More on Gifts + a Crazy Old Testament Reference
Today’s reading contains a bizarre Old Testament reference that’s worth slowing down and looking at.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:8-16 [day 10 of 20]
8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
Here Paul quotes Psalm 68, which is a victory psalm. In the psalm, God wins the victory over his enemies and, in gratitude, the people give thank-you gifts to God. But in the quotation here, Paul reverses it and has God the victor give gifts to the people! I think the point is that God is just overwhelmingly generous.
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves,and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
God has given the pastoral offices as gifts to the church so that the church can be built up and won’t be distracted from its mission.
More broadly, every gift is meant by God to be used to build up the church.
How are you using your gifts today?
Sevenfold Unity
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6 [day 09 of 20]
4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Note that Paul’s advice to “bear with one another in love” and to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” implies that unity in the church will take hard work.
I think the only way it’s possible, in fact, is to keep our eyes on the Lord and focus on the faith that has been passed down to us from the saints, the martyrs, and the apostles:
One Lord;
One Spirit;
One Hope;
One Lord;
One Faith;
One Baptism;
One God and Father of all.
If we put those 7 points of unity at our center, then I believe God will give us unity. But it will still take work!
Another Prayer of Paul's
Today’s reading is another prayer from Paul. If you missed it, I preached last Sunday on the way Paul prays for his churches—it’s very different from how we pray!
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
The NIV footnote is helpful in understanding verse 15: “The Greek for family (patria) is derived from the Greek for father (pater).”
Paul’s making a pun to make his point: all the peoples on earth are actually members of one human family, with one heavenly father.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Paul prays that God would strengthen the Ephesians so that their trust increases so much it’s as if Christ is as close as possible to them.
Then, once love is their foundation, he prays that God would give them the spiritual power to experience and know the love of Christ.
(Note how again Paul is praying that the come to know God better. Of all the things he could pray for, this is what he chooses. There’s a lesson there for us.)
And the purpose of this knowledge? So that they may be filled up as full as possible. In other words, the purpose is to make them different kind of people.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
I love the literal sense of what Paul says here:
God can do more than which we can possibly conceive.
How cool is that?!
Don’t limit what God can do today!
The Church Is God's Megaphone
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:7-13 [day 07 of 20]
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given methrough the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Note what Paul says: “[God’s] intent intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm.”
In other words, God’s purpose in creating the church is, among other reasons, to show the spiritual powers his plan. And again, what is that plan? To unite all the disparate peoples of the world into one. This is why unity is so important—it’s proof of God’s power.
The Open Secret of God's Plan for the World
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:1-6 [day 06 of 20]
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
Ephesians is one of the so-called “Prison Letters.” We know that Paul is in prison as he writes, but we just don’t know during which of his many imprisonments this letter was written. What’s interesting is that Paul implies that his imprisonment is a direct result of his mission to the Gentiles.
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation,as I have already written briefly.
The “mystery” Paul has made known? It’s what he’s just written about in the first 2 chapters. Again, note how Paul sees his divine mission to be the apostle to the nations.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Paul has previously been given an apocalypse—an unveiling—into the true state of things. (This is part of what his Road to Damascus experience entailed.) That apocalypse is his “insight into the mystery of Christ.”
This insight was not fully known to even the prophets of Israel (though they had an inkling), but now the leaders of the church understand that which was God’s secret plan all along:
Namely that the purpose of Abraham’s election (the fancy way of saying God’s choosing of Abraham) was to one day bring in the non-chosen people into one unified family.
In other words, the inclusion of the nations into the family of God was not an afterthought but rather what God was always working towards.
The Lord is playing the long game, a fact which I find really encouraging.
After all, if God was working through history to bring in the nations as his covenant people, then what else might God be doing now through the events of history?
What a fun question.
The Bible, In My Own Words
Today Paul explains God’s exhilarating plan to bring all of humanity back together.
I LOVE THIS PASSAGE!
God’s Plan, In My Own Words
God created the world for the purpose of sharing his life with us. In the biblical language, Eden is the place where God’s life and the life of the world meet together in perfection.
