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The necessary unity of the church of Jewish and Gentile Christians (Ephesians 2:11-13) Christ is our peace (Ephesians 2:14-18)
Ephesians 2:11-18
2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called the Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. (Eph. 2:11-13).
Who lives without God in the world?
In his portrayal of the undeserved grace of God, Paul sensed that he need make clear to the saints and church leaders that they, too, were Gentiles and heathen by birth. This judicial Jewish phrase encompassed dwellers of all nations who had not been included in the Old Testament covenant with the LORD. They were considered unclean, unholy and corrupt. In fact, it was considered wrong to even eat with them at the same table.
Furthermore, these Gentiles lacked the sign of the covenant, in accordance with the ordinances of the Mosaic Law – the circumcision of the men. Paul, however, immediately limited this term and judgment to those who had been physically circumcised in the body, yet who had had no renewal of their heart through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 2:28-29). In the churches the apostle battled with all his energy against this discrimination (Gal. 2:11-20).
He went on to change the content of the word “heathen” by proclaiming to the believers in Christ: “At that time you were without Christ!” This means, however, that all religions and world-views that do not know or reject Jesus Christ are “heathen” in the New Testament sense of the word. This also applies to those who belong to no religion and who live without salvation in Christ. Fundamentally all baptized babies who are “Christian in name only” also belong to this category if they do not follow the Lord Jesus Christ and do not live in accordance with the gospel.
Furthermore Paul, himself a student of the law, had to write to the Saints in Ephesus that they were, in accordance with the law, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, for as “foreigners” they were considered to be living outside the covenant of promise. Therefore they possessed no right to worship, speak to or even believe on the God of Israel. They did, however, live amid the more than three hundred Greek and Roman gods and idols, yet none of which were God in truth. They lived as if they were in a fog, without a clear goal, hopeless and without the living God. Their philosophers and priests had attempted to do the impossible. They had, as far as their understanding went, concentrated on life in the hereafter. They even went so far as to try and take hold of, with the help of spirits, the unknown creator and ruler of the worlds. Yet they remained without certainty, without substance, and without any effective power.
Today we need to remain clear-headed and recognize that we too live in a similar multi-cultural society, one in which thousands live totally indifferent and without God, where hundreds, in every conceivable religion, search for the truth. They find, however, no satisfactory answer, for Jesus Himself is the truth, the divine right and law, and the never-ending reality. The Holy Spirit, also, is a Spirit of Truth for the followers of Christ. He reveals to them, step-by-step, the reality of God and His Son. Whoever tries to establish a new world-view, without Jesus and without personal faith, is bound to fail, for no one knows the Father except His Son, and those to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (Matt. 11:25-30; John 1:18). Beyond that, every one who tries to unite all religions and bring them under one hat smooths the way for the coming antichrist, who will demand worship from every dweller on earth at the end of time (Rev. 13:1-8).
Paul was only able to place before the Christian believers in Ephesus such a despairing balance sheet of their past because their present situation had so fundamentally changed. He wrote to them: “But now you are in Christ!” They had voluntarily changed their religious affiliation after they had recognized and come to believe in Jesus of Nazareth. Thereby they had become incorporated into His spiritual body. Since then they were no longer lonely, forlorn, worthless and despised. They had acquired a goal and become embodied in a new historical dynamic. They lived in the power of God, in the blessing of their heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus had, through His substitutional death of atonement and His shed blood, reconciled them to the Holy God. He had paid the costly price to bring them into the family of God.
Christ is our peace (Eph. 2:14-18)
2:14 “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:14-18).
Paul now came to one of the main themes of his letter: he wanted to initiate and bring about the cordial unification of Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ. This unification had become possible through the Lamb of God´s death of redemption. He not only brought about, as our substitute, an eternal peace with God, but also placed His Spirit of peace in all believers in Christ. Beyond that, His atoning death had also torn down the wall judicially separating those belonging to the Old Testament covenant and the newly won lovers of Christ. All 613 ordinances of the Mosaic Law were fulfilled through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Their power to condemn was thereby shattered. The enmity between those of the Circumcision and those of the Uncircumcision has ceased “in Christ”. He redeemed all people from their guilt and transgressions. The Law of Moses has no more right to condemn. Since the death of Christ, there no longer exists the judicial enmity between Jewish Christians and believers from among the unclean nations. From that time on there began a comprehensive, judicial and fair peace between both groups.
Paul went still further in his prison meditations, writing the saints in Ephesus that Jesus had, with His death of atonement, not only removed but even put to death the enmity between Jew and Gentile. The apostle was authorized to speak out this astounding sentence, for, in his zeal as a young student of the Torah, he had persecuted, tormented and even killed Jewish Christians. He had been determined to win them back to the Law of Moses, and away from Jesus (1 Tim. 1:13-18).
