We continue with the question begun last week. What does God think of the church? That question answered will change the way which we frequently tend to look at the church.
We begin by making the connection between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. In the original
Greek text there were no chapter and verses. This was one ‘fluent’ letter
written to the Ephesian church. Accordingly chapter 2 begins with an ‘and’, and thereby connects chapter 1
with chapter 2.
The central point of Chapter 1 is contained in 1:10. God is doing this great work in the world, “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” All this needs to be seen against the background that this world is in a fallen state, and that out of this fallen world, God is building for Himself a new people. Chapter 1:1-14 shows us how He does it. It is through God’s predestined plan executed in love and by His grace “through” or “in” Christ that the church is blessed. But it doesn’t end there. Paul prays in 1:15-23 that the church would have the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him better in a threefold way:
(i) to know the hope to which we have been called
(ii) to know the riches of our glorious inheritance
(iii) to know
the power that is at work in our
salvation - being
the same power by which Christ was raised from the
dead.
Such people as are reconciled to God are also joined to the
church. The church on earth is the promise and the foreshadowing of that great
church in Heaven. Now, how did we become
members of the church? We have already seen the heavenly perspective. The
believer is chosen in eternity - before the creation of the world (1:4), predestined in love (1:5), adopted (1:5), redeemed and forgiven in Christ (1:7). But where did it all start in terms of our own experience- from the point of where we are at
now? This is where the connection
between Ch. 1 & 2 is made. It
all began while we were dead in transgressions and sins (2:1-3). From there we learn in 2:4-7
what we are now that God has found us.
In 2:8-9 we learn what has made the
difference. And finally in 2:11 – 22 we learn that God saved us to belong to one body- the church. This is God’s plan for the church!
1. 2:1-3 WHAT WE WERE WHEN GOD FOUND US
It started all while we were dead[1]
in the transgressions and sins (2:1) when we were children of the devil
(2:2), when we
lived in the passions of our
flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind … By nature (or naturally) we were
(like all people in this world) children of
wrath (2:3). The deadness spoken of here is obviously
a spiritual deadness. Before we became
Christians we were dead to spiritual truth. We thought that we were independent
agents in this world. We did not and would not listen to the God who created us. We did not desire Him
or choose Him if we were given that option. We gave Him no glory. We would not
submit our souls to God’s Word, even when we heard it.
You cannot communicate spiritual truths to a spiritually dead
person any more than you can have a conversation with a dead person. In this
state also we cannot understand the Bible. Worshipping God is burdensome. Prayer is an emergency and bargaining tool only
to be used when in trouble – not a living way of talking with God. The
implications of being spiritually dead are serious. God has a pure and holy
anger towards all who are spiritually dead to Himself, whether it be obvious,
or by subtle disobedience. When we are
in this state we are dead – alienated from God. That is what God thinks of us before we were a part of His adopted
family - we were by nature children of
wrath.
2. 2:4-7 WHAT WE ARE NOW THAT GOD HAS FOUND US
(i) 2:4,5 We
are made alive. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love
with which He loved us (cf. 1:4)…
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ… Note the contrast between 2:1 and
2:5. Dead … alive. How does
one become alive, from being dead? By
God’s intervention alone! Through grace alone and Christ alone! In 1:19,20 we read
that the same power which
raised Christ from the dead we
are also raised – made alive! Every spiritual
conversion is no ordinary thing. It is a miracle. Every born again church member is a Christ-bought trophy.
(ii) 2:6 We are seated
with Christ in the heavenlies. After Christ was raised, where did He go? He ascended to heaven[2].
There He was seated at the right hand of His Father in glory. When we are saved
by His grace, then we are as good as seated with Him in heaven. Not yet physically
to be sure. That will still happen, but it is as good as done. It is our guaranteed
inheritance (1:14). Spiritually we
are already there with Him. We are
already united in Him. That is why we can pray. We have access to Him. That is
also why death does not hurt the Christian believer. It has lost its sting for
the Christian – for to die means to be present with Christ. Every true member of the church is already
heaven’s citizen.
(iii) 2:7 We have something great to look forward to! “… in
the coming ages, He might show the incomparable riches of His grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus.” – our inheritance - see 1:14, 18. Every true member of
the church has something to look forward to.
3. 2:8-9 WHAT HAS MADE THE DIFFERENCE?
The grace of God! For
by grace have you been saved through faith (Grace - see 1:6,
2:5,7,8) and 2:8 adds that “this
faith is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”. Grace is
not a reward for faith; faith is the result of grace. Grace is the cause of salvation. Faith is the
effect of salvation. Always remember that grace comes before faith, and faith
authenticates Grace. A good example of this is found in Acts 16:14 : The grace of God awakens Lydia from Thytira. “ … the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul message”. Her immediate faith
response was to profess the name of Christ in baptism, and by immediately
offering hospitality to Paul and his entourage.
