EPHESIANS 2:11

In this part of the book of Ephesians the Holy Spirit impresses upon the heart of the Apostle Paul to go into great detail to emphasize the teaching about the church, especially in regards to the unity and the love that God wishes to see among every church member. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:11, “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands.”

The first thing that Paul says in this passage is “remember.” Some people remember things that they should forget, but others forget things they should remember. Never forget from where you came. You came from being enslaved to the world, the devil, and the flesh. Without Christ you would have been nothing, and you would have become nothing. What Paul wants these Gentile believers to remember is exactly what their relationship was to Jewish people. They were separated from the Jews. That was not a good thing because unto the Jews were committed the oracles of God.

Those who became Jews did so by means of circumcision. If you were not circumcised, then you were not a Jew. If you were not a Jew, then you were outside of the promises and blessings of God as God had promised to Abraham. Of course, all of that changed with Jesus Christ. As we shall see, Jew and Gentile are now equal in the church in the faith of Christ. Concerning circumcision, it must be said that there was a spiritual significance to circumcision. In other words circumcision was meant to be symbolic of something that should have taken place in the heart just like water baptism. Water baptism of itself accomplishes nothing but getting you wet. You should be cleansed in your heart by faith in Christ first, and then you get baptized as an illustration of what has already taken place in your heart.

The same is true about circumcision. Circumcision is the cutting away of flesh. The flesh refers to the sinful human nature and the sinful selfishness of man. That is a spiritual problem that man has: a sin problem. You deal with that problem by repentance and faith in Christ. That is how Abraham dealt with the spiritual issues of his time. First he believed in God and in the promises of God, and it was said of Abraham that “he believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Later he was circumcised.

There used to be a division between Jew and Gentile, and that division was outwardly expressed and identified by the presence or the absence of circumcision. The problem that the Gentiles had is that they still were in the flesh: they had no circumcision. Christ has provided for Gentiles the circumcision of the heart. The problem that the Jews had is that they only had “the circumcision of the flesh made by hands” as it says here in the lat part of Ephesians 2:11. The Jews also needed the true circumcision: the circumcision of the heart. Jesus Christ has provided for the Jews to be able to have the circumcision of the heart. So that now whether Jew or Gentile come to faith in Christ, they both have the same cleansing and the same deliverance from the corruption that is in the flesh. This deliverance is from the common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

One more time Paul reminds the Gentile believers in Ephesus of what situation they were in as Gentiles before they were delivered by Christ. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:12, “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.” This verse gives four things that describe the condition of every Gentile before they come to salvation by faith in Christ. The first thing that it says simply is that you were without Christ. That is the whole problem. It speaks of being separate from Christ and not knowing Christ. Christ is not just the Savior of the Jews, He is also the Savior of the whole world. So if you are a Gentile, you find salvation when you find faith in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Until you come to know Christ, you are an alien from the commonwealth of Israel. Israel is the people of God. You are either one of the people of God or you are not a part of the people of God. That is a strong word to say that you are an alien. One of the definitions given for the word “alien” in the American Heritage Dictionary is “a person who is excluded from some group, an outsider.” It can be a terrible thing to an outsider, especially if the thing that you are outside from is something that you really do need to be in on; and that is the case concerning the people of God. It is a terrible place to be an outsider from the people of God: an alien.

A Gentile who is not saved is also a “stranger from the covenants of promise.” If you looked at the human race from a negative standpoint and looked at the bad things of life, at least you can know this: the promises of God will eventually conquer, override, and correct all of the bad things. God keeps His promises. You do not want to be a stranger to His promises. You definitely want to know what those promises are, and you want to be of the number who are included in the benefits. Just think of some of those promises. There is the Abrahamic promise: that promise that God made to Abraham. God said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” You want to enter into the benefits of these great promises, but if you are a stranger from the covenants of promise, you will not. But if you are a Gentile, when you get saved by faith in Christ, you are entering into the benefits of the great promise that was made to Abraham. God keeps His promises.

God also made a great promise to David that is called the Davidic covenant. One of the places where this covenant is expressed is II Samuel 7:16 where God said to David, “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” Jesus the Son of David is the one who will fulfill this prophecy when Jesus returns to the earth to rule over the nations. Blessed are those who will have a part in that great kingdom. Those who believe in Jesus will have a part. How wonderful it is to enter into the promises and the blessings that were given to Abraham and David. Those promises have everything to do with God’s great plan to bestow grace and mercy upon the human race.

The problem for Gentiles is that they are naturally separated from those promises. The problem is the sin problem. The answer for Jew and Gentile is to come to know the same things that Abraham and David came to know that were the basis for them being given such great promises. Abraham learned about the importance of faith. Romans 4:3 says, “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Romans 4:5 explains this statement and says, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Blessed are those who enter into the promise in the same way that Abraham entered into it: through faith alone.

Romans chapter four also explains something very important that David came to know and experience one thousand years before Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans. Paul referred to two verses from Psalm 32 and wrote in Romans 4:6-8, “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” What wonderful promises were made to Abraham and David: promises about being declared righteous before God by faith alone: promises about righteousness being imputed to you without any works on your part. This blessedness was not meant just for the Jews. This blessedness was meant for Jew and Gentile. Through faith in Christ Gentiles enter into all of the great promises, even those that were given to the Jews. Without Christ a Gentile remains separated from those promises.

Verse 12 says that Gentiles have “no hope” if they are without Christ. If you do not have hope in life after death, then you have no hope. No wonder that so many people in society are depressed. No wonder that so many people think they need drugs to go to sleep or drugs just to get through the day. Any Gentile who is without Christ is also without hope. This verse says that Gentiles are without Christ, without hope, and without God in the world. How do people live without God in this world? They do not do it very well. Notice that if you are without Christ, then you are also without God.

