Ephesians 2
Ephesians 2:1-22
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—
12 that at that time you 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.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
According to the prior qualifications there was no way for us non Jews to experience peace and rest in the presence of the Lord. For us it wasn’t so much the law of Moses that was an impossible obstacle, but it was both a sin nature and an inability to be joined together with the seed of Abraham. What was necessary for resolution of these issues was completely cared for in the work of the cross. He identified with the death we were living in so that we could rise to new life with Him that is not only free from any stain of sin, but also reborn as a seed of Abraham right along with our new Jewish brothers and sisters. Everything necessary for our experience of this amazing work of grace is already complete. Nothing else is necessary other than simply receiving it by faith. Now, as soon as we breathe this new life, we are freed from the power of death in sin’s domination, and we are joined together with other members of this new creation to form a wonderful place God delights to dwell in.
When there is a sense of isolation and necessity for resolution of a dark nature, there is an opportunity to simply access how God already sees us in Christ, completely cleansed, qualified, and joined with His family as His own offspring. A bold advance to His throne by the blood will bring this reality into view in a way that it can be identified with and live out in faith. As great as this new life is in its freedom and family, the whole purpose of this is to prepare us as a place for Him to dwell. Our fellowship, miraculously, is His passion. So ours will be for Him as we truly walk in this new life by faith.
We were: apart from God, alienated, strangers, without hope, without God
We are now in Christ: drawn near to God, heirs, sons and daughters, with hope that anchors and not only with God but also the dwelling place of His Spirit!
That is so powerful to just meditate on!
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