, politics…if you are in Christ and they are in Christ, none of that matters. It has all been erased. Which is what Paul deals with next. Christ has ‘broken down’ the dividing wall. All that would stand between you and another Christian has been demolished. Christ did this, v. 15 - by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the Law of commandments contained in ordinances. What does that mean? Well, the OT Law was the means by which the Jews lived out their covenant with God. All the commands, the statues, the ordinances. God’s Law is what separated the Jews from the rest of the world. They knew God and they had His will revealed to them. They are unique and special. This is how they live in relationship with God.

But Christ ‘abolished’ it. We have to be careful here. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5 that He did not come to ‘do away with’ the Law, but to fulfill it. The OT Law is not completely gone…Ephesians 4-6 and its commands are built on it. So what Paul means is that the Law as the way to live out relationship with God has been ‘abolished’ a word that means ‘nullified.’ So the Law that set the Jews apart, that upheld their relationship with God, is utterly useless for that purpose. Because now, a relationship with God is available only ‘in Christ.’ And that is open to the Jews and to people from all the nations in the world.

And because of this work, Christ has created the two into ‘one new man.’ The Church is a new creation, a new entity that did not exist before Christ. Indeed, the Church exists only ‘in Christ.’ In Him, all the division and disunity is gone forever. And this unity is based on Union with Christ. v. 16 - and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity. Jews and Gentiles alike, by Christ’s saving work, are reconciled to God. They have been placed in Union with Christ. And that Union with Christ has created Unity with Christians.

Notice all that Christ has accomplished. He accomplished vertical unity by reconciling sinners with God, placing them in Union with Christ. And He accomplished horizontal unity by reconciling sinners with one another, placing them in Unity with Christians. This is true for all Christians, not just those who come from Jewish or Gentile backgrounds. Unity is to be the dominant posture and dominant desire of all Christians. Disunity must never be tolerated. Disunity is, quite literally, anti-Christ.

THE APPLICATION OF UNITY (V. 19-22)

Paul closes out the section by explaining the new Gentile reality that has come because of Union and Unity. v. 19 - So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household. All of this is in direct contrast to their deficiencies in v. 12. They are ‘no longer strangers and sojourners.’ Before, they were ‘strangers to the covenants of promise.’ In Christ, this is no longer true. From here on, Paul uses both citizenship and household images to describe the new realities created for people in Christ.

They are not ‘strangers’ anymore, meaning outsiders. They are not ‘sojourners’ meaning ‘resident aliens,’ meaning those who don’t belong. They are ‘fellow citizens’ with God’s people. They aren’t refugees anymore. They aren’t second-class citizens in someone else’s homeland. They belong here. This is their home. And that is the particular image Paul hammers home. I mean, you could be a citizen and be part of a large, nameless, faceless crowd. But that isn’t true. They are members of God’s family in God’s own household. In these four verses Paul uses six different words that all have ‘house’ as the root word. He wants them to know, he wants you to know…you are at home with God. You have a family now.

After establishing the family dynamic, Paul switches immediately to a building dynamic. God’s people, v. 20 - having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone. The foundation of NT Christianity is the preaching and theology of the apostles and prophets, what we know of now as the NT. So these Gentiles stand on the same foundation as the Jews. There was not a different entrance point into membership. There is not a separate place to stand. Jewish Christians don’t stand on the OT and the Gentile Christians on the NT. No, all Christians enter God’s family by their Union with Christ and stand on the same solid foundation. Christ is the cornerstone, the most important part of the entire building. In an ancient structure, the cornerstone was the first and most important stone to be laid. It determined the size, scope, and direction of the entire structure. All other pieces of the building find their direction, their purpose, by their relationship to the cornerstone.

v. 21 - in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. God’s people are ‘joined together.’ This is another one of Paul’s coined terms, a word that purposefully emphasizes the closeness that exists among God’s people. So those who say, “I love Jesus but not the Church” are dead wrong. You can’t love one and not the other. It’s a package deal. Those who say they are part of the Church but then stay on the margins, uninvolved, not knowing and being known by others, are actively placing themselves in opposition to Christ’s work in them and in the Church.

So we are a building, each person a unique stone that plays a vital role in the structure. He is building us into His unified people to be a holy sanctuary. What does that mean? v. 22 - in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. ‘Built together’ is another coined term by Paul, used only here in the NT. Just as we saw in 2:1-10 that salvation is Union with Christ as ‘made alive together with’ v.5, ‘raised up with Him’ and ‘seated us with Him’ in v. 6…Unity with Christians is defined as v. 21 ‘joined together’ and here in v. 22 ‘built together.’ See the theme? Together…In Christ. So that God, by His Spirit, can dwell within, not just individual believers, but in and among His unified people.

In America we have this fascination with an individualized faith. My personal relationship with Jesus. But that is sad and incomplete. Yes, you do have a personal relationship with Jesus, as He has saved you and placed you into Union with Him. But that automatically includes all of God’s people. You don’t get to live out your faith in isolation, just you and Him. Your faith is lived out in and among His people. Union with Christ automatically includes the Church. And you cannot have one without the other. He has placed you in Unity with Christians and you are to live in and work toward that Unity in all your relationships with His people.

But we also don’t forget…that Unity stems directly from your Union with Christ. v. 13 in Christ Jesus. v. 13 by the blood of Christ. v. 14 He Himself is our peace. v. 15 in His flesh. v. 15 in Himself. v. 16 through the cross. v. 16 in Himself. v. 17 He came and preached peace. v. 18 through Him. v. 20 Christ Jesus Himself. v. 21 in whom. v. 21 in the Lord. v. 22 in whom.

God, out of His mercy, placed you in Union with Christ. And God, out of His mercy, placed you in Unity with Christians. Both are a gift, a grace in your life that He grants to you because He loves you. You were an outsider. You were a stranger. To God and to His people. You were without God. Without hope. Without Christ. But God…But in Christ Jesus…you were included. You’ve been adopted as God’s own son or daughter. And you have been gifted brothers and sisters in Christ. You are not alone. You have family. You are part of God’s own household…in Christ Jesus.