Session 4 Ephesians 2:1-3:13
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OPEN
Think of a group that you’re a part of: a professional organization, a sports team, or a hobbyist community. Or maybe just some people you hang out with.
What group are you thinking of? Why do you belong to it?
How does you group feel about “outsiders”? What does it take for someone to become part of your group?
In this session, we’re going to look at the way the gospel tore down the walls that separated different groups of people from each other. In Jesus, His people are all one.
READ
Read: Ephesians 2:11–3:13
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,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.
4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,
10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
WATCH
Show Session 4: Ephesians 2:11–3:13 (10 minutes).
DISCUSS
Let’s take a closer look at the Bible text, starting with Ephesians 2:11–13.
Who is Paul addressing here?
Like most of the churches Paul started, the Ephesians were a mixed group of Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), and this letter has material for people of both cultures. Yet here, when he specifically talks about “race relations” between the two groups, Paul pointedly addresses the Gentiles, saying, essentially, “Because of Jesus, you are full members of the church.”
Why does he specifically address the Gentiles here?
The Gentiles had been on the receiving end of discrimination from the Jews. They were often regarded as “second-class citizens.”
How do you think they felt when Paul made such an obvious attempt to welcome them?
How do you think the Jewish church members felt when they read this?
It’s interesting to consider the various options Paul had here. Perhaps he could have scolded the Jews who discriminated, but how would they feel then?
But here, in his role as church founder, he models acceptance. He basically puts his arms around the Gentiles and says, “You’re with me.” Then, as a teacher, he explains that Christ’s coming has changed the old discriminatory rules.
Do we have any divisions in our society that are anything like the division between Jews and Gentiles?
Leader: The group might expect that you’re asking about modern racial divisions, and that’s certainly worth talking about, but there’s a lot more. Don’t avoid that topic, but don’t get stuck there.
Listen again to what J.D. said in the video:
“Most of us have things in our minds that separate the good people from bad people. Religious/non-religious. Generally moral/immoral. Educated/illiterate. Successful/unsuccessful. And we see ourselves and others like us as on the inside of the wall of good people, and others on the outside. Paul says, ‘No.’ There is only one category of people: sinners. Everyone is on the outside. There are no ‘good people and bad people’; there’s no ‘winners and losers’; there’s no ‘people who have it together’ and ‘dysfunctional people’; there’s only bad, dead, dysfunctional rebels who desperately need the salvation of Jesus.”
Do you agree? Disagree? How would you describe the human tendency to divide ourselves into groups?
GO DEEPER
Learn more about Jews and Gentiles in the following verses:
Deuteronomy 7:1–6 Luke 2:29–32; John 4:21–24; Romans 3:21–24; Galatians 3:26–28.
1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you,
2 and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.
3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons,
4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Does the commandment in Deuteronomy 7 help to explain why Jews thought less of Gentiles? Why or why not?
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Simeon’s prophecy in Luke 2 fits with many Old Testament passages about God’s plans to share His glory with the whole world. What does it say specifically about Jesus?
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
While Jesus’ comments in John 4 are actually about Samaritans (who were partially Jewish), they could be applied to Gentiles as well. What does He mean by “salvation is from the Jews”?
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
How do the Romans and Galatians passages fit with what we read in Ephesians 2?
What is Jesus called in Ephesians 2:14? (Our peace.) In what way is that true?
Looking through verses 14–18, how many things can we find that Jesus has done or is doing?
Made the two groups one
Destroyed the barrier
Set aside the law
Created a “new humanity”
Put to death hostility
Preached peace to the far away and the near
Provided access to the Father (by one Spirit)
Reconciling both Jew and Gentile to God
Making peace
It’s easy to read the concepts that appear in verses 14–18 and feel like it’s just a bunch of heady theology. But look at the verbs in those verses: Jesus is smashing things, creating things, and even killing things. Jesus is very active in the creation and formation of His church.
What specifically has He “put to death” (v. 16), and how did He do it?
Don’t miss the irony here. Jesus died on the cross, as we know, but through the cross He also put to death the hostility between Jews and Gentiles. The sacrifice of Jesus provided forgiveness for Jews and Gentiles alike. His death met the demands of the law, so those commands that separated Jews from Gentiles were now obsolete.
Remember what J.D. said about creating “one new humanity.”
“In Jesus’ resurrection He has created a whole new race of humanity. ...You see, Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead as a Jew, or Gentile, or a white man or black man or Hispanic or Asian. He was raised as a completely new man. He started what some have called a ‘third race. ...Now, that doesn’t mean you cease to be black or white or Asian or Arab, just that your primary identity is who you are in Christ, rather than the color of your skin or nationality of your parents. ...The unity we find in [our] salvation should be greater than any of the cultural preferences or experiences that divide us. We’re one race: human. With one problem: sin. With one solution: Jesus. And one hope: the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.”
How do you feel about our new humanity? Does J.D.’s explanation make sense to you? Do you agree?
As you hear these last few verses of the chapter, try to visualize the word-picture. What do you see?
Leader: Read Ephesians 2:19–22 slowly.
What is the architecture of this new temple? What is it made of? What is it built on?
When Paul says, “You are no longer foreigners,” or “You too are being built together,” whom is he talking to?
It would seem that he’s still talking to the Gentiles in the Ephesian church, but of course the Jewish believers are reading this, too. He’s saying, “You Gentiles are just as much a part of this new construction as the Jews are. Welcome to the family!”
GO DEEPER
Learn more about images of the temple in the following verses:
Micah 4:1–2; Zechariah 6:11–15; 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:18–20; Revelation 21:22.
The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Israel’s worship, but it was also a symbol of God’s presence, which extended far beyond the building itself.
1 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it,
2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
11 Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
12 And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.
13 It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’
14 And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.
15 “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
In Micah and Zechariah, who is involved in the building of the Temple, and who comes to it? How does this predict the reality we see in Ephesians 2?
Note that “Joshua”—the name of the Temple-builder in Zechariah—is the Hebrew form of the name “Jesus.” How does that add to your appreciation of that passage?
The two passages from 1 Corinthians paint images of the Temple. Chapter 3 shows us the church body as a temple, which should not be destroyed. Chapter 6 says that the physical bodies of the believers are—together—a temple of the Holy Spirit, which should not be dishonored with immoral behavior.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
How does the verse from Revelation fit with the other texts, and with Ephesians 2?
LAST WORD
J.D. asks three important questions toward the end of the video.
1. How involved should we be in the church?
Granted, we live in a world of freelance spirituality. People are hesitant to commit their time and energy to an imperfect body of believers. But this isn’t a social club. It’s a temple. It’s God’s temple. We are the bricks in the construction God is building for His glory. So how involved do you want to be in God’s building project?
2. What does a healthy church look like?
One of the main ideas we get from Ephesians is that a healthy church is made up of different kinds of people. What social groups should we be welcoming today? If everyone looks the same, talks the same, dresses the same—that could mean we’ve been building walls. Through His death, Jesus has broken down those social walls that make enemies of different groups. A healthy church reaches across the barriers and makes new friends.
3. What does a healthy church do?
We are God’s hands and feet in this community. We do the work of Jesus here, reaching out to the broken, the needy—all those who need the love of God.
