Spiritual Citizenship (Eph. 2:11-22)

Spiritual Citizenship
Ephesians 2:11-22

INTRODUCTION:
This is my passport. It is my 3-4th passport I’ve had. The first one I got when I did mission work in Vienna, Austria in 1992. I was so homesick while I was there for a month that I would not have believed I would move back to Europe within a decade. When we did move to Romania in 2000, this passport gave me a lot of confidence. Romania had only left Communism 10 years before and you could tell that there was still some of that same thinking that was in people’s minds. But this passport, it gave me a lot of confidence at 30 years old. I’m sure it was a naive view of things, but I felt that because I was an American citizen, I had this passport, that if something bad happened, my government - my state department - would do what they could to take care of me.

Whether that was a naive view or not, it still gave me confidence. We, in fact, had to use our passport sometimes, and it opened doors that might not have been opened. There are benefits and privileges - as well as responsibilities - that come with being an American citizen.

There are also benefits and privileges - and responsibilities - that come with being a citizen of Jesus’ nation - the church of Christ. That’s the focus of this text of Scripture which will feed our spirits this morning: Ephesians 2:11-22.

The book of Ephesians is about the church of Christ. If you’ll notice in 3:10-11, Paul writes that the wisdom of God is revealed, made known, through the church, which was in accordance with God’s eternal purpose in Christ Jesus. To say that the wisdom of God is revealed through the church is not a statement about evangelism. Paul is saying the church is the wisdom of God. Let’s keep that in mind as we feed on this text…

“THEREFORE” - 2:11:
“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…”

What is the “therefore” for? Paul is drawing a conclusion. What has he just been saying?

Let me briefly summarize what Paul has said, the main ideas, in his letter up to this point:

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus - 1:3
God predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ - 1:5
We have redemption through Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of our sins - 1:7
God has made known to us the mystery of His will - 1:9
We have been sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise - 1:13
The blessings in Christ were brought about when God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places - 1:20
Everything is subject to Christ - 1:22
Christ is the head of the church, which is His body - 1:23

Christians were, at one time, dead in their trespasses and sins - 2:1
God made us alive together with Christ - 2:5
God raised us up together with Christ - 2:6
God seated us in heavenly places in Christ - 2:7
We have, therefore, been saved by grace, through faith; salvation is a gift of God - 2:8
(Here, I need to note that a common Protestant teaching that faith is a gift of God based on this text is not true. Both “grace” and “faith” are feminine nouns and the word “this” (“this is a gift of God”) is a neuter noun. Therefore, “this” cannot refer to either “grace” or “faith.” Probably, the “this” which is a gift of God is the theme of the passage, that is, salvation.)
Finally, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works - 2:10

Therefore, Paul writes, with these things being true and understood…

YOUR CONDITION “OUTSIDE” OF CHRIST - 2:11-12:
“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.”

Paul is here speaking of those who are outside of Christ. In the Bible, the word “Gentiles,” which is used 1 time in the OT and 100 times in the NT, refers to everyone who is not a Jew. So, that refers to each one of us.

Paul says to remember that formerly (at one time, when we were outside of Christ), we were called “uncircumcised” by the so-called “circumcised” which is performed in the flesh by human hands. God gave the family of Abraham circumcision as a sign of His covenant with Israel, in Genesis 17. That fact alone gave Jews an arrogance that God did not intend. Too many Jews thought that because they were circumcised, they had their ticket punched to heaven and there really wasn’t much else expected out of them. Just like people today who think that just because they are baptized, they have their ticket punched to heaven.

The Jews started using “uncircumcised” as a pejorative term for Gentiles. It was a way to look down on them and have a feeling of ethnic superiority.

This circumcision is performed “by human hands.” Paul will say in the “sister letter” to Ephesians, Colossians 2:11-12, that baptism is a circumcision performed without human hands. It is a circumcision of our hearts.

