Ephesians 2:11-22, July 170-23, Year B:

Straight AheadIn this chapter of this marvelous epistle, Paul speaks of the transformation which takes place when someone receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. First, in 2:11-13, Paul reminds his readers of the condition of the Gentiles before the gospel message was brought to them. (Most of the Ephesian Christians were Gentiles.) Being Gentiles, they were not part of the covenant. They did not know the law of God. They were not part of the household of faith. That is exactly the condition of anyone today who does not know Christ. What was needed was a reconciliation--but not a humanistic reconciliation, not just a reconciliation of one person to another. This is the kind of reconciliation that Christians have increasingly emphasized in recent years. Reconciliation between races and among people became the keynote of confessional statements and church pronouncements. This kind of reconciliation was one of the driving forces behind the ecumenical movements of the past 40 years. As important as the reconciliation among people may be, it is not the primary reconciliation that is needed in the world today; and it is not the type of reconciliation of which Paul is speaking here. Paul is urging the reconciliation between human beings and God! That's the kind of reconciliation that Jesus Christ brought by His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. That's the kind of reconciliation that ultimately brings nations together and breaks down the barriers of separation. We need this kind of reconciliation because we have committed sins against God. We have missed the mark. We have fallen short. The problem today increasingly is that we don't even know what the mark is that we've missed, or what target of which we've fallen short. So we are faced with several obstacles to a right relationship with God. In Ephesians 2:14-17, Paul shows how our position is changed by the blood of Christ. Our relationship with God is changed--not by mysticism, not by ethics, and not by good works. We are in a new relationship with God because Christ becomes our Peace. True spiritual unity can come only through Christ. Being in Christ is the only way genuine peace can come to a world torn by sin. Being in Christ is the only way truly to worship God or be in fellowship with Him. In Ephesians 2:18-22, Paul contrasts the tragedy of hopelessness without Christ with the new relationship we have in Christ and with other believers. In Christ, we are built on a solid foundation, joined together brick by brick. It is not good enough to be near the kingdom; we must be in His kingdom. We are saved for heaven, the place of our true citizenship; but we are to be the church here on earth. Do we truly desire to be with Him forever? Are we strangers in church now? Where do we feel more at home--in Sunday morning worship, or at a party with non-Christian friends? It is not just a matter of escaping eternal punishment, though the Bible definitely teaches eternal punishment for those who do not know Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is a matter of desiring God and fellowship with Him for its own sake. It is a matter of truly being part of the family. Do you belong to Christ?