Ephesians 2:11-22

At the end of chapter one, Paul spoke about and emphasized God’s mighty strength and power. He lets this topic lead into chapter two which is all about God’s power in saving us. The first half, as we discussed last week, is about how we were once dead in our sins and Christ, in His power, made us alive in Himself. Verse 10 speaks of us as God’s workmanship who were created ourselves to do good works for Him.

The rest of chapter two stays on this same concept of our salvation, except Paul looks at it from a different perspective: ethnicity. This church namely consisted of Gentiles, and so Paul speaks to them about God’s power in bringing them, who were far away, near to Him.

Verses 11-12

These verses act as verses 1-3 do in the first half of the chapter. They speak of what they once were. Here are some ways that Paul describes them before they were saved:

Gentiles in the flesh

This is very literal. They were not Jews, but Gentiles according to their flesh.

Called uncircumcised

Also literal. The Jews looked down upon the Gentiles as the “uncircumcised.” The fact that they were uncircumcised pointed to them being far away from God, not in covenant with Him.

Without Christ

This points to their lack of relationship with Jesus Christ. They are not just acquaintances but not very close, they are without Him.

Excluded from the citizenship of Israel

Remember, God’s people began as a specific nation: Israel. The Jews were known as God’s people because God chose them to bring about Christ. In OT times, the Gentile was excluded from the citizenship of God’s people. Gentiles were considered sinful and wicked people who could never taste God’s grace. This changes with Christ, but we’ll talk about that later.

Foreigners to the covenants of promise

To be a foreigner is to be a stranger. The covenants of promise refer to the OT covenants that God made with the people of Israel. The covenants that God made with Israel took different forms and were with different men. Nonetheless, what Paul is referring to is the covenants God bound Himself to regardless of Israel’s rebellion to bless them and prosper them.

Ultimately these covenants were fulfilled in Christ and the church, but Paul will discuss that later. Right now, he is emphasizing what they WERE.

Without hope

What hope does anyone who is against God truly have? What hope do they have in life and death? They have no hope, no true hope at least. The hope they think they have is that if they do enough good things, then their god(s) or just the universe would reward them with eternal life. But this hope is built on clouds.

Without God

Ultimately, they were without their Creator, God. They may have thought they knew Him, but they did not.

Verses 13-16

Now that the bad news is passed, we can really enjoy the good news. Yes, Paul is talking to the church at Ephesus and the believers who are there, but these truths directly apply to us as well.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

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

Notice Paul says in Christ Jesus these things occured. This means that it is solely through Jesus Christ that we were brought near to God. When I say “solely,” I truly mean that. Without Christ, verses 11-12 are our reality:

Without Christ, excluded from Heaven, strangers to the blessings of God, without hope, without God. But solely because of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross, and resurrection from the tomb, and ascension into Heaven, we are saved and brought near to Him. We were far off, excluded, and Christ brought us near to Him.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.

Here is the explanation for this act of Christ bringing us near: He is our peace. Why does Paul mention peace here? It is because of the rest of this verse: who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.

The two groups are Jews and Gentiles. The people of God and the pagan unbelievers. Jews hated Gentiles. They looked down upon them severely. There was major hostility between these two groups. But Christ stood between them and united them together. He is our peace! He takes Jews, Palestinians, Romanians, Russians, Ukrainians, Americans, Chinese, North Koreans, South Koreans, etc. Everyone! He takes all of us foolish, sinful people who want to kill each other and He IS our Peace. He draws us all near to Him. We can now be united, one, in Christ regardless of our ethnicity or nationality.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.

This verse requires a slow break down to really understand:

In His flesh… this is referring to when Jesus was on Earth in flesh like us

He made of no effect the law… Saying “made of no effect” sounds weird, but the translators were trying to convey the Paul meant. He did not mean that Jesus abolished or destroyed the law. This isn’t true. Jesus says this Himself, that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law. And so, the CSB translators say “made of no effect.” This is not to say Jesus destroyed it, but He made the Law not necessary and not useful anymore.

the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations… this is a description of what the Law is. The OT law, not just the 10 commandments but also all of the regulations for cleanliness, sacrifices, ordinances, etc. There were hundreds of parts to the law! But, to combine these two parts, Jesus made these hundreds of laws no longer necessary.

so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. In this half of chapter two, we see two problems of hostility and both being solved. Here is the first problem of hostility: man and man. Once again, Jews and Gentiles did not like one another. But this verse says that Christ made of no effect the old law that would exclude Gentiles from God’s promise and make the two people into one. What does this result in, the creation of a new man including all people? Peace.

