Far to Near

Before we work verse by verse through the second half of Ephesians 2, I thought it would be good to consider an overview of the entire section as well as focus on who Paul says we were apart from Christ, the “But now in Christ” truths, and who we are in Christ.

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to 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 us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.[1]

Ephesians 2:11-22

Before I was born, my dad made several business trips to Germany. He remembers standing on the West side of the Berlin Wall which was constructed during the Cold War to keep those in East Berlin from escaping to the West. It was a dividing wall between people but also between two very different ideologies. The wall came down in 1989. Last May, my husband and I were supposed to visit Berlin (until I got appendicitis). I had looked forward to visiting a small section of remaining wall, so I could show my dad pictures of how it had changed since he was last there. Now, people go freely all through Berlin. The division has been replaced with unity under a constitutional democracy.

In the second half of Ephesians 2, Paul writes about a great division, and how Jesus broke down the dividing barrier to bring peace and unity, to bring Gentiles, who were far off, near.

In verses 11-22, we will see several shifts from the preceding verses. In verses 1-3, Paul detailed the state of all humanity apart from God. Now, he highlights the horizontal separation between Gentiles and Jews (vs 11-12, 19-22). Both in Chapter 1 and 2:6, Paul focused on Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and enthronement. Now, he will focus on Jesus’ death on the cross. In verses 1-10, the focus was on mankind’s lost state of personal depravity. Now, the focus is mankind’s lost state within redemptive history.

There is a theme woven in this second half of Chapter 2. Did you catch the repeated word? Paul uses the Greek word eirēnē or peace four times (vs 14, 15, 17-2x). Peace with God makes peace with others possible. Over the next several weeks, we will study the division that existed as well as how the Jewish-Gentile barrier being broken down is part of Jesus uniting all things (vs 1:10).

This second half of Chapter 2 is divided into three parts:

1.    The Gentile believers’ past before their salvation and their present acceptance (vs 11-13).

2.    The means by which the Gentiles are brought near (vs 14-18).

3.    Who we are in Christ (vs 19-22).

To end this week, re-read verses 11-22. In the first column of the chart below, write the plight of Gentiles (you are likely one of them) before salvation (vs 11-12). In verse 13 is the life-changing words “But now in Christ.” In the second column, write the “God is…” and “God does…” truths you find (vs 13-22). And in the third column, write the state of Gentiles in Christ (vs 13-22). Then write out the purpose of Gentiles being brought near and your initial thoughts and response to these verses.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 2:11–22.