In our day, there is a profound sense of entitlement in most of our minds. We are entitled to three meals a day, to have a nice house, and to be treated correctly by everyone we know at all times. And these are great things that I would definitely like to occur in my life often. However, going to another county or watching news of war on CNN soon reminds me that these things are not something entitled to every man, as many people around the world are without all of these. When seeing such things, I tell myself to remember this that I might walk in thankfulness for what I have. It is only in remembering the plight that could be mine, that I am able to see my present position not as an entitlement but as a gift of grace.
In this second chapter of Ephesians, Paul calls us to remember who we once were and what our desperate situation once was so that we might walk in thankfulness and humility in realization of the grace of God that we’ve been shown. Last week, looking at the first ten verses of the chapter, we saw that our salvation is of grace because we were dead in our sins, bound to the powers of evil, and, by nature, children of wrath. That is to say, there is no way outside of grace that we should be able to speak of our Judge as our Redeemer, or as the one whose wrath once burned toward us as our Father, yet we can. In the remaining verses of the chapter, Paul adds another dimension as he reminds Gentiles of the grace that we specifically have been shown.
This morning, as we look at the text, let’s see who we once were as Gentiles, who we (i.e., those Gentiles who have placed their faith in Christ) are now, and what has happened for this to occur.
At one point it seemed utterly hopeless for anyone who was not a Jew to know the salvation of the Lord. The promise had been made to Abraham: "I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you … to be God to you and to your descendants after you" (Genesis 17:7). This covenant of being God’s people and God being their God was reiterated again to Abraham, Israel, and David so that Israel was constantly reminded of the hope that awaited in the promise of God. And to Israel the promise of the Messiah was given. They looked for God to send his Christ into the world to redeem his people and conquer their enemies. The rest of the world was not looking for a Messiah for such a purpose.
Gentiles were constantly shown to be outside of the people of God, for they were judged in war because they worshiped other gods and practiced pagan worship. The disconnection of the Gentiles with the people of God is shown most clearly in the setup of the Temple (i.e. the dwelling place of God’s presence). John Stott describes the scene:
"The temple building itself was constructed on a elevated platform. Round it was the Court of the Priests. East of this was the Court of Israel, and further east the court of the women. These three courts – for the priests, the lay men and the lay women of Israel respectively – were all on the same elevation as the temple itself. From this level one descended five steps to a walled platform, and then on the other side of the wall fourteen more steps to another wall, beyond which was the outer court or Court of the Gentiles. This was a spacious court running right round the temple and its inner courts. From any part of it the Gentiles could look up and view the temple, but were not allowed to approach it. They were cut off from it by the surrounding wall, which was a one-and-a-half metre stone barricade, on which were displayed at intervals warning notices in Greek in Latin. They read, in effect, not ‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’ but ‘Trespassers will be executed.’"
Therefore, although all humans are alienated from God in their sin, Gentiles were seemingly even more so, as they were estranged from the very people of God.
Paul reminds his readers of this in Ephesians 2:11-12, writing, "Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands – remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."
We, Gentiles, were once absent from any expectation of Christ, not of Israel (nor bearing the sign that showed one to be a Jew – circumcision), strangers to the covenants made by God to Israel, and men without God and without hope. We seemingly had no hope of knowing God as our God or ever being of the people of God. This is who we once were.
O, but how things have changed! Understanding that description of us, how odd is it that we sit here today, having just worshiped God in song and in prayer and now looking into his Word which he has spoken to us! For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, things have changed.
Paul writes in verses 19-22, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit."
Now, we Gentiles who have placed our faith in Christ, are of the people of God, fellow citizens with those whom God has called holy, with access to God, and have become ourselves the dwelling place of God. That is to say we’ve gone from being able only to catch a glimpse of the temple from afar to being the very temple ourselves, God’s dwelling place. We are indeed a truly blessed people.
But what happened? How did the promises of Israel come to us? How do we now have access to God? What about the covenants of which we seemingly had no part? How have we been made one with the people of God?
Paul answers all of these questions for us with one phrase – "in Christ." It is by the work of Christ that all of these blessings have come to us. Let’s look at a few specifically.
How is it that God ever looked passed our sins and allowed we who were his enemies access to him?
The answer to this question is the same for Jews and Gentiles, namely, that our sins were removed through the blood of Christ. He took the punishment there that we deserved for our sins – the wrath of God. And having removed our sins and given us his righteousness, making us holy in his sight, we now can have access to God because of Christ’s death.
Paul assures us of this in verse 13, "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" and in verse 16, " And might reconcile them both [Jew and Gentile] in one body to God through the cross" (emphases added).
But what about the promises of the covenant being spoken to Israel, the descendants of Abraham?
The answer to that question again is answered in the work of Christ. For it is true that the promises were made to Abraham’s descendants. More specifically, however, it is made to Abraham’s seed through whom all the earth would be blessed. That is to say, ultimately Jesus Christ is shown to be the true Israel, the true Son of God, the true obedient servant, the true vine, etc. All of these, once spoken of as Israel have been ultimately realized in Christ. Therefore, the promises ultimately come to Christ, who is himself also the fulfillment of the promise. Even as it is written by Paul, "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ" (Galatians 3:16). And Christ has then created a new man of those who repent of their sins and place their faith in him: those being found in him, of Jews and Gentiles, who are the true Israel in Christ, the descendants of Abraham. Even as Paul writes again, "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). Therefore, we read in Ephesians 2:14-15, "For he himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in his flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in the ordinances, that in himself he might create the two into one new man, thus establishing peace." That is also why Paul begins the paragraph saying "You, the Gentiles in the flesh (emphasis added).
And instead of literal circumcision bearing the mark of being God’s people (i.e., that "which is performed in the flesh by human hands" – Ephesians 2:11), God himself circumcises his people’s hearts with a circumcision made without human hands (Colossians 2:11), and he looks into their hearts where he has made the dwelling of his Holy Spirit to see that they are indeed his people.
Therefore, let me encourage us to do the following:
1. Walk in a continual attitude of humility and thankfulness. We owe all the blessings we have in Christ to the grace of God. Only the realization of grace will drive you to worship God as you should.
2. Love one another as those who have been bound together by Christ as his people and make your ministry people. We’ve been reminded again in this text that the glory of our God is seen in the Church, his temple, his people. Therefore, if your passion is to show the glory of God to the world and see the glory of God rich in his church, then labor to present complete all whom God brings to you.
How gracious God has been to us, Amen.