Then we see the second issue of hostility:

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.

Man and God were at odds too. Our relationship with God was marred because of our sin. And so Jesus Christ came, fulfilled the law and made it pointless now, died in our place, taking our punishment, and resurrected so that man could have peace with God, and man could have peace with man. These two problems of hostility were not solved two different ways. Peace between man and God and peace between man and man can only come through Christ and His work on the cross.

So Jesus transforms these two men into one man, one body, and reconciles them all to God by dying on the cross. He puts all hostility, between man and man and man and God, to death.

Verses 17-18

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

17 He came and proclaimed 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 access in one Spirit to the Father.

Both these verses also point to unity between men and God. Notice who Jesus preached the good news of peace to:

…to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

This means Jesus preached peace to both Jew and Gentiles! Then Paul goes further and says that it is through Christ that we both, Jew and Gentile, have access in one Spirit to the Father.

There is not a special level of closeness to God for Jews alone or Gentiles alone. Paul says that they both have access to God the Father in One Spirit. It is all the same Holy Spirit dwelling in us, bringing us close to the Father.

Verses 19-22

These last verses bring us the result of the elimination of hostility between man and man and man and God, and the creation of one new man in Christ:

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

This is the new body, the new man, that Paul spoke of. The Gentiles who were far off and strangers are now fellow citizens with the saints. Consider you go from an army attacking a kingdom, to a citizen of that kingdom. But Paul goes even further. You go from an enemy of the kingdom to a member of the King’s family.

This is a beautiful and great picture of our salvation. So far off, and brought so near.

Paul describes the citizenship of Heaven, the family of God, to be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone.

Now Paul will move into a building analogy. The foundation which we build on is the one which the apostles and prophets laid down for us.

Consider all the OT books that are namely about a prophet speaking the truth of God to a people who hate him and try to kill him. Yet their teachings benefit us still today. These prophets are also the ones who penned down majority of the OT for us to learn from and build off of.

Consider the great labor which the Apostles partook in in to get the Gospel to us today. Majority of what we know now about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is because of the Apostles who preached the truth and even penned it down. Who preserved God’s Word for us today.

Do you see the foundation? What then is the cornerstone? A cornerstone in building is the very first stone laid down for the building. Paul tells us that the cornerstone for God’s Kingdom and God’s family is Jesus Christ. Why? Paul explains with two more In Him statements:

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

First, in Jesus Christ, the entirety of God’s Kingdom is being built together and growing into a holy temple. The entirety of God’s family is being built up into a holy temple.

What sense does this make? We will be, and we are, a people whose purpose and aim is to primarily glorify Christ and be close to Him. This is the same purpose as a temple! To be a place of worship and intimacy with God.

Second, Paul says you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit. When he says “you,” does he mean the individual christian? In our individualistic society, we tend to think that is what he means anytime he says you. But that is not true. Paul didn’t think in terms of individuals. Paul thought about, and wrote to, the church. You, is more like Y’all referring to the church body. So reread the verse again with that in mind

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

In Christ, we as the Church are being built up together. For what purpose? For God’s dwelling in the Spirit. God is building up His church so we can exhibit the Spirit out in the world. It is in the church where we train and grow. It is the world where we practice and act.

Application

One major point of application in this passage is in man’s relationship with man. Jesus Christ in His death on the cross puts to death any hostility we should have between one another. We cannot guarantee this friendship between us and unbelievers, but we can and must between believers in the church. For those Paul was writing to, there was major racism between Jew and Gentile. For us, yes there is still major racism, but there is also just petty nonsense. We must be seeking forgiveness and forgiving one another so that we may remain one body.

The other point of application is regarding man’s relationship with God. We can’t just leave it at “we need to be nice to one another because we are all humans yada yada.” Don’t emphasize humanity more than is necessary. Emphasize God more. We are only able to have friendship with one another because of Jesus Christ and Him dwelling in us.

If you do not know Jesus, you are still at odds with God and likely at odds with other humans. You are a hostile to God. You are excluded from Eternal Life with Christ. You are without Hope. You are without blessing. You are without God. But you can still be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Third point is regarding the church. See Paul’s emphasis on the church as the body of Christ where God’s Spirit dwells. The church is where God’s people grow and are built up. The church is where we train. Therefore, do not neglect the church. Rather, take advantage of the amazing resource you have in being in the church.