Ephesians 2.13b-The Reason and Means By Gentile Christians Have Been Brought Near to God and His Covenant People^J Israel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday December 2, 2023
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:13b-The Reason and Means By Which Gentile Christians Have Been Brought Near to God and His Covenant People Israel
Lesson # 108
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of remembering that formerly each of you who belong to the Gentile race with respect to the human body, specifically, those who receive the designation “uncircumcision” by the those who receive the designation “circumcision” with respect to the human body performed by human hands, 12 each one of you used to be characterized as without a relationship with Christ. Each one of you used to be alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship. Specifically, each of you used to be strangers to the most important promise, which is the product of the covenants. Each of you used to not possess a confident expectation of blessing. Consequently, each one of you used to be without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system. 13 However, because of your faith in and your union and identification with Christ Jesus each and every one of you as a corporate who formerly were far away have now been brought near by means of the blood belonging to this same Christ. (Lecturer’s translation)
Now, as was the case in Ephesians 1:7, the noun haima (αἷμα), “the blood” here in Ephesians 2:13 is used in a figurative sense as part of a representative analogy between the physical death of the animal sacrifices prescribed in the Mosaic Law and the spiritual and physical deaths of Jesus Christ on the cross.
The noun haima (αἷμα) is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), “by” which is functioning as a marker of means.
This would indicate that the blood of Jesus Christ, which is a reference to His spiritual and physical deaths on the cross, was “the means by which” the Father entered these Gentile Christians into a close, intimate relationship with Himself and His covenant people, Israel.
The proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” contains the figure of metonymy which means that the one and only Christ is put for the church age believer’s faith in Him at justification and their union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that Gentile Christians were entered into a relationship with God the Father and with His covenant people Israel by being declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ.
Simultaneously, through the baptism of the Spirit, they were placed in union with Jesus Christ and identified with Him in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand.
Through the baptism of the Spirit, they were united with Jewish Christians.
Consequently, they benefit from the four unconditional covenants that God established with His covenant people, namely the Abrahamic, Land, Davidic and New covenants.
They received the gift of the Spirit and the forgiveness of sins because of benefiting from the New covenant, which promises these two benefits.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 20, 2:5, 6, 7, 10 and 12 the word here in Ephesians 2:13 emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God delivered the believer from the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection.
This word Christos (Χριστός) denotes the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth; thus He is the Deliverer of the human race in three areas through His death, resurrection, ascension and session: (1) Satan (2) Cosmic System (3) Old Sin Nature.
The Lord’s Messiahship has a four-fold significance: (1) Separation unto God. (2) Authorization from God. (3) Divine enablement. (4) The coming Deliverer. It also signifies the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth who is the God-Man.
Christos (Χριστός) also signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was accomplished by His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross.
The word signifies that Jesus of Nazareth has been given authority by God the Father to forgive sins, give eternal life, and authority over all creation and every creature as a result of His execution of the Father’s salvation plan.
It denotes that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit during His First Advent.
Lastly, it signifies that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised deliverer of the human race from the bondage of Satan, his cosmic system and the old Adamic sin nature.
The proper noun Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), “who is Jesus” refers to the human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth and clarifies who is Christ here, namely Jesus of Nazareth since there were many in the first century who made the claim.
The noun Christos (Χριστός) is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), “because of,” which functions here as a marker of cause or reason.
Therefore, this indicates that the church age believer’s faith in Jesus Christ at justification as well as their union and identification with Him through the baptism of the Spirit at justification is “the reason why” Gentile Christians were brought near to the Father and His covenant people Israel.
In other words, it presents “the reason why” Gentile Christians were entered into a relationship with the Father and His covenant people Israel and specifically, regenerate Jews.
The prepositional phrase en Christō Iēsou (ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ), “because of your faith in and your union and identification with Christ Jesus” is fronted, which means that Paul places it at the beginning of the assertion here in Ephesians 2:13 for emphasis.
Specifically, he wants to emphasize with these Gentile Christians something that he has done throughout this epistle up to this point, namely that their present relationship with God and regenerate Jews who are the remnant of Israel, was not attained by their own meritorious actions, but by the grace of God.
The Father’s grace policy, which provided them a Savior in the person of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, is the reason why they were in a relationship with the triune God and regenerate Jews.
It was His grace policy, which sent His Son to the cross to suffer His wrath on the cross, which He experienced through His spiritual and physical deaths on the cross as their substitute.
Consequently, these Gentile Christians were redeemed out of the slave market of sin in which they were born physically alive and yet spiritually dead according to the Father’s grace policy.
They were reconciled to a holy God.
The Son propitiated the Father’s holiness which demanded that sin and sinner’s be judged.
All of this was according to the Father’s grace policy, which flows from the exercise of the Father’s attribute of love.
These Gentile Christians appropriated this great deliverance or salvation on behalf of the entire human race, which the Father provided for them through His Son when they exercised faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Consequently, the Father imputed or credited His Son’s righteousness to them and declared them justified (Rom. 3:19-30).
In other words, the Father declared them justified based upon the merits of His Son, Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.
Simultaneously, at the moment of their justification, the Holy Spirit placed them in union with Christ and identified them with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand (Rom. 6; Col. 3:1-4).
They are now members of the body of Christ and the future bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23-33) and will reign with Christ in His millennial kingdom.
All of this was accomplished because of the Father’s grace policy, which flows from the exercise of the attribute of His love.
This grace policy and the exercise of the Father’s attribute of love was manifested through the work of the Son, namely, His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand.
It was also manifested through the work of the Holy Spirit at the moment of their justification.
So therefore, the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:13 is introducing the doctrine of reconciliation, which he discusses to the end of the chapter.
It is not only a discussion of the reconciliation between these Gentile Christians and a holy God but also it is a discussion of the reconciliation between Jew and Gentile.
So therefore, this reconciliation is two-fold.
In both instances, they were reconciled to God and the Jewish Christian community because of their faith in Jesus Christ at justification and union and identification with Jesus Christ.
The means by which this two-fold reconciliation was accomplished is “the blood of Christ,” which we noted is a representative analogy referring to the substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Therefore, the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:13 is introducing the doctrine of peace as well because this reconciliation of Gentiles with Jews and with God is the reason why Gentile Christians have peace with God and Jewish Christians.