One New Man in Christ

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Introduction and Scripture Reading

Scripture Introduction

Ephesians 1-3 shows us what it means to be in Christ, and what the Lord demands of us in our daily living as a result. The main point of this letter is that we are made one in Christ through God’s grace in love. And no union can be truly successful unless love is the basis and mode of operation for those who are in Christ.

Paul goes to great lengths to explain the fullness of what this entails before moving to the imperative statements, or commands. Recently we’ve seen how as individuals we were dead in the trespasses and sins in once we once walked as children of wrath…people fully deserving of God’s judgment to us for our sin. But God intervened because He is a God of mercy with great love. He made us alive in Christ so we would direct every aspect of our lives in faith to living for him, walking in works God destined for us before the foundation of the world.

This has both personal and corporate ramifications. Last week we looked at the personal, this week and next we’ll see the corporate effects for the body of Christ at large.

Look with me at Ephesians 2:11-22.

Scripture reading

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Ephesians 2:11–22 ESV

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.

Prayer

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Proposition

By crushing the ultimate dividing wall of hostility between man and God, Jesus is bringing peace to everyone who is in Him, making one new man.

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We must remember that we were once far off and rejoice that by God’s grace we have been brought near.

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I. Remember that you were far off (11-12)

Ephesians 2:11–12 ESV

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.

A. Remember

A look at the history of the ancient world tells us that none of today’s social distinctions — none of our racial barriers, our narrow nationalisms, our iron curtains, our fights to redefine what God has always defined — are more exclusive or unrelenting than the separation between Jews and Gentiles in Biblical times.

The Jews believed the Gentiles were created to fuel the fires of Hell. A common motto was, “The best of the serpents crush … the best of the Gentiles kill.” It was not lawful to aid a Gentile woman in giving birth, for that would bring another heathen into the world. (Barclay)

The Gentiles, even apart from their animosity for Jews, had their own parochial hatreds for anyone not like them. Plato said that the barbarians (anyone non-Greek) were his enemies by nature. The Roman Livy confirmed this in his day, saying, “The Greeks wage a truceless war against people of other races, against barbarians.”2 And of course this was eminently true of the imperialistic Romans.

The collision of Gentile/Jewish exclusiveness was monumental. The Gentiles were dogs in Jewish parlance, and the Jews were homicidal enemies of the human race in Gentile terms. Verse 11 of our text calls this to remembrance: “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men) …”

But Paul saw that the very mystery of Christ and the goal of the gospel centered on this new man created by God, consisting of Jews and Gentiles as fellow members of the body on equal standing before God. All of this relates to the eternal purpose of God, that His manifold wisdom would “now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10).

Paul wanted the Ephesians to know that their reconciliation to God necessarily entailed their reconciliation to one another as Jews and Gentiles. Thus they must strive to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:3).

At the root of all racism is the sin of pride.

Even though God had made it clear that He did not choose the Jews because of anything in them (Deut. 7:7–8), they became proud over their special status and despised the Gentiles. And, even though Paul has made it clear that God chose the Gentiles by His grace alone while they were dead in their sins, they were in danger of becoming proud of their new status (Rom. 11:17–21). So Paul is quick to command them to remember where they were as a people before God saved them by His grace, so that they will not become arrogant. Rather, we should always be amazed that God’s grace came to us.

This applies to us as American Christians.

We have a great privilege that few peoples around the globe enjoy, that our nation is saturated with the gospel. We have Bibles and Christian books and good Bible teaching in abundance. We could easily take these things for granted. But the truth is, if we become arrogant or complacent, in 100 years America could be like other nations in the world where the gospel is hardly known at all, where our freedoms are stripped and we meet in secret, fearing for our lives. God could justly remove the light that we enjoy and America would be cut off from the gospel. So, “remember” is a command. What are we to remember?

B. Before God saved you, you were:

1. without Christ (12a)

2. excluded from the commonwealth of Israel (12b)

3. strangers to the covenants of promise (12c)

4. without hope (12d)

5. without God in the world (12e)

The Gentiles were polytheists, meaning they worshiped many “gods.” But none of the gods they worshiped were actually anything. They worshiped idols made with hands or figments of their most creative imaginations. But they did not worship the One True God, and therefore they worshiped no real God and were without God in the world.

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II. Rejoice that you have been brought near in Christ (13-18)

The result of being brought near means that we’re brought near to the Lord and to one another.

Brought near in Christ, who is our peace (13-14)

Division and hostility had to be destroyed for unity and peace to be established.

Jesus broke down the dividing wall of hostility through his righteousness and death and resurrection (14b-15)

The Greek text here has only one pronoun, autos (He), but it is in the emphatic position, as reflected by the addition of Himself in many English translations. The Apostle Paul emphasizes that Jesus alone is our peace (cf. Isa. 9:6); there is no other source.

What laws, ordinances, ceremonies, sacrifices, and good deeds could not do to make peace between men and God, Jesus did. Those things could neither bring men into harmony with God or with each other. In the sacrifice of Himself on the cross, Jesus accomplished both.

Just as sin is the cause of all conflict and division, it is also the enemy of all peace and harmony. Built into wickedness is the impossibility of peace. Sin is basically selfishness, and selfishness is basically divisive and disruptive. We cannot always have what we want without infringing on what someone else wants or needs. We cannot always have our own way without interfering with someone else’s way.

