Unity of Christ's People (2:11-15)

Introduction:

As we continue in our glorious study of Paul’s prison letter to the Ephesians, we have learned much through the various indicatives or truths that God has given us as a result of being in Christ. We learned last week that we who were dead, are now made alive with Christ and as a result are seated with him positionally in heavenly places. We also learned that the ultimate purpose of us being left here on earth is to show forth God’s immeasurable mercy, grace, and love in every age where his people reside; a sort of show-in-tell for the glory of God!

But let’s pause here for a moment and try and set the stage for this morning’s message. If you know anything about the scriptures, in particular, the Old Testament, you will remember that God used a people called the Jews, descendants of Abraham through his wife Sarah, to bring forth the Messiah so that their redemption would come through the death, burial, and glorious resurrection of the God-Man Jesus, a Jew of the tribe of Judah. He also used the Jews to be the first to declare the good news that through repentance of sin, and faith in the Messiah, Jesus, the Christ, alone, they would be saved and experience all that it means to be in Christ. As this message of good news went forth, what resulted was that not only Jews, but also non-Jews or Gentiles were being saved. Was this God’s purpose all along? We will answer that question this morning as we look at the unity of Christ’s people from Ephesians 2:11-15.

Text: Ephesians 2:11-15

Ephesians 2:11–15 ESV

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— 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. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 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,

Main Idea: Since God’s redemptive plan was decreed in eternity past, the unified oneness of all peoples in Christ was also part of that plan.

As we unpack this portion of scripture, we will come to the conclusion that there is only one unified people of God. The greatest answer to the race issue, is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For all nations, tribes, and tongues are brothers and sisters of the most intimate type in Christ, we are the people of God! Let’s see how this played out in God’s eternal plan.

Let’s begin by remembering from our first sermon, the the saints at Ephesus were primarily Gentiles, so let’s look at...

I. We as Gentiles Before Salvation (11-12)

(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—

Paul begins by looking back to what has been said with the conjunction therefore (dio). In other words he says, since we who were dead have been made alive, and since we who are now alive have been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places, and since we who have been raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly place have been left here as God’s masterpiece, put on display for all to see, we must understand the extent of God’s plan by remembering who we were before all this happened; we were Gentiles. It begins with a look at...

Circumcision, which was a sign or mark given to Abraham to be administered to his progeny as a physical sign of God’s covenant with his people, the Jews.

Genesis 17:9–14 ESV

9 And 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 be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely 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.”

The Jews used it emphatically as a way of isolating themselves from all other human beings, allowing for blatant disregard for all who were not circumcised. The opposite of this circumcision is the spiritual circumcision of the heart (Deut. 10:16; Jer. 4:4),

Deuteronomy 10:16 ESV

16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.

Jeremiah 4:4 ESV

4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”

This was applied to Gentiles as well as Jews (Rom. 2:28, 29; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11–13).

Romans 2:28–29 ESV

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.

In the final analysis, Gentiles were those who were outside the covenant community that was symbolized by physical circumcision, this is what he explains next, and again calls us to...

(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.

at that time - Contrast with “But now” in v. 13; see also 5:8. In Rom. 9:3–5, Paul lists the privileges of Jews. Here he lists five disadvantages of Gentiles.

separated from Christ, - they knew nothing about the coming of the Messiah

alienated from the commonwealth of Israel - They were not citizens of the nation with whom God was in covenant relation.

strangers to the covenants of promise - God’s relationship with Israel included a promise to bless the nations (Gen. 12:3)

Genesis 12:3 ESV

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

having no hope - Gentiles had no awareness of that hope. So that in the final analysis, they were:

without God in the world - although God had revealed Himself to all humanity in nature and in the conscience, the Gentiles had suppressed what truth they did know, turning instead to idolatry (Acts 17:22–31; Rom. 1:18–2:16).

But that was not the end, for God’s promise to Abraham, as we’ve mentioned, included the Gentiles, this is what Paul says next...

II. We as Gentiles After Salvation (13)

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

But now - again, the transition from what was to what is is very strong.

in Christ Jesus. The old division of all people into two classifications, Jews or Gentiles (Acts 14:5; Rom. 3:29; 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:23), or Jews and Greeks (John 7:35; Acts 14:1; 18:4; Rom. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:22, 24; etc.), has been transcended by a new entity in Christ: “the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32).

you who once were far off - you Gentiles

have been brought (ginomai [aor, pas, ind] - come into a new state of being) near - To be brought near means to have access to God (see Eph. 2:18).

by (preposition of means) the blood of Christ - Christ’s substitutionary death. He died not only for the Jews but for all his sheep, Jesus alludes to this in (John 10:16),

John 10:16 ESV

16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

even those who are far off, Peter makes this clear in his sermon at Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:39).

Acts 2:39 ESV

39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

III. Jews and Gentiles Together as One (14-15)

(14) For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

For (conjunction of explanation) he himself (Jesus Christ) is our peace - This refers to the state of harmonious friendship with God and with one another in the church.

who has made us both one - That is, Jews and Gentiles.

broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility -

This refers to the courts of the temple in Jerusalem. A wall separated Gentiles and Jews, and signs were posted excluding Gentiles from the inner courts where sacrifices for sin were performed.

There was an inscription on the wall of the outer courtyard of the Jerusalem temple warning Gentiles that they would only have themselves to blame for their death if they passed beyond it into the inner courts.

(15) 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,

by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances

Christ offered in His own body the final sacrifice to which the temple’s sacrifices merely pointed. The ceremonial laws of the Old Testament that separated Jews and Gentiles are no longer appropriate after their fulfillment in Christ.

The additional mention of commandments and ordinances identifies this as the Mosaic law, which included many commandments that served to separate Israel from the other nations. Thus the law was a “dividing wall” (v. 14) which Christ has abolished or rendered powerless both by fulfilling it and by removing believers from the law’s condemnation (see Matt. 5:17; Rom. 8:1; Heb. 9:11–14; 10:1–10).

that (purpose) he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

The result is a new man, denoting a new human race under the second Adam (Christ), in whose image the Christian is re-created (1 Cor. 15:45, 49; see also Eph. 4:24).

1 Corinthians 15:45 ESV

45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:49 ESV

49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

So What?

Do we understand that God’s salvation plan was to include all nations, tribes, and tongues?

As a result, we are to live in peace with our brothers and sisters, for we have the ability to do in Christ that which the world only hopes for.

Since God has made one new human race, we as the children of God, positioned in Christ must display before the world one unified front!