Ephesians 2.19b-Gentile Christians Are Fellow Citizens with the Saints and Members of God's Household
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday February 8, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:19b-Gentile Christians Are Fellow Citizens with the Saints and Members of God’s Household
Lesson # 124
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. 14 For He Himself personifies our peace. Namely, by causing both groups to be one. Specifically, by destroying the wall, which served as the barrier, that is, that which caused hostility (between the two). 15 In other words, by nullifying by means of His human nature the law composed of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws in order that He might cause the two to be created into one new humanity by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. Thus, He caused peace to be established (between the two and God). 16 In other words, in order that He would reconcile both groups into one body to God (the Father) through His cross. Consequently, He put to death the hostility (between the two and the two with God) by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. 17 Correspondingly, He as a result came proclaiming peace for the benefit of each and every one of you, namely, those who were far off likewise peace to those were near. 18 Consequently, through the personal intermediate agency of Himself each and every one of us as a corporate unit, namely, both groups are experiencing access by means of the omnipotence of the one Spirit to the presence of the Father. 19 Indeed therefore, each and every one of you as corporate unit are no longer foreigners (to the covenants of promise), that is, foreign citizens. But rather each and every one of you as a corporate unit are fellow citizens with the saints, that is, members of God’s household. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 2:19 is composed of the following:
(1) emphatic inferential clause Ara oun ouketi este xenoi kai paroikoi (Ἄρα οὖν οὐκέτι ἐστὲ ξένοι καὶ πάροικοι), “Indeed therefore, each and every one of you as corporate unit are no longer foreigners (to the covenants of promise), that is, foreign citizens.” (Author’s translation)
(2) strong adversative clause allʼ este sympolitai tōn hagiōn kai oikeioi tou theou (ἀλλʼ ἐστὲ συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ οἰκεῖοι τοῦ θεοῦ), “But rather each and every one of you as a corporate unit are fellow citizens with the saints, that is, members of God’s household.” (Author’s translation)
In Ephesians 2:19, we noted that the strong adversative clause asserts that each and every one of these Gentile church age believers are fellow citizens with the saints, that is, they are members of God’s household.
It presents an emphatic contrast with the emphatic inferential clause.
Thus, it presents an emphatic contrast between these Gentile church age believers being foreigners or in other words, foreign citizens in relation to Jewish church age believers prior to their justification and that of them being fellow citizens with them and members of God’s household from the moment of their justification.
The noun sympolitēs (συμπολίτης), “fellow citizens” describes Gentile church age believers as fellow citizens with the saints.
As was the case when the word appeared in Ephesians 1:1, 15 and 18, the articular genitive masculine plural form of the adjective hagios (ἅγιος), “with the saints” here in Ephesians 2:19 describes all the members of the body of Christ who have been set apart through the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of justification in order to order serve God exclusively.
However, here it is used to describe sinners justified by faith in the Lord in every dispensation of history including the church age.
This is indicated by the fact that this term hagios (ἅγιος), “saints” is not only used in the New Testament with church age believers as its referent, but also it is used with Old Testament believers as its referent (cf. Matt. 27:52; Rev. 11:18; 18:24).
The word’s referent is also believers living during the seventieth week of Daniel (Rev. 13:7; 14:12) and believers living during the seventieth week who have been martyred (Rev. 8:3; 16:6; 18:24).
Those believers living during the millennial reign Christ from all dispensations including the church age are the word’s referent in Revelation 20:9).
The referent of this term hagios (ἅγιος), “saints” cannot be church age believers exclusively and specifically its referent cannot be Jewish church age believers being contrasted with Gentile church age believers.
This is indicated by the fact that Ephesians 2:11-18 does not distinguish Jewish and Gentile church age believers but rather asserts that they together form the new humanity which is in union and identified with Jesus Christ who is the head of the new humanity.
Secondly, it is indicated by the fact that Galatians 3:26-28 asserts that during the church age there is neither Jew nor Gentile.
When Paul asserts in Ephesians 2:19 that the Gentile Christian community are fellow citizens with the all the believers throughout the past Old Testament dispensations, he is alluding to their heavenly citizenship, which Paul develops quite a bit in the epistle to the Philippian Christian community because in it he teaches them that they are citizens of heaven.
In the Philippian epistle, Paul was addressing Roman citizens regarding their spiritual citizenship in heaven.
To teach this, Paul employs the verb politeuomai (πολιτεύομαι) in Philippians 1:27 and the noun politeuma (πολίτευμα) in Philippians 3:20 which are terms the Philippian believers would be familiar with since Philippi was a Roman politeuma (πολίτευμα).
This citizenship is also alluded to in Ephesians 2:19 and Hebrews 11:14-16.
Philippians 1:27 Only conduct yourselves (politeuomai) in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. (NASB95)
Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship (politeuma) is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (NASB95)
Now, we complete our study of Ephesians 2:19, by noting the adjective oikeios (οἰκεῖος), “household,” which also appears in the strong adversative clause and is used figuratively here to describe sinners justified by faith in the Lord in every previous dispensation prior to and during the church age.
The articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun theos (θεός), “God” refers to the Father which is indicated by the articular construction of the noun, which in the New Testament commonly signifies the Father unless otherwise indicated by the context.
The articular construction we noted of this word also indicates that it is in a class by itself expressing the idea that there were many gods in the world, but the God Jewish and Gentile Christians worshipped was the one and only true God in contrast to unregenerate humanity in the first century A.D. which worshipped the pantheon of Graeco-Roman gods.
When Paul asserts that Gentile church age believers are fellow citizens with the saints, he means that they are members of God’s household.
In other words, the expression oikeioi tou theou (οἰκεῖοι τοῦ θεοῦ), “God’s household” makes explicit the expression sympolitai tōn hagiōn (συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων), “fellow citizens with the saints.”
God’s household is composed of sinners justified by faith in the Lord from every dispensation who we noted are designated by the term hagios (ἅγιος), “with the saints.”
The “God’s household” metaphor appears in only two other places in Paul’s writings, namely, Galatians 6:10 and 1 Timothy 3:15.
Galatians 6:10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith. (NET)
1 Timothy 3:15 However, if possibly I am delayed, I am writing at this particular time in order that you would know for certain how one ought to always conduct oneself in God’s household, which indeed by virtue of its unique, privileged and divine character is, as an eternal spiritual truth the living God’s church, the pillar as well as support of the truth. (Author’s translation)
So therefore, Paul is asserting in Ephesians 2:19 that not only is the Gentile church age believer a citizen of heaven but also they are now members of God’s household, which is a metaphor which expresses the intimacy they now possess with God the Father.
This metaphor connects to Paul’s statement in Ephesians 2:18, in which he asserts that both Jew and Gentile church age believer are experiencing access to the Father through the personal intermediate agency of Jesus Christ and by the omnipotence of the one Spirit.
The metaphor of being a member of God’s household is also connected to Paul’s assertion in Ephesians 1:5 that both Jewish and Gentile church age believers have been elected by the Father in eternity past by means of the Father predestinating them to adoption as His sons.
He also asserts in this verse that the Father did this because of His love through faith in Jesus Christ for Himself according to the pleasure of His will.