Lesson for March 21, 2021
The Book of Ephesians
Chapter 2:11-18
Verses 11-12
“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.” Therefore, introduces a subject based on previous information. The previous information is found in the preceding verses regarding salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ. Paul called on these believers to remember who they were before they believed in Christ (a good reminder for all of us).
The Gentile believers in Ephesus had come from a pagan background of religion. They were hated by the Jews who considered they no better than wild dogs. They were cut-off from anything that was related to God and were called the “Uncircumcision” by the Jews who called themselves the “Circumcision.” They had no knowledge of the promises and covenants of God which were made to Israel. Therefore, they were without hope because their religion rejected the One true God.
Religious snobbery caused the legalistic Jews to hold dogmatically to the opinion that they alone could have a relationship with God because of the ritual of circumcision. However, the ritual of circumcision had nothing to do with salvation, it was simply a sign that the Jews were God’s chosen people for the purpose of spreading the Gospel and preserving the Word of God. In condemning the Gentiles, these religious Jews demonstrated that they did not understand their purpose as God’s client nation. Circumcision had become a “status symbol” to the religious Jews, which gave them a false confidence based on ritual without reality. Remember that circumcision was being distorted. There is a true and real use of circumcision, but Paul was referring to the distortion of the ritual. (Romans 9:30-33)
Circumcision was designed by God as the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant to Israel. Abraham was circumcised long after his salvation and after he was given the covenant from God. (Romans 4:11)
Now that these Gentiles were saved, the purpose of this verse was to remind them that there was a false barrier (circumcision) based on keeping the Mosaic Law for salvation. This false barrier made Gentiles the victims of religious Jews. Gentiles were subjected to name-calling by these Jews based on the false assumption that Gentiles could not know the true God of Israel. Circumcision and uncircumcision were outward distinctions which in no way revealed a person’s relationship with God. It was actually the responsibility of the Jews to evangelize all the Gentile nations. A responsibility they never fulfilled as a nation. (Romans 2:25-29)
Verses 13-18
“But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 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 ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. ‘And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;’ for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”
The contrast between how these Gentile believers were before salvation and after salvation is given in the remaining verses of chapter 2 and begins with “But now in Christ Jesus.” Once these believers were in union with Jesus Christ, everything changed for them spiritually. The false barrier that existed between them and Jews was exposed and the barrier that existed between them and God disappeared completely because of the Cross. When God poured out the sins of the world upon Christ and judged them, the barrier between God and man was broken. This is the doctrine of reconciliation, which literally means to make peace. The true condition of every unbeliever, Jew or Gentile, was that a barrier existed for all mankind and Christ removed that barrier at the Cross.
Reconciliation is accomplished by the removal of the barrier that exists between God and man. Once this barrier is removed, the possibility exists for peace between God and man. The barrier that separates God from man is sin. Every person is born with a sin nature, which is passed down genetically from the father. Mankind also possesses Adam’s original sin, which is imputed to him at birth by God. It is Adam’s original sin that condemns man. Personal sins are committed because man possesses a sin nature.
There are two words for reconciliation in Greek. One word “diallasso” means to reconcile two parties who are mutually hostile toward one another. The second word “katallasso” means to reconcile two parties where only one party is hostile toward the other. “Katallasso” is the word used for reconciliation to God. This means that it is man who is “hostile” towards God and has become rebellious by means of his inherent sin nature. It means that mankind is born the enemy of God and it is mankind who needs to be reconciled to God. Literally, “katallasso” means to change or to exchange (originally referring to money). It came to mean a change from being one’s enemy to being one’s friend. This is the meaning throughout the New Testament. At salvation, a believer is reconciled to God. This means that the believer is no longer God’s enemy, but that peace has been made as a result of the person’s change of mind towards Christ (the true meaning of repentance). (Romans 5:10)
Since God can have nothing to do with sin, the “sin barrier” must be removed so that mankind can have a relationship with God. Jesus Christ is the Sin-bearer, which means that He was judged for our sin (inherent sin, Adam’s original sin and our personal sins). The judgment of sin satisfied the righteousness and justice of God. The person who accepts Jesus Christ as his “Sin-bearer” is immediately reconciled to God, having been placed in union with Christ. This means that a believer is no longer God’s enemy, but that peace now exists between this individual and God. Since God is not a “respecter of persons,” (He is impartial and unprejudiced) anyone (both Jew and Gentile) who believes in Christ as Savior (the Sin-bearer) will be reconciled to God (so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man).
Verses 13-18 address the removal of the false standards of religion (keeping the Mosaic Law for salvation). Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship with God. Religion is man by man’s efforts seeking to gain the approval of God. What Paul shows us is that everyone (Jew or Gentile) in the Church Age (from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture) who personally believes in Jesus Christ as Savior becomes part of the body of Christ. Paul shows us that there is no distinction in the body of Christ. There is no racial distinction, no social distinction and no gender distinction. (Galatians 3:28)
Which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances. The barrier which existed was contained in the Law of commandments which refers to the Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law reveals the sinfulness of mankind and the need for a Savior. (I Timothy 1:9,10; Galatians 3:15-29; Romans 3:20) The Mosaic Law established the fact that the status of man was hopeless, and that he needed salvation, which he could not produce or obtain on his own.
These commandments were found in the ordinances which is the complete doctrine of Christ and salvation in ritual form. It included everything from the Levitical offerings, the holy days, the Tabernacle, the Levitical priesthood, and it all pointed to Jesus Christ dying for our sins. The ordinances were a complete picture of Christ by which any person who heard it being read or saw it in operation under the Levitical priesthood could understand salvation, understand the Gospel, and respond by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (Jehovah).
So that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. ‘And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;’ for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
Both Jew and Gentile have the same position in Christ. Jesus Christ makes two kinds of peace a) peace that removes the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, destroys all distinctions based upon racial prejudice and b) peace that removes the true barrier between God and the unbeliever which is sin. Christ preached to those who were far away referring to the Gentiles who were far away from the truth contained in the Mosaic Law. He also preached to those who were near referring to the Jews who had the Mosaic Law but still failed to understand the truth regarding Christ and salvation.