Yet just then Jesus appeared to him in His glory before the gates of Damascus. The pride and overzealousness of Saul abruptly crumbled. He grasped that a false interpretation of the law was creating a bitter enmity with God, on the one hand, and animosity between believers on the other hand. But Jesus lives! He is not only the King of the Jews but also the Lord of all lords! He had even prayed for His tormenters: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). To the foreign criminal, however, who was being crucified next to Him, He could say: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The “scoundrel” was saved, while the fanatically “pious one” could only be forgiven! That brought about a revolution in the heart and mind of Saul. The 365 prohibitions and the 248 commands of the Old Testament were turned upside-down in him. Through this he came to personally recognize: Jesus loves even His enemies! The Lord, whose church it was he was persecuting, did not kill him, but fulfilled His own commandment: “…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). That was the opposite of the prescribed in the law warring against the enemies of Israel and the persecution of those fallen into apostasy. This was something new and enormous. The old had passed away; something completely new had come about. In His person Jesus had killed “the enmity” and proclaimed the peace. His sacrificial death on behalf of all sinners had ended the power of the Law of Moses to condemn. He freed man from the condemnatory might of the old law.
With this recognition began the positive aspect of salvation. It was now up to both groups to say “yes” to their liberation from the Law of Moses. The way was free for both parties to move towards one another and accept each other as redeemed brothers and sisters. This unification, however, had to be completed by Jesus Himself, when He incorporated both parties into His spiritual body. He not only created judicial freedom, but also established, in Himself, spiritual unity. Christ is the new Man; His followers have become embodied and engrafted in Him. In Him they learn how they can mutually bear with one another. Yet within this union there arises, from time to time, strong misunderstandings, excessive sensitivities and traditions that can seriously disrupt the peace. The blood of Jesus´ crucifixion, however, remains the guarantee of our redemption with God, and is what drives us on to seek peace with all other believers.
Christ came and brought eternal peace into the world. He said to His disciples: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). For that reason Paul could write to the Philippians from his prison cell: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
Jesus had proclaimed to the Jews redemption with God, and through His substitutionary death of atonement established it. Yet only a small percent of His people have accepted their Prince of Peace and His message. However, the ones who truly took Him into their hearts became peacemakers, whom Jesus chose to bless (Matt. 5:9). These peacemakers further proclaimed the gospel to us, those constituting the unclean sinners from among the non-Semitic nations. Because of them Jesus went on to grant to us, who once were far off, the peace of God, just as Paul wrote: “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2).
However, this spiritual battle continues, yet not primarily in Jesus´ church of Jewish Christians. The open battle rages among the people of the Old Testament. In 1998 there was a proposal submitted in parliament, through the chief judges of Israel, demanding that every Israeli who sympathised with Jesus of Nazareth should lose his Israeli citizenship. This proposal was the result of the decree of the Sanhedrin at Jabne in the first century, which went on to state that no Jew could become a Christian, since the Christians believed in three gods – something that represented a blatant offence against the first commandment. This proposal, which until today has neither been accepted nor rejected in the Knesset, led to profound discussions. In the churches of Jesus it raised the need for more serious consideration of Paul´s letter to the Ephesians.
The answer of the apostle to the nations is clear and unequivocal. He summarized his previous expositions into one single small sentence: “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18). With this acknowledgment Paul testified that the Holy Trinity was the singular solution to the problem. He thereby described the Lord Jesus as having opened the way for us to God, to His Father (John 14:6-7). In the power of the Holy Spirit we are authorized, both with our prayers and questions, to appeal directly to the holy and almighty One, for He is also our Father (Matt. 6:9-13). This privilege is not only for Jewish Christians, but likewise for believers in Christ from among the unclean nations. Jesus opened the way for us to His Father, and made us His children.
When will our worship be enough to suit and comply with this superabundant grace? When will we finally begin to practice mission work both in our neighbourhood and in the world? Have we grasped that everyone who does not live in Christ remains in a state of “enmity”, having come to no reconciliation with God? Outside of Christ there is no ongoing peace, but only enmity!
In the Old Testament the high priest had, but once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the privilege to enter into the Holy of Holies in order to make atonement for the guilty nation and for himself with the One who is thrice holy (Lev. 16:11-34). Children of God, however, have this privilege day and night. At any time they can approach their Father in the name of Jesus, and, under the protection of His blood, present to Him their thanks, their praise, their confession, as well as their prayers and intercession for their nation and all those who are lost. As the high priest was authorized to accomplish redemption, as representative of his people, we, too, need to understand that we have been called to be kingly priests. We are called to pray for those still in sin and ignorance, and not just talk of our problems. Just as you have been authorized to go to God your Father, so, too, you have been called to faithfully exercise priestly service for the community around you.
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we worship You, for You sent Your Son Jesus to affect peace between the members of the Old and New Covenants. Help, so that all the children of Jacob might come to recognize and accept Jesus as their Messiah, for in so doing peace will come about in their hearts and in their synagogues. Amen.
Question:
- How is it that we can confess that “Jesus is our peace?