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James said,

James 4:1–3 ESV

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Peace comes only when self dies, and the only place self truly dies is at the foot of Calvary. “I have been crucified with Christ,” Paul said; “and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).

The root cause of strife, discord, antagonism, enmity, hate, bitterness, fighting, war, conflict, and every other form of disunity and division is sin. The reason there is always perfect harmony in the Godhead is that there is no sin in the Godhead. Perfect holiness produces perfect harmony. And the only solution for divisions among men is the removal of sin, which Jesus Christ accomplished by the shedding of His own blood. Those who trust in His atoning work are freed from sin now in their new nature and will be practically and permanently freed from sin in their new bodies when they meet the Lord. The cleansing value of the blood of Christ immediately washes away the penalty of sin and ultimately washes away even its presence.

Because in Christ the great foundational barrier of sin has been removed, every other barrier has been removed as well. Those who are one in Christ are one in each other—whether they realize it or act like it or not (1 Cor. 6:17).

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1 Corinthians 6:17 ESV

17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

For those in Christ, the only identity that matters is their identity in Him. There is no Jewish or Gentile Christianity, black or white Christianity, male or female Christianity, or free or slave Christianity. There is only Christianity. Our one Lord has only one church.

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Everyone who is united in Christ has access in one Spirit to the Father (18)

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Ephesians 2:18 ESV

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

When we have Jesus Christ (Him) we also have access by the Spirit to the Father. The resources of the entire Trinity are ours the moment we receive Christ. It is not just a judicial reconciliation but an actual intimate relationship with practical value as we bring our needs to the Father.

Prosagōgē (access) is used only three times in the New Testament, in each case referring to the believer’s access to God (see also Rom. 5:2; Eph. 3:12).

In ancient times a related word was used to describe the court official who introduced people to the king. They gave access to the monarch.

The term itself carries the idea not of possessing access in our own right but of being granted the right to come to God with boldness, knowing we will be welcomed.

It is only through our Savior’s shedding of His blood in sacrificial death on Calvary and by faith in Him that we have union in His Holy Spirit and have access to the Father.

The Spirit is at work to draw us continually to God (Rom. 8:15–17; Gal. 4:6–7). Both and one spirit emphasize again the commonality of Jew and Gentile. The work of Christ and the establishment of His church reach to all men.

In John 10 Jesus spoke of Himself both as the Good Shepherd and as the door to the sheepfold (vv. 1–14). He was not mixing metaphors.

A Palestinian shepherd brought his sheep into the pen at night or erected a temporary fence of stones, wood, or mud if he was away from home. After he put the sheep inside, counted them carefully, and put oil on their wounds from briars or sharp rocks, he lay across the narrow opening that served as a door. The shepherd himself was the door.

The only access into God’s presence, the only door into the sheepfold of His kingdom, is through His Son. But it is a wonderful and glorious access that can never be taken from us. We can always “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Through God’s divine Son we, too, become His sons. Consequently we “have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but … a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Rom. 8:15).

Conclusion and Transition to Communion

Those who once were socially and spiritually alienated are in Christ united with God and with each other. Because they have Christ they have both peace and access in one Spirit to the Father.

John MacArthur says,

“They have an ‘Introducer’ who presents them at the heavenly throne of God, before whom they can come at any time. They can now come to God as their own Father, knowing that He no longer judges or condemns but only forgives and blesses. Even His discipline is an act of love, given to cleanse and restore His precious children to purity and spiritual richness.”

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Review Proposition

By crushing the ultimate dividing wall of hostility between man and God, Jesus is bringing peace to everyone who is in Him, making one new man.

We are to remember that we, too, were once “far off” and have been

What is the Lord’s Supper?

The purpose of the Lord’s Table is to remind us of the sacrifice our Lord made not only to bring us to Himself but also to each other.

By removing our sin, Christ gives us peace with each other and access to God.

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Understanding The Lord’s Supper 6. What Is the Lord’s Supper?

The Lord’s Supper is a church’s act of communing with Christ and each other and of commemorating Christ’s death by partaking of bread and wine, and a believer’s act of receiving Christ’s benefits and renewing his or her commitment to Christ and his people, thereby making the church one body and marking it off from the world.

After I pray, the worship team will lead us in musical worship as we celebrate communion. You can either come right away, or take a moment to pray or sing and then come. As they lead us, and when you’re ready, make your way to one of the four communion stations, then return to your place to eat and drink the elements. Or you may choose to pray with someone in our church family. If you come forward as a family you may even steps to the side and pray together before eating and drinking the bread and cup.

If you’re unable (or initially don’t want to) to come to one of the servers, we have servers available to come to you. Please lift your hand and we’ll be glad to come serve you.

As you come to a server, they’ll simply say, “The body and blood of Christ given for us” as a verbal reminder of the emblem’s representation.

Remain standing as we praise the Lord for the wonderful love He’s shown us.

If you’re with us this morning, and you aren’t sure that you’re trusting Jesus alone for your salvation, we invite you to focus this time in your seats in prayer, or come tap me on the shoulder and I’d be glad to pray with you or answer any questions you may have.

Prayer

Communion