The Unity of the Church, Part 2
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Ephesians 2:12-13
Ephesians 2:12-13
Over the centuries the Jewish people have encountered a rather tragic history, marked by slavery, hardship, warfare, persecution, captivity, dispersion and humiliation. From the beginning of their slavery in Egypt, Invasion and captivity of Babylon, conquered by Greece, living under Roman persecution, suffering the destruction of the temple in AD 70 and even more recently to the Nazi holocaust during WWII—Jews have endured significant tribulation thruout their history.
Now, Jews have taken great pride in their heritage, seeing the advantages of being God’s chosen people and having been uniquely set apart from every other nation in the world. In some ways however, being Jewish (an Israelite) had no advantage b/c of the fallenness of every human being. What Paul said in Eph 2:1-3 is universally true (Jew and Gentile). Paul, being Jewish himself explains in Romans 2 how the spiritual playing field is leveled b/t the 2 b/c there is no partiality with God.
There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
(walk thru chapter 2…highlight 3:1-2)
Jews have been entrusted with the Word of God. They received the Law. They had the prophecies of Messiah. God told them the things concerning His will for them.
Now there were ethnic (external) distinctions between them and Gentiles. Eph 2:11 it became clear that Gentiles were ridiculed, mocked and defamed b/c they weren’t of the circumcision. There were Judaizers within the NT times attempting to teach false doctrine—Gentiles had to become Jews outwardly to be saved. Paul mentions that these “so-called circumcised” only have the physical mark of circumcision not the true one of the heart by the HS.
Now remember, Paul is addressing believers in this letter (primarily Gentile). But they are saved, they had been radically transformed by the grace of God (2:8-9). And as difficult as it was living in the midst of ethnic hostility (which by the way was creeping into the church), there was a much more important disadvantage of being Gentile and not Jewish.
2) Internal (spiritual) Disadvantages
There was no difference b/t unbelieving Jew or Gentile in terms of their innate nature (2:1-3) but the difference was in how God deals with Israel and the nations.
In OT (B.C.) Jews were the people of God to whom God extended His promises. He had a special exclusive relationship with the nation Israel but the other nations (Gentiles as a people) were cut off/separated from God in 5 ways—leading to spiritual disadvantages that carry eternal consequences.
A. Without Christ
Lit—“without, apart from, separated from Christ” (same term in Jn 15:5)
Christ=Gk christos—Equiv. Heb Messiah. In OT all Jews anticipated the coming of Messiah—the savior/deliverer. God’s promises to send His anointed one gave the people of Israel great hope and comfort (even in the midst of God’s discipline).
Paul’s point—Gentiles were w/o Christ/Messiah b/c they had no connection with the Jewish Messiah. They had no hope of salvation or deliverance. Their history had no purpose, plan or destiny (except judgment/even that unaware).
Gentiles (Greek or Roman) had weaved a complex polytheistic belief system—believed in many gods not 1 superior, all-powerful, supernatural being. All of their multiple gods were made in their own image of selfishness, pride, weakness and sin.
The common perception was that each of the of gods were beautiful, graceful, loving and compassionate who looked favorably upon mankind. Nothing could be further from the truth. Antiquity was filled with horror, terror, tragedy and pain. And polytheistic worship left these Gentiles absolutely hopeless.
Eidth Hamilton, Mythology, “Mankind’s chief hope of escaping the wrath of whatever divinities were then abroad lay in some magical rite, senseless but powerful, or in some offering made at the cost of pain and grief” (sometimes included the sacrifice of their own children).
The Gentiles in Ephesus had become a center of pagan idolatry. They worshipped Diana (Artemis) had a temple dedicated to her—1 of 7 wonders of ancient world (made of pure marble, 260’x 430’, 127 columns each 60’ high)
There was lucrative business associated with this temple—silversmiths would make amulets of Artemis—when Paul began to preach the gospel in Ephesus, and people were turning their lives to God and Christ—they began to lose much business (Acts 19). The people in Ephesus were filled with rage and wanted to kill Paul, Gaius & Aristarchus—they piled into theater and shouted for 2 hours “Great is Artemis (Diana) of Ephesus.” Their lives were dedicated to the worship of not only Diana but many other gods too.
They were lost in their paganism and cut off from the true God b/c they were without Christ.
Edith Hamilton continues “the miracle of Greek mythology…men [were] freed from the paralyzing fear of an omnipotent Unknown”
Think about that for a moment—Paul on Mars’ Hill in Athens—
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
Why do men & women worship idols? Why do they create false gods? Why does fallen/sinful man reject the revelation of the true God?
Is it not b/c they realize that the true God is intolerant of sin & evil? Is it not b/c they realize that this God, who is intolerant of sin & evil is also the omnipotent Unknown God who will judge the world with equity & righteousness?
That is why man comes up with strange beliefs—evolution. If they get rid of the God who is Creator then they get rid of the God is also the Judge. What fallacy! Behind all of that is Satan who is propagating the lies thru cults, false doctrines/ideologies—all of them a means of escaping the wrath of God. You can say as often as you like, “God does not exist, God will not judge” but you will continue to know and have that paralyzing fear of God’s righteous judgment.
