Aren’t you amazed at how quickly God moves so that we can apply the lessons we learn from our study of His Word? Think back to last week. Right after the final prayer, you and I were confronted with challenges. Challenges which were opportunities for us to display who Christ is in us and who we are in Him. We are His champions. God’s very handiwork to display Him.
In the following days, we would have engaged in telephone conversations, text messages and e-mail exchanges, and personal encounters that would have been a mix of encouraging and disheartening. These, of course, are characteristic of our regard for one another. I express this to remind you of who we are and that we are continually being transformed in Christ–which when the topic of personal rightness or regard for one another is discussed, we fail miserably.
We need to appreciate the way the Apostle Paul repeatedly brings to our attention who Christ is in us and who we are and continually become in Him. From his introductory chapter to chapter 2 especially the passage before us today: individually and collectively as a Christ-believing congregation and church! Notice how the Apostle Paul lengthily and enthusiastically declares and weaves these truths for us:
- 1.3-14 Spiritual blessings in Christ with the Trinity working: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
- 1.15-19 Praising God and praying for the (Ephesian) believers
- 1.18-23 Our confidence in Christ’s finished and continuing work.
After a lengthy and enthusiastic declaration of the benefits endowed and changes that have occured in you and me, not that we worked for them, but simply as believers of Jesus Christ, Paul turns our attention to:
- 2.1-3 Our past: Who we were (without Christ)
- 2.4-6 Our present: What God did: made us alive; raised us up; seated us with Him in heavenly places
- 2.4-7 Why God did so: rich in mercy; great love; gracious and kind
- 2.8-9 How God did so: grace through faith; not of yourselves or works we may boast
- 2.10 God’s purpose: display His workmanship
Which brings us to the passage at hand 2.11-22 in which Paul brings us another perspective: that of being a Gentile.
Notice the descriptions he made where we as Gentiles stood:
- 2.12a Without Christ: separate from Christ
- 2.12b Without a home: excluded from Israel
- 2.12c Without the Covenants
- 2.12d Without Hope
- 2.12e Without God
Then Paul proceeds to bring us (Gentile) believers the difference Christ made:
- 2.13 Brought those far away near
- 2.14 Brought peace: unity and harmony to the divided (Jews/Gentiles reconciliation).
This has brought changes to God’s household. Consider now the peace “that has broken down every wall” has brought us:
- 2.18 A common access to God
- 2.19a A common citizenship
- 2.19b A common family
- 2.20-22 A common faith
I’d like you to savour the final verses (19-22) of Ephesians chapter 2 from Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation, Paul tells us:
“That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.”
In building practices, “the chief cornerstone” is carefully placed because the entire building was lined with it. Christ as the “Chief Cornerstone” therefore sets the direction and forms the basis of the whole family of God. The apostles and prophets, needed to be correctly aligned with Christ. And so must we! All other believers are built on the Foundation–measuring their lives with Christ–not what what others pose.
James Montgomery Boice’s commentary on this particular passage (vv 11-22) sums it very appropriately:
“If you are in Christ, then in God’s sight you are one with every other believer–whether Jew of Gentile, male or female, bond or free–regardless of any distinction whatever. Therefore, you must act like that. You may not see eye to eye with every other Christian on anything. No one expects you to. But you must not break with them! And you must realise that regardless of your differences of opinion, the unity that you have with them is greater than the unity you will ever have with anyone else in the world, even if the unbeliever is of the same class, race, nationality, sex (or whatever) as you are.”
Your duty is to live in harmony with these brothers and sisters in Christ, and to let the world know that you are members of one spiritual family. That in itself should be a large portion of your witness.”
I do hope we realise that the peace that our Lord Jesus obtained for us has opened up a new and glorious spiritual reality. But since we can’t see it or touch it, we may miss opportunities to take full advantage of it.