However, Humanity has rebelled against God—we have preferred to put ourselves in the center and have therefore said to the Creator, “No, thank you.” This rebellion has resulted in destruction, a destruction that would have been total had not God never stopped caring for Creation. (This broad sweep is recounted in Genesis 1-11, and then again over and over again through the rest of the Old Testament.)
The Lord then chooses one man—Abraham—and plans to save all of humanity through this one man’s family. The family becomes known as Israel, and God makes a covenant with Israel that involves instructing them how to live in such a way as to bring blessing wherever they go.
Israel, however, doesn’t heed God’s instructions, and rather than bringing forth blessing into the world often brings forth violence and hatred and curses. Israel lives in constant enmity with the nations.
But the Lord does not abandon Israel nor the Edenic ideal. Throughout the long Old Testament centuries, the Temple in Jerusalem is the place where Heaven and Earth meet—the Temple represents Eden. And then, in just the right time, God the Father sends his only Son as an Israelite who keeps the instructions perfectly and even dies in between Jews and Gentiles—between Caiaphas and Pilate, so to speak. Jesus’s death fulfills the divine plan and now blessing is released to the whole world and membership in God’s family is open to all who trust in Jesus.
This means that Jewish ethnic practices are not what define the people of God, but rather just the simple act of trusting in the gospel. From now on, God’s Spirit is pulling back into one people the divided peoples of the world, but God’s design is not a uniformity but a unity—we are different, but united.
And now, rather than a Temple built with human hands, it is God’s people—the unified Church—who are where heaven and earth meet. God’s Spirit is present among and through his unified people. Wherever God’s people are, they are meant to bring Edenic blessing with them until Jesus returns and perfects all things.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22 [day 05 of 20]
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Before the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah Jesus, all the nations [“nations” is how the Jews referred to all the other peoples of the world] were separated from God and wandering in their rebellion.
But because of what Jesus has done, the nations are now being brought into covenant relationship with God, adopted into his family.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Christ has brought the enmity between Israel and the nations into his own body. Why?
Because on the cross he killed that hostility so that people no longer have to be divided.
And now, what it takes to have access to the life of God—joy, peace, eternal life, etc.—is trust in Jesus.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Note the architectural language and imagery here.
Because of Jesus, all people who trust in him are citizens of his kingdom, part of his family.
And, building on what the apostles have started, we are all being built into a new (non-physical) Temple. Why?
So that God’s Spirit can bring blessing through us into the world.
How can you be a channel for Edenic blessing today?
How can you pursue unity today?
Creation's Past, Present, & Future in 10 Verses
In today’s Ephesians passage, Paul sketches out the entire history and future of the world in ten brief verses.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 [day 04 of 20]
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Because of our rebellion, all people—both non-Jews and Jews—are alienated from God and under the deathly power of a dark spiritual force.
4 But because of his great love for us,God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
But despite our rebellion, God has acted in Christ to free us from slavery and death, and in fact has even gone beyond that to already now in some mysterious way raise us up over death and sin. We didn’t deserve mercy, but God gave it anyway.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We aren’t saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. And those good works were created by God for us specifically.
Don’t shirk your part in God’s plan today!
Open the Eyes of Our Heart + Bible Study Video
I’ve included below the video from our Ephesians Bible study last week, during which we looked at the controversial passage that contains the verse “wives, [submit] to your husbands.” It was a fun study!
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23 [day 03 of 20]
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you,remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
I love how Paul prays for his churches—it’s not at all how I would think to pray. (Which means there is something wrong with me, not Paul.)
His primary prayer for his church is not that they would escape persecution or even make more disciples, but that they would know God better!
Paul must think that is important….
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Paul uses this great phrase: “the eyes of ya’ll’s heart”. He wants them to “see” with spiritual insight what’s really going on, namely that God is preparing an amazing future for his people and his world, and that his power is so strong that there is no reason to doubt that this future will come to pass.
That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
The proof of God’s power is the resurrection of Jesus, who has been raised and sits in judgment over every other type of power, both material and spiritual, both now and forever. The church on earth now represents and even in some way embodies Christ.