Faith is our response to God’s grace. Faith is not a work that we do in
order to be saved! That explains Paul’s quick response and addition in 2:8b -10 – “not a result of works, so that no one can boast” – but we are
indeed created for good works, which are a necessary proof of our salvation. Every
true member of the church is a grace awakened soul, responding in faith,
manifesting a life of good works.
4. 2: 11 – 22 GOD HAS SAVED US TO BELONG TO ONE BODY - THE CHURCH
Now that you have been saved by grace through faith – what
now, where to now? Three aspects - They
are a mirror image of the first 11 verses
i.
At one time…
(2:11,12) ... you were an alienated humanity [What we were]
ii.
but
now... (2:13-19) ... the wonder of Christ's work [What Jesus has done]
iii.
So then ...
(2: 19-22) ... God's new society [What we are now ]
I.
2:11,12 YOU WERE AN ALIENATED HUMANITY
At this point, let us be reminded, that the Ephesians were gentile
believers. They turned from paganism to Christ. Jewish Christians turned from
Judaism to Christ. We must not make too much out of their origins. Both, pagans
and Jews needed to turn to Christ in order to become part of God's family. Even
though Judaism is built on the truth of God's Word, few Jews were really
God-fearing. Few were really living by the terms of God's covenant. They lacked
an inward conviction that comes from a changed heart. Covenant privileges are
not enough! Everybody needs to look to
Jesus for that changed heart.
Paul is presently occupied with the Ephesian dilemma. He sees that they have 5 great disabilities, peculiar to gentile people:
1.They were Christ- less. In a sense the Jews shared that dilemma - yet this is not what Paul has in mind! Whilst the Jews have had their hope in the Christ – the coming Messiah, the pagans had no expectations of a coming Messiah! They were truly Christ-less!
2.They were excluded from citizenship in Israel. Israel was a nation under God (theocracy) and benefited tremendously from that relationship, because God had chosen to reveal Himself to that nation.
3. They were strangers to the covenant of promise: Not only was Israel favoured by God as a nation, but God had also bound Himself to them by a covenant, although Paul speaks here about "covenants". God has made many covenants with His people, but they are basically reaffirmations of the Covenant of Grace: "I will be your God, and you will be my people". The gentiles by contrast were strangers / foreigners to the covenant. They had no clue who God was and what He wanted from men.
4.They were without hope in the world. The Greek/ Roman world had no real concept of hope.
5. They were without God in the world.
The word used here for ‘without
God‘ is "atheos" (atheistic). This does not mean that they did
not believe in God. They were polytheists. They believed in many gods – but not
in the ONE true God. In their pagan state had no real knowledge of God. They
were godless.
II.
2: 13 – 18 A PORTRAIT OF A PEACEMAKING
CHRIST
2:13,14 Now we are really getting to the heart of what the church is all about. Having reminded
the Ephesians of their former state, Paul now shows what Christ has done by
making both Jew and Gentile into one people. He destroyed the artificial
barrier - the dividing wall of hostility between them. In the temple there was
a barrier- wall which forbade gentiles to go into the exclusive Jewish zone of
the temple. Christ broke this wall of ancient hostility between Jew and
Gentile. Literally and physically it was
destroyed in A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem under general Titus.
But spiritually and actually the
dividing wall was destroyed on the cross (c.f. 2:16) – the torn temple
curtain signified freedom of access to God
for all who would believe on the finished work of the
Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. On the cross Jesus abolished the law with its
commandments and regulations. Jews and gentiles are made one people in the
cross!
III.
2: 19 – 22 PORTRAIT OF GOD'S NEW SOCIETY
Through the cross, Jesus does not only reconcile man with God, but also man with man. The cross of Christ creates the basis for God’s new society – the church under the Headship of Christ! Paul now shows us what, with Christ's help, Jews and Gentiles have become:
i. Members of God's kingdom - "fellow citizens". The church is not to be divided into first class members (Jewish Christians) and second class members (Gentile Christians). The terms of admission are the same for all: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity dismisses all forms of racism, tribalism and culturalism. The church is God’s new society, and the values found in the church do not conform to the values of our surrounding cultures
ii. Members of God's household (family)
iii. Members of God's true temple. Note the foundations upon which we all become members. Our foundation are the prophets and apostles with Christ Himself as the Corner Stone (2:20). We are built upon their foundation, as ‘living stones’ - 1 Pet 2:5. What is the purpose of God's new temple? Essentially the same as the old – i.e. the dwelling place of God, except that it is now a spiritual building, made up of spiritual stones. God is thus not tied to holy buildings but to holy people. These holy people are drawn from all race groups.
Such a church and such churches are is His new society!
This is what God thinks of the church!
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