Ephesians 2 (Part 3)
Bible Study Time 7-10-05
Bible Study Time 7-10-05
In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul reminds us of two things regarding our past. First, we were at one time dead in trespasses and sins, but now by God’s grace we have been made alive in Jesus Christ. Before we were transferred into the kingdom of light, we desperately pursued our own personal happiness. This allusive dream resulted in frustration and disappointment. We were spiritually dead.
Ephesians 2:4-6 (NKJ)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Then the next verse says that God did this so that:
Ephesians 2:7 (NKJ)
7 . . . in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
If you recall, back in Chapter 1, Paul prayed that we would know the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in us. And this is it. Every blessing that God bestows upon us throughout all of eternity will bear a constant testimony to His grace. The more He blesses us, the more His name is glorified. I believe we would have to call that a win/win situation.
The second thing that Paul reminds us of in Ephesians 2 concerning our past is that, as Gentiles, we were at one time far from Israel’s covenants and promises. In verse 11 we read:
Ephesians 2:11-16
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands --
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
This passage shows the contempt that the Jews had for the Gentiles. This contempt was based on a misinterpretation of some Old Testament passages. For instance in Genesis 17, God told Abraham:
Genesis 17:13-14 (NKJ)
13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
At first glance, it appears from these verses that God really hates the uncircumcised, but a closer look reveals only that God was very serious about this ritual of circumcision and that He intended for it to be strictly enforced.
However, the Jews of the succeeding generations took this commandment to mean that God literally despised the uncircumcised nations. This false notion was reinforced by God’s commandment that Israel refrain from making alliances with pagan nations. As the nation of Israel entered into the promised land, God said:
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 (NKJ)
1 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, . . .
2 "and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
3 "Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.
4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.
If these were the only words of the Old Testament, we would almost have to conclude that God really despised the uncircumcised nations. However, if we consider all of the Old Testament scriptures, we quickly see the heart of God.
When God brought Israel to the foot of Mt. Sinai, the first words He spoke to Israel were:
Exodus 19:5-6 (NKJ)
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Israel was called as a special treasure to God above all people, but she was called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. A priest is one who acts as a mediator between God and man.
Therefore, Israel’s special calling was to serve the Gentile nations and lead them to God. They would do this by means of their example of holiness and devotion to God. Then, as God blessed the nation of Israel above all other nations on the face of the earth, this would also draw the nations to Christ.
God did not hate the Gentile nations at all. On the contrary, He wanted to show His great love for them by bringing them to Himself through the nation of Israel. At Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the rules for the eating of the Passover and said:
Exodus 12:43-45 (NKJ)
43 "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.
44 "But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.
45 "A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.
Exodus 12:48-49 (NKJ)
48 "And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49 "One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."
From this it is clearly seen that God’s intention was to maintain the integrity of the symbolism contained within the ritual of circumcision. Circumcision symbolized the cutting off of the flesh. Today we know that no person can come to God except he be spiritually circumcised through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God was not using circumcision as a means of discriminating against all Gentiles. In reality, God was opening His arms to the Gentiles. All they had to do was show their love and devotion to God by being circumcised. After their circumcision, they could live with full privileges in the Jewish community. God made it clear that there was to be one law for everyone, whether Jew or Gentile.
But Israel hardened her heart to the plan of God and rejected her calling as a kingdom of priests. Rather than leading the nations to God, Israel chose to follow after the nations. They came to Samuel and said, “We want a king like all the other nations.” Samuel was furious, but God said, “Samuel , they have not rejected you. They have rejected me.”
Israel made alliances with the Gentiles nations and followed after their gods. In this condition, they were no longer God’s special treasure. However, they did not realize their fallen state. They continued to think that they were God’s chosen people simply because they had the sign of circumcision, but they were dead in trespasses and sins.
They despised the uncircumcision They could not teach the true meaning of circumcision because they could not teach what they did not know. Circumcision symbolized the cutting off of the works of the flesh, but the Jews were immersed in the lusts of the flesh.
In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds the Gentile believers that they were once aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants and the promises. The circumcision looked down on the uncircumcision, but the Jews themselves were largely responsible for the lost condition of the Gentiles.
After the death of Christ, God offered Israel the opportunity to become a true kingdom of priests under the power and authority of the New Covenant. The Lord Jesus had shed the blood of the New Covenant and with that blood came the power for the Jews to become the Sons of God, as Hosea had prophesied. But Israel once again refused.
