We Have Been Reconciled to God

11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

12 That at that time ye 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:

Q1--Who are the "uncircumcised" that Paul is referring to?

The uncircumcised were the gentile unbelievers. All of us come from gentile unbelievers who had no hope until Christ came and the gospel message exploded throughout the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Q2--What does this phrase mean "made near by the blood of Christ"?

We were far from God because of our sin. But Jesus’ blood has cleansed us and now allows us to enter into God’s presence as one cleansed and redeemed.

1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

Ephesians 1:7, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."

MacDonald comments,

"The Ephesian Gentiles had been rescued from that place of distance and alienation, and had been elevated to a position of nearness to God. This was brought about at the time of their conversion. When they trusted the Savior, God placed them in Christ Jesus and accepted them in the beloved One. From then on they were as near to God as Christ is, because they were in Christ Jesus."

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Q3--What did Jesus "abolish in his flesh"?

Q4--What was it in the law and commandments that put a barrier between us and God?

Comment on verse 15

The enmity was the requirements of the commandments of the Bible. The reason it separated us from God is that we can never completely obey all that God wants for us. This is why, in the Old Testament, they had to make sacrifices to God. They were unable to keep all the commandments in the Old Testament. Those sacrifices were looking forward to the "real" sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross. His sacrifice paid the price for all of our sins, all the sins of future believers, and all the sins of the Old Testament saints. By coming as the sacrificial lamb, Christ did not do away with the law, put released us from its penalty.

Matthew 5:17-19

17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Q5--If you feel that God is faraway from you, what do these verses teach that should encourage you?

In these verses we have the promise that we are part of the family of God. Verse 18 tells us we have access direct to the Father. We are not strangers or foreigners, so even if we feel God is faraway, we know that he really isn’t.

J. Vernon McGee comments,

"When you come to Jesus Christ, you are not only brought into a body, but you are also brought into a place where you stand before God on a par with anybody. I stand with you and you stand with me on equal footing. So today there should never be a point of separation for believers on any basis at all. We have been made one in Christ. If you are a believer in Christ—it makes no difference who you are—you and I are going to be together throughout eternity. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for us to speak to each other every now and then down here, would it?"

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Q6--What is our foundation? Who is the cornerstone of that foundation? What specifically do you think the word "foundation" is referring to?

Comment on verse 20

We usually think of Christ as our foundation, and he certainly is. But in this verse Paul is revealing an important truth. It seems to me "the foundation of the apostles and prophets" is referring to the Apostles’ Doctrine which at first was communicated by the apostles as they taught the early church. But today we find these teachings contained in the writings of the New Testament. So this is, I believe, our foundation. Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, but his words have been recorded for us in the gospels and his message has been set forth in the rest of the New Testament. (This does not mean that we ignore the Old Testament, but that we understand the teachings of the Old Testament in the light of Christ’s work.) Many people have different opinions about Christ, but our foundation is the scriptures that the apostles wrote down for us. If we want to be on firm ground, we need to learn the Bible — the foundation of our faith.
This is McGee’s comment on the subject,

"We are ‘built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.’ This is important. It does not mean that the apostles and prophets were the foundation but that they personally laid the foundation. The early church built its doctrine upon that of the apostles."

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Q7--Who do the first 2 words of these 2 verses refer to (KJV-In whom, NIV-In him)? When we feel unworthy and not good enough, what do these verses teach us about how God views us?

We are built into a holy temple, a habitation of God. Notice both verses begin with "in whom." This is referring to Christ. We are built up in him. We may feel unworthy, but God views us as a holy habitation for his presence.

MacDonald writes,

"Through prayer any believer can enter the throne room of heaven, kneel before the Sovereign of the universe, and address Him as Father."

Footnotes:

All scriptures from the King James Version. Questions based on both the King James Version and the New International Version



	A Study of Ephesians 2:11-22