Ephesians 2:13 states very clearly what is the basis for someone to no longer be separated from all the great things that God has to offer both in this life and in the next. It says, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Nothing that we could possibly do could ever bring us to God: only what Christ did on the cross of Calvary made that possible. What separated us from God was our sins. The precious blood of Christ was shed for our sins, and that and that alone is the basis for us being brought close to God. It is a wonderful thing to know that you are close to God. If you believe in Jesus, then you are close to God. You can be certain of that, so believe it and enjoy it.

In Ephesians 2:14-18 we are told in great detail the fact that there is no longer a difference between Jew and Gentile: that is, between the Jew and Gentile who have faith in Christ. Ephesians 2:14 says, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” In these five verses Paul uses the word “peace” three times. There should be peace in the relationships of all church members no matter how different their backgrounds are. You cannot get much greater of a difference than that which exists between Jew and Gentile. In the early church those who had backgrounds as Jews and Gentiles were often mixed together in the same congregations. In our society there may be other kinds of differences, but there are still differences that must not be allowed to cause divisions. If you understand God’s will and God’s teaching, then you will understand the importance of not allowing anything to cause you to not have this kind of peace and unity. Remember that Jesus has broken down the middle wall of partition between us.

Ephesians 2:15 says, “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make of himself of two one new man, so making peace.” This verse speaks of the “commandments contained in ordinances.” Why is it and how is it that the commandments caused enmity? We know the answer to that. We know how the commandments caused enmity between us and God. Our sins separated us from God, and since God must punish sin, there is now this enmity between us and God. This enmity is magnified by every commandment, because we do not keep the commandments the way that we should. We fail. We sin. Christ was the answer to this problem. “With His stripes we are healed.” “He was wounded for our iniquities, and he was bruised for our transgressions.” His flesh was beaten and pierced. That is how He abolished in His flesh the enmity. What He did for the Jew, He did for the Gentile. For the Jew who believes in Jesus there is no partition between himself and God. For the Gentile who believes in Jesus there is no partition between himself and God. Therefore, there is no partition between Jew and Gentile either. Where there used to be two: Jew and Gentile, separate and distinct; there is now one: the church of the Lord Jesus Christ made up of true believers in Jesus.

So we see that God is involved in a great purpose in the world. Yes, He wants to save people; but He also wants to do something after saving them. And what He wants to do is not just something in your life as an individual, but also in the church, which He calls His body. Ephesians 2:16 says, “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.” Who are the “both” that this verse is speaking of? It is Jew and Gentile or any other kind of difference that you can think of. The fact of the matter is that there should be nothing that separates believers in Christ as they participate in the church. No matter what are someone’s distinctive characteristics, they came to Christ the same way that you did, and they were brought to God by Christ in the same way that you were. When Jesus died on the cross, He not only died for your sins to destroy the penalty of sin and the curse of sin, He also died to destroy any enmity that might exist between those who would eventually believe in Him and become a part of His church. Jesus not only died for individuals, He died for the whole church, His body. He calls the church His body here in Ephesians 2:16 and He called it His body in Ephesians 1:21.

Ephesians 2:16 mentions the fact that He was slain on the cross, and that is the basis for us being reconciled to God, and that is how the enmity between two was taken away so that the two can be one, and therefore so that the many can be one: the many believers in Jesus become His one body, the church. Ephesians 2:17 mentions another important thing that had to take place also for us to come to know God and Christ. It says, “And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.” The word “preached” is the word to notice in this passage. It means (in this passage) “to proclaim the good news,” “to announce the gospel,” “to evangelize.” Romans 10:14 presents the same idea, uses the same word, and says, “How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

The first thing to notice about Ephesians 2:17 is the importance of preaching, the importance of evangelizing. To some God has given the gift of evangelization. Others may not have that gift, but they can do the work of an evangelist. Yes, it was absolutely indispensable that Jesus die for our sins on the cross. But just as indispensable is the preaching of the gospel. No one can get saved unless they hear the gospel. That is where you and I come in. If you are not a preacher, then you should use your gifts to support a preacher. The greatest and most important work in the world is the preaching of the gospel.

The second thing and a very interesting thing to notice about Ephesians 2:17 is exactly who did this preaching that is mentioned here. Jesus did this preaching. Jesus “came and preached peace.” This is not talking primarily about the first advent of Christ and His public ministry, because most, if not all of the believers in the city of Ephesus, would not have been in Galilee during the ministry of Christ. I think that this is talking about the fact that even though men preached the gospel, it was Christ who came and spoke to the hearts of those who were saved. If you are really saved, you did not just hear the voice of man when you became a Christian, you were touched by the voice of Christ Himself. Jesus rose from the dead. He is alive. He manifests Himself to human beings in order to save them. To have true Christianity is to come into a personal relationship with the Christ who is alive. If you have not heard from the living Christ and if you have not met the living Christ, then you are not saved.

Ephesians 2:18 says, “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” This is one of many verses in the Bible where all three: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are mentioned together and are mentioned as individuals. That is why we believe in the trinity, not because of human logic but because of the revelation of the scripture. Through Christ, by the Holy Spirit, unto the Father: the three are one. The three are intimately involved in our salvation. Notice that it says here “one” Spirit. This is to indicate that whoever gets saved is born-again by the same Spirit that gave the spiritual birth to anyone else who has it. Again this is an emphasis on why we should be united as believers and as members in the congregation of the Lord. Nothing should be allowed to separate us, because Christ unites us.

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