When Paul got to Rome at the end of the book of Acts, Paul said, “Let it be known, that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it.” From his Roman prison, Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, and in these letters, Paul revealed the Church which is the Body of Christ. In these letters, he never mentioned Israel’s hope of the New Covenant Kingdom.
In Ephesians 2, Paul says:
Ephesians 2:12-13 (NKJ)
12 . . . you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Israel failed God, and she failed the Gentile nations. But this did not surprise God at all. When Moses struck the rock in the wilderness for the second time, he was told that he would not be allowed to go into the promised land. This pictured the fact that the Old Covenant Law could never take Israel into the promised kingdom.
Israel could only enter into the promised kingdom through the power of the blood of the New Covenant. But here in Ephesians, Israel had already rejected the resurrected Christ and the blood of the New Covenant, and Paul tells the Gentiles, “Now, you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The blood which Israel rejected is the same blood that has brought us into a relationship with God.
Well, if our relationship with Christ is not based on Israel’s covenants and promises, what is the basis for our relationship with Christ. In this letter to the Ephesians, Paul spells out the details of our relationship with Christ. In Chapter 1, and verse 22, Paul says that God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. Then in Chapter 5, he says that we are members of His Body, of His flesh and of His bones.
This is new. This is different. This doctrine is found only in Paul’s prison epistles. From the time of Abraham, the only plan that God revealed for human beings was the plan that He revealed through Israel. In Israel’s plan, God’s arms were open to Gentiles, but Gentiles had to come to God through Israel.
Now, in the Church which is the Body of Christ, believing Gentiles come to God on an equal basis with believing Jews. When Israel rejected the resurrected Christ, it opened the door for God to reveal this program of the Church which He had kept secret since the foundation of the world. This was a great mystery.
Someday God is going to catch up the Church to be with Him in heaven. At that point our mystery age will be over, and God will resume His dealings with Israel according to the covenants and promises.
It may be that as you have listened to God’s word this morning, you have become aware of your need for Jesus Christ. If that is the case, I have good news for you. You can accept Christ as your personal Savior right now, right where you are. You do not have to go through any ritual, and you don’t have to join any earthly organization. Simply call upon the name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved. No one can pray that prayer for you because that is something between you and God. But if you believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures, if you call upon Him today, He will save you.
When you accept Christ, you may have questions or just need someone to talk to. Feel free to call me or write to me, we will try to help you any way that we can.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
Ephesians 2:4-6 (NKJ)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Then the next verse says that God did this so that:
Ephesians 2:7 (NKJ)
7 . . . in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
If you recall, back in Chapter 1, Paul prayed that we would know the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance in us. And this is it. Every blessing that God bestows upon us throughout all of eternity will bear a constant testimony to His grace. The more He blesses us, the more His name is glorified. I believe we would have to call that a win/win situation.
The second thing that Paul reminds us of in Ephesians 2 concerning our past is that, as Gentiles, we were at one time far from Israel’s covenants and promises. In verse 11 we read:
Ephesians 2:11-16
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands --
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
This passage shows the contempt that the Jews had for the Gentiles. This contempt was based on a misinterpretation of some Old Testament passages. For instance in Genesis 17, God told Abraham:
Genesis 17:13-14 (NKJ)
13 "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."
At first glance, it appears from these verses that God really hates the uncircumcised, but a closer look reveals only that God was very serious about this ritual of circumcision and that He intended for it to be strictly enforced.
However, the Jews of the succeeding generations took this commandment to mean that God literally despised the uncircumcised nations. This false notion was reinforced by God’s commandment that Israel refrain from making alliances with pagan nations. As the nation of Israel entered into the promised land, God said:
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 (NKJ)
1 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, . . .
2 "and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
3 "Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.
4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.
If these were the only words of the Old Testament, we would almost have to conclude that God really despised the uncircumcised nations. However, if we consider all of the Old Testament scriptures, we quickly see the heart of God.
When God brought Israel to the foot of Mt. Sinai, the first words He spoke to Israel were:
Exodus 19:5-6 (NKJ)
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Israel was called as a special treasure to God above all people, but she was called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. A priest is one who acts as a mediator between God and man.
Therefore, Israel’s special calling was to serve the Gentile nations and lead them to God. They would do this by means of their example of holiness and devotion to God. Then, as God blessed the nation of Israel above all other nations on the face of the earth, this would also draw the nations to Christ.