I’ve always liked this song, but it’s only been in reading Ephesians that I learned the lyrics came from Ephesians 1.
Video of Ephesians Bible Study [1/26/22]
Predestination and The Holy Spirit
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 1:11-14 [Day 02 of 20]
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Here’s what Paul means:
We Jews were predestined by God to be the chosen people, the means by which God would bring blessing to the entire world;
And now you non-Jews are included in the chosen people when you heard the gospel and trusted in it.
The proof that you are part of God’s people is that he has given you his Holy Spirit;
The Holy Spirit makes real now the future perfect reality that is coming—the Holy Spirit is the one who makes real the now-and-not-yet characteristic of God’s kingdom among us;
If this is what life can be life now for God’s people—filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc.—how great will the future be?
I'm Ready to Run--Ready to Run With Me?
Friends, my apologies for missing some dates last week in my Ephesians blogging—I was just unable to get everything done that needed to be done, and had to cut somewhere.
Here’s the good news: I’m ready to run, now. Ready to run with me?
I knew that one month was not going to be enough time for me to preach through Ephesians, and I knew that Ephesians was going to be a difficult book for us—Paul’s long, convoluted sentences take a lot of concentrated study before his meaning becomes clear. And it’s only after his meaning is clear that we can ask what his words mean for us.
So, we are going to re-read Ephesians over the next 4 weeks.
A reading each weekday for the next 4 weeks—twenty readings total. We can do this.
Trust me. It will be worth it.
I’m ready to run.
You ready to run with me?
[Shoot me a comment or reply and let me know.]
Today’s Reading [day 01 of 20] - Ephesians 1:1-10
Paul’s Introduction, vv. 1-2
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
First: “Holy”—I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means
Paul is writing to “God’s holy people.”
Holy is a biblical word that means “set apart” for God. For example, there were “holy” fire tongs that were used in Temple worship in Jerusalem, and “profane” fire tongs that were used in normal houses. It was the fact that they were set apart for God that made them “holy.”
The church is holy because it’s set apart for God’s work.
How can you be different at work today?
Song of Praise
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Second: The Reasons Paul And We Have to Praise God
In verses 3-10, Paul gives a list of all that God has done that is worthy of praise:
v. 3, We are already blessed in spiritual reality with amazing blessings [which one day we will see for sure];
vv. 4-5, God planned from the beginning to make Abraham’s family—Israel, the Jews—as his people;
v. 6, God has given gift upon gift upon gift in Jesus;
v. 7-8, One of the things Christ’s sacrificial death achieved was to free us from our sins—another gift!
v. 9, And more than that, now God has revealed his secret plan. What is that plan? Namely that shows that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus…
v. 10, Is God’s plan to unify the entire world in and under Jesus.
Just think how cool this is:
God has made his secret plan openly-known. And that plan is to unify everything in Christ.
More On This Controversial Passage at Bible Study
Today’s Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33
I’ll be talking about this passage at length on Wednesday, 1/26, 6-7 PM. Can’t wait!
Life Is Short
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 5:15-21
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s point: life is short and therefore don’t waste your time living in the old way—Christ has come and the new age is here.
"Awake, O Sleeper!"
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 5:1-14
5:1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
Just as in the previous passage, Paul is contrasting what used to be true about the Ephesian Christians with what is true about them: they no longer walk in darkness, but in light.
How Now Are You?
Okay, I’ll admit it: I had another title typed out—”Stop Living in the Past!”—but when I searched for an image to go with it, I found the one I’m using above. I kinda like it.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:25-32
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Paul’s point in the earlier parts of the letter is that those who believe in Jesus have put on the new humanity and taken off the old humanity. The ethical exhortations in today’s passage are about reminding the Ephesian Christians that they need to live in the now and put aside the old. To Paul it’s all about identity, and because the Ephesian Christians’ identity is now in Christ, there is no need to live in the old ways anymore. To Paul, identity is first, and behavior comes out of that.
Does This Not Describe Our Culture Today?
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 4:17-24
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
It’s as if Paul is describing our culture today, and his words to the Ephesian church can also apply to us: don’t go back to living like everyone else, but be different.