This is what life is like without Christ. These Gentiles had no relationship/connection with Messiah and did not understand God’s plan for them—even though God’s plan was to include them all along.
B. Without Citizenship
Israel was unlike every other nation that had existed. It was a theocracy (a nation of which God Himself was King and Lord). They received special religious privileges that the other nations did not receive.
God gave Israel His special blessing, protection and love. He gave them His covenants, His law, His priesthood, His sacrifices, His promises, and His guidance—Ps 147:12-20
God dealt in a very special way with His very special people.
The Gentiles, as foreigners, did not have a share in these blessings with Israel—“excluded” (Lit. “estrange from or alienated” as opposed to “being at home”).
The Ephesian believers took no part in the commonwealth/ theocracy—primary means of God revealing Himself to Israel & entering a personal relationship with that nation. They were without citizenship b/c they rejected God & forfeited His special blessing. Now, a Gentile could enter the nation as a proselyte—but he could not be born into it (Ruth, Naaman the Syrian).
C. Without Covenants
“strangers to the covenants…”
Covenants (Pl.) speaks of more than one covenant of promise given by God. The ultimate promise was made to whom? Abraham—Gen 12:2-3; 17:7; 26:3-5
Inherent in that 1 great promise were all other promises (covenants) God made—Mosaic, Palestinian (land), Davidic, & New covenant.
What precisely is a covenant? (promise, contract, declaration of one’s purpose) 2 types—bi-lateral where 2 parties enter into a binding agreement. If one party broke their end of the agreement the covenant would be nullified.
The 2nd type is uni-lateral—this is a one-sided agreement and reflects the nature of the covenant God made with Abraham. Abrahamic covenant was uni-lateral in that God binds Himself to carry out the promises He made to Abraham. Not dependent upon Abraham’s obedience. Thus spoken of as an “eternal covenant” one which can never lose its force or integrity.
God gave His covenants to His people as a promise of His presence, love, protection, provisions, & redemption.
Paul indicates that these Gentile Xns were strangers to these covenants—that is they had no connection to them, no share in them, they were ignorant and without a relationship to the covenant giving God.
D. Without Hope
True hope can only be found in the true promises of the true God. These Gentiles worshipped all their gods. Not one of them could give hope to a lost soul.
What is hope? It is the blessed assurance that we have a glorious future in God’s eternal plan.
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
“For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.”
Gentiles did not only have the hope—Messianic hope bringing deliverance, but they were utterly without hope. They had no promise contained in God’s covenants therefore had no grounds for true hope. They were ignorant of divine salvation and of Christ in whom it is found—they had nothing to hope for beyond this world.
E. Without God
Paul is not saying these Gentiles were atheists. They were not only polytheistic by some were also pantheists (god was in everything —animate & inanimate).
Paul said to the Gks “very religious in all respects” (Acts 17:22). The problem was not that they had no god but that they did not have the true God—the covenant God of Israel. They did not have the personal relationship with/knowledge of the Creator of the universe.
God did not reveal Himself to the Gentile nations as He did with Israel—(visions, dreams, audible voice, cloud by day & pillar of fire by night, thru prophets, priests & kings). God did not give the Gentiles the stone tablets containing the Law. Now He did write His Law upon their hearts & conscience (Rom 2:14-15) making them accountable before Him.
And God even revealed His invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature—but the Gentiles rejected it—Rom 1:18-20;21-23
They suppressed the truth—evident within them and then they…Rom 1:25. That’s man’s basic problem—they do not wish to honor God but to honor & please themselves. And it leads to idolatry and ultimately a rejection of God.
Paul says they were without God in the world (surrounded by Satan’s system of evil and being in that position is to be utterly hopeless).
In Gal 4:8 Paul reminds those believers that before Christ, before they “knew God—intimate knowledge which leads to a personal relationship” they were “slaves to those which by nature were no gods.” That is why every person without Christ is also without hope (1 Thess 4:13). There is no hope for a sinless and perfect future. There is no hope of eternal rest from the evils of this present world. There is no hope of life after death. There is no hope to escape God’s wrath.
Paul’s point in addressing these 5 areas of spiritual disadvantage is that by remembering where you were before you were saved—the life of futility that surrounded your life as an unbeliever and the transformation God has wrought in your heart—should lead to increasing gratefulness and deeper appreciation for the work of J.C.
When you look back to the pit of despair in which you were engulfed and surrounded, it should spark immediate worship to God. Paul says b/c of Christ’s work he is obligated (lit indebted) to preach the good news (Rom 1:14; 1 Cor 9:16).
That is our challenge today. Having been saved, we are under obligation to share that message. That message is explained by the means of our being brought near (vs 13—the blood of Christ).
This is not a natural place to stop—but we need to today and we’ll pick it up there next time we come together. Remember what you were before God saved you—may that energize your passion for sharing Christ with others.