These Gentiles, you and me, Paul writes in verse 12:

1. Were separated from Christ.
2. Were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. Gentiles were not beneficiaries of the Law of Moses and the blessings that came to the people of Israel who were God’s chosen people during the OT times.
3. Were strangers of the covenants of promise. God was not known to the Gentiles as “Jehovah God.” He was their Creator, but He wasn’t their Redeemer. There were outside of the benefits of that covenant God made with Abraham, the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, or the covenant God made with King David. The Gentiles were outside of all those covenants.
4. Were without hope. Without the blessing of God that came through those covenants, the Gentiles were also without hope.
5. Were without God in the world. Again, the Gentiles had God to give them rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, but they did not have a God to give them righteousness, peace, and joy in salvation.

That’s the situation you are in even today if you are not a Christian. That is the situation all of us were in when we were outside of Christ.

NOW OUR CONDITION “IN” CHRIST - 2:13-18:
“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.”

In the prior paragraph, Paul uses the words or phrases: “separate,” “excluded,” “strangers,” “no,” and “without.” Contrast that with the words and phrases we have in this paragraph that emphasize our relationship with Jesus.

First, Paul says now that we are “in Christ Jesus” - there are two passages in the NT which teach us how we are put into Christ Jesus and it is through immersion in water for the forgiveness of our sins: Rom. 6:3-4 and Gal. 3:26-27. As we have already pointed out, it is through immersion in water for the forgiveness of our sins that we receive the circumcision of the heart that is necessary to be saved: Colossians 2:11-12. Now that we are “in Christ Jesus,” Paul says we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ is what paid the debt of sin, which removed the penalty of sin, which removed the barrier of sin which separates non-Christians from the holy God, as Isaiah told us in Isaiah 59:1-2. Remember, it was in 1:7 that Paul writes that in Christ, we have “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

Secondly, notice the power of the metaphor in verse 14: “Christ is our peace!” Metaphors are a very strong figure of speech so it is more than just to say that Christ provides peace for us. Christ is our peace with God; that’s why it is so important for us to be united together with Christ, which happens at baptism, Rom. 6:5.

Third, Christ made both groups into one - the “uncircumcised” and the “circumcised,” or the Jews and the Gentiles. They are all made “one,” when Jesus broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, which Paul identifies in the next verse as the Law of Moses. Notice that through His flesh, that is Jesus’ physical death on the cross, He abolished the “enmity,” that is the “Law of commandments contained in ordinances” - the Law of Moses. Jesus abolished the division between Jews and Gentiles which was created by the Law of Moses, when He died on the cross. So, in bringing peace between mankind and God, Jesus also brought peace between Jews and Gentiles, in fact, between all peoples. To repeat himself Paul writes in verse 15 that Christ makes the “two into one new man, thus establishing peace.”

That “barrier of the dividing wall” that was abolished was graphically illustrated at the crucifixion of Christ when God, as it were, reached down from heaven and ripped the veil of the temple in two, from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51). Not only had that veil kept the average Jew from the Holiest of Holy places but it kept Gentiles out as well. But the death of Christ removed that barrier.

Fourth, Christ has “reconciled” both - Jews and Gentiles - in one body (which he has already defined as the “church” in 1:22-23) through His death on the cross, putting to death the enmity which we have just discussed - the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses defined sin, which causes enmity between God and man. Therefore, the Law is called “enmity.” But, the Law of Moses also defined the Jewish nation of Israel, which excluded Gentiles, and therefore created enmity between the two groups. That has been taken out of the way through the death of Christ; they have been reconciled in the church of Christ. Let us note here how important the church is… if one is not a member of the church of Jesus Christ, His spiritual body, then he or she is not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Reconciliation is in the church; it’s not by means of the church. That happens through the blood of Christ, but those who are reconciled have been added by God to His church (Acts 2:47).

To support Paul’s statements, in verse 17 he quotes Isaiah 57:19, which he alluded to in verse 13 - the expression “far off” is used by Isaiah to refer to Gentiles. Here, the Messiah came from heaven to earth and preached “peace” to those far away, the Gentiles, and “peace” to those who are near, the Jews. The same message is given to both Jews and Gentiles to reconcile everyone to Christ. Of course, the way that Christ preached peace was through the apostle Paul and others who preached and taught the gospel of Christ.