Video & Notes from My Ephesians Study
My apologies for missing yesterday’s post—I just totally forgot!
Today’s Reading (plus yesterday’s): Ephesians 4:1-16.
Here is the handout from Wednesday evening’s Bible study.
Here’s the video:
Paul Talks About His Sense of Mission
Don’t forget that I’m teaching a churchwide Bible study tomorrow evening, 6-7 PM at Munger.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3:7-13
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given methrough the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Paul tells the Ephesians that it was God’s gracious plan to make Paul the messenger to the non-Jews. And the message? It is the revealing of God’s secret plan: namely that God wants to include both Jews and non-Jews into his family.
0 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Paul tells the Ephesians that God’s intent is that the spiritual powers (“rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms”) would see the unified, multi-ethnic nature of the church.
Paul tells the Ephesians not to be discouraged by his imprisonment; rather, his imprisonment should bring them honor, since God’s power turns things upside down, just as the Crucifixion led to the Resurrection.
Not Beige, But Rainbow-Colored
There is a way that the world speaks of unity that implies sameness—beige.
But—and this is something I’ve been learning over the past year—this is not at all the biblical picture of unity. God’s plan to unite all humanity is not to erase differences, but to unite all people in Christ in the midst of their differences. You might say that God’s plan is for unity in diversity—not beige, but rainbow-colored.
Forgive me for missing on Friday—I needed a bit more time to study this passage.
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22 [Friday] and Ephesians 3:1-6 [Today]
2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Paul is addressing the mainly non-Jewish Christian members of the Ephesian church, reminding them that under the terms of the old covenant, only the Jews were part of the covenant people of God—the non-Jewish peoples were outsiders, foreigners. But, because of what Jesus has done, they have now been brought into the family of God.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
How has Christ Jesus brought the non-Jewish believers into the family of God? By fulfilling the Law perfectly and dying on behalf of everyone else. It used to be that the way you were part of God’s covenant people was by attempting to keep the Torah. But now the way you are part of God’s covenant people is just by trusting in the gospel message. This means that it doesn’t matter what culture you come from—people from all cultures can trust the message and be included.
This also means that we don’t have to be the same! Our unity comes from the fact that we all heard the good news and trusted it. God’s plan is not to erase our differences, but rather to erase our sin and bring us all into his family, along with our differences. It’s a rainbow-colored church.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
And now, both Jewish believers in Jesus and non-Jewish believers in Jesus—as Jews and non-Jews—are part of the living Temple that God is building. The Temple is where God’s presence was; it was where heaven and earth came together. Now, that place is where God’s people are.
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation,as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Paul says that this secret plan of God—to bring back all people into one family—is his special mission, and that God is revealing that plan to the leaders of the early church. You no longer have to be Jewish to be part of the covenant people—now all it takes to be part of the covenant people is not to live by the Jewish law, but to simply trust the gospel message.
Again, it is profoundly important that we understand the implications of what Paul is saying: God is NOT making all people the same; rather, God is bringing ANYONE who believes into his family, no matter what culture they come from.
God isn’t planning on erasing our differences, but bringing us into unity while still being different.
A rainbow of colors, not a drab beige.
No Commentary Today
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22
This is a difficult passage, and I’m not yet ready to write on it. More to come on Monday!
What Happens After Salvation
Today’s Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Paul tells the Ephesians that before they heard the gospel about Jesus and trusted in it—i.e., before they became Christians—they were actually following “the ruler of the kingdom of the air”, i.e., some kind of personalized spiritual power. We’ll say more about this in the future.
The point is that they were alive but dead, spiritual zombies.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
But Paul says that everybody was actually a spiritual zombie, even the Jews. And no one deserved anything good.
4 But because of his great love for us,God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
“But God.” Although we were dead, God has made us alive—and not because we deserved it!
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
And then, in one of these Pauline paradoxes, Paul says that we have already been raised with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenly dimensions. It’s one of these strange “now and not yet” statements. More on this later!
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are not saved BY our good works;
Rather, we are saved FOR good works.
That’s worth pondering for a long while.