Ephesians 2:11-22 "The Gospel of Reconciliation"
1) What we once were, when alienated from God as Gentiles (v.11-12):
- separated from Christ
- alienated
- strangers to the promises of God
- having no hope
- without God in the world
2) How Christ has made peace and reconciled us (v.13-18):
- through His blood
- through His flesh (death on the Cross) which has:
*broken down the wall of hostility between God and us; and between Jews (God’s covenant community) and Gentiles => likewise all worldly barriers of inequality class, race, gender have been broken down and overcome in Christ – He is the only way for unity
*abolished the condemnation coming from the Law by fulfilling the moral law, and becoming the one and only sacrifice necessary for atonement, thus abolishing the cermonial law (v.14-15a)
*made a new man and new humanity united to Him (v.15b)
*reconciled us to God in His body (v.16)
- granted us access to the Father through His Spirit (v.18)
3) What Christ's new community looks like (v.19-22):
We are given three pictures of what the church is to look like:
- fellow citizens (v.19a) => members of God's kingdom, with all its attendant rights, privileges, protections and status
- members of God's household (v.19b) => members of God's family as children
- a Temple built on the foundation of Christ for => we ARE the place where God receives praise and worship in Spirit and in Truth. We are living stones of His temple, we are indwelt by His Spirit who fills His temple; and we are built up upon the key foundation stone of Himself.
4) Application:
- The church as God’s new community should be a place of unity amongst diversity. Instead of seeking to make everyone the same, the church should be a place where unbelievers see an incredible unity among people who otherwise should never be able to get on by worldly understanding. The truth of the gospel reconciling work of Christ can be displayed by the local church in this way.
- Citizens have many rights, but they also have responsibilities for participation in kingdom life – let us seek to be active servants and workers in God’s kingdom, since we are His workmanship created for good works and to represent His kingdom wherever we go, and whatever we do.
- Citizenship so often in the world has come out of a struggle for equality of status between unequals (think of Rome's struggle of the Plebians for recognition as citizens equal with the wealthy and powerful Patrician class); in a similar way we are equal with all the saints, even the greatest of Christian examples who we look up to we have the same basic spiritual equality in God's economy and the same potential to be used by God through the working of His mighty power in us.
- We should be moved and broken for the lost who are spiritually destitute, alienated and having no hope in this world. There is hope available through the work of Christ!
- We should be pursuing holiness in this new community and as this new humanity in Christ, since we are to be Christ’s holy temple
- Instead of focusing on the failings of the local church and its many problems, we should see the vision for what God wants this new community to be like and playing our part in asking God to use us in building up His temple established upon Jesus. The fuller context of this text is the incredible grace of God which infuses His church and covers our many failings to live up to the 3 pictures of God's community in this fallen world.
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