God did not hate the Gentile nations at all. On the contrary, He wanted to show His great love for them by bringing them to Himself through the nation of Israel. At Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the rules for the eating of the Passover and said:
Exodus 12:43-45 (NKJ)
43 "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.
44 "But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it.
45 "A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.
Exodus 12:48-49 (NKJ)
48 "And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49 "One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you."
From this it is clearly seen that God’s intention was to maintain the integrity of the symbolism contained within the ritual of circumcision. Circumcision symbolized the cutting off of the flesh. Today we know that no person can come to God except he be spiritually circumcised through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God was not using circumcision as a means of discriminating against all Gentiles. In reality, God was opening His arms to the Gentiles. All they had to do was show their love and devotion to God by being circumcised. After their circumcision, they could live with full privileges in the Jewish community. God made it clear that there was to be one law for everyone, whether Jew or Gentile.
But Israel hardened her heart to the plan of God and rejected her calling as a kingdom of priests. Rather than leading the nations to God, Israel chose to follow after the nations. They came to Samuel and said, “We want a king like all the other nations.” Samuel was furious, but God said, “Samuel , they have not rejected you. They have rejected me.”
Israel made alliances with the Gentiles nations and followed after their gods. In this condition, they were no longer God’s special treasure. However, they did not realize their fallen state. They continued to think that they were God’s chosen people simply because they had the sign of circumcision, but they were dead in trespasses and sins.
They despised the uncircumcision They could not teach the true meaning of circumcision because they could not teach what they did not know. Circumcision symbolized the cutting off of the works of the flesh, but the Jews were immersed in the lusts of the flesh.
In Ephesians 2, Paul reminds the Gentile believers that they were once aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants and the promises. The circumcision looked down on the uncircumcision, but the Jews themselves were largely responsible for the lost condition of the Gentiles.
After the death of Christ, God offered Israel the opportunity to become a true kingdom of priests under the power and authority of the New Covenant. The Lord Jesus had shed the blood of the New Covenant and with that blood came the power for the Jews to become the Sons of God, as Hosea had prophesied. But Israel once again refused.
When Paul got to Rome at the end of the book of Acts, Paul said, “Let it be known, that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it.” From his Roman prison, Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, and in these letters, Paul revealed the Church which is the Body of Christ. In these letters, he never mentioned Israel’s hope of the New Covenant Kingdom.
In Ephesians 2, Paul says:
Ephesians 2:12-13 (NKJ)
12 . . . you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Israel failed God, and she failed the Gentile nations. But this did not surprise God at all. When Moses struck the rock in the wilderness for the second time, he was told that he would not be allowed to go into the promised land. This pictured the fact that the Old Covenant Law could never take Israel into the promised kingdom.
Israel could only enter into the promised kingdom through the power of the blood of the New Covenant. But here in Ephesians, Israel had already rejected the resurrected Christ and the blood of the New Covenant, and Paul tells the Gentiles, “Now, you who were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The blood which Israel rejected is the same blood that has brought us into a relationship with God.
Well, if our relationship with Christ is not based on Israel’s covenants and promises, what is the basis for our relationship with Christ. In this letter to the Ephesians, Paul spells out the details of our relationship with Christ. In Chapter 1, and verse 22, Paul says that God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. Then in Chapter 5, he says that we are members of His Body, of His flesh and of His bones.
This is new. This is different. This doctrine is found only in Paul’s prison epistles. From the time of Abraham, the only plan that God revealed for human beings was the plan that He revealed through Israel. In Israel’s plan, God’s arms were open to Gentiles, but Gentiles had to come to God through Israel.
Now, in the Church which is the Body of Christ, believing Gentiles come to God on an equal basis with believing Jews. When Israel rejected the resurrected Christ, it opened the door for God to reveal this program of the Church which He had kept secret since the foundation of the world. This was a great mystery.
Someday God is going to catch up the Church to be with Him in heaven. At that point our mystery age will be over, and God will resume His dealings with Israel according to the covenants and promises.
It may be that as you have listened to God’s word this morning, you have become aware of your need for Jesus Christ. If that is the case, I have good news for you. You can accept Christ as your personal Savior right now, right where you are. You do not have to go through any ritual, and you don’t have to join any earthly organization. Simply call upon the name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved. No one can pray that prayer for you because that is something between you and God. But if you believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures, if you call upon Him today, He will save you.
When you accept Christ, you may have questions or just need someone to talk to. Feel free to call me or write to me, we will try to help you any way that we can.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
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