Fifthly, it is through Christ that we have access “in” or “by” one Spirit to the Father. Honestly, the word “Spirit” here could be the Holy Spirit, or it could be our spirit, that is having the unity of spirit.

If Paul is referring to the Holy Spirit… We talked about the role of the Holy Spirit in our prayers last week. The relationship we have with the holy God is mediated by the Holy Spirit, once our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ. The verb “to have access” has a corresponding noun that referred in the Greek culture to someone who led a visitor into the king’s presence. So, it is through Christ in the Spirit that we are led into the presence of Jehovah God. If the Holy Spirit is in view, then we have all three members of the Godhead mentioned in this one verse: the Son, Holy Spirit, and Father.

If, on the other hand, Paul is referring to the human spirit, he is thinking of the unity of our spirits that we ought to have with one another because we are all God’s children; we are all followers of Christ. Notice how many times Paul uses the word “one” in this passage: 2:14, 15, 16, 18.

This brings us to…

THE BLESSINGS OF CITIZENSHIP - 2:19-22:
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

This paragraph begins with the word “So,” where Paul is drawing a logical inference. Because we (Gentiles specifically) are reconciled to God in Christ Jesus, and along with Jews, are one body in Christ, then we have certain blessings. Observe:

First (ver. 19), we (Gentiles) are no longer strangers and aliens. Instead, we are “fellow citizens with the (Jewish) saints and are of God’s household.” Notice that the church of Christ is God’s nation and the family of God, His household. Paul makes that statement explicit in 1 Timothy 3:15. We were “strangers to the covenants of promise” (ver. 12) but now we are “fellow citizens and members of God’s family.” We are not immigrants, but we not native born sons either. We were adopted into God’s nation and God’s family.

So, we are members of a spiritual nation, God’s nation, and members of a spiritual family, God’s family.

Second (ver. 20), we are God’s temple built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets - that is, their teaching - with Christ Jesus being the corner stone from which every thing is set. We note here that we cannot, in any way, minimize the teachings of the apostles and prophets and be honest and true to Jesus Christ. We had a lesson on this a few weeks ago and this verse emphasizes that point. We are obligated to trust and obey the teachings of the apostles and prophets just as surely as we are obligated to trust and obey the teachings of Jesus Himself. That is true because, as Paul teaches in the next chapter (3:1-7), the Holy Spirit spoke through them.

Third (ver. 21), we are fitted together, placed alongside one another, to become the holy temple in the Lord Jesus Christ. What Paul is emphasizing here is that we each have our role to serve in God’s temple. We all have those skills, “gifts” if you will, to be used for God’s service in His church as members of His temple. So, we are all aligned with Christ - He is the cornerstone - built on the foundation of the apostles’ teaching, and we are fitted together so that we can glorify God through Jesus Christ.

I have been working on a walkway in my backyard, building a pathway of paving stones into my storage shed. The stone is shaped like an octagon at the top and a square at the bottom. All these paving stones have to be fitted together so that they form the walkway. That’s what Paul is saying here. We all - Jew and Gentile (remember the context) - are stones in God’s temple and we are being fitted together by Christ so we can form His spiritual temple.

Fourth (ver. 22), we are a dwelling of God in the Spirit. Isn’t that a wonderful, beautiful, awesome idea? That God dwells in us by His Spirit? God dwells in us? What are the benefits of being a member of God’s nation? God dwells in us!

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God drove their sinful beings out of His presence. Now, through Jesus Christ, God doesn’t just dwell near us, He dwells in us! All because of Jesus Christ!

So, what are the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus?

Take home message: The blessings of spiritual citizenship are available to everyone who will submit to Christ and be added to His body.

Start an evangelism conversation: “Where are you in your spiritual pilgrimage?”