Remember: What God Has Done Pt 1

When my husband and I lived in Dubai, we felt far away from our family and friends. We often felt isolated. If we needed to get home suddenly, we couldn’t just hop in a car and drive all night to get home. We were dependent on availability of flights and money to cover an international flight. Thankfully, we never had any emergencies for which we had to fly home immediately.

Each year we were able to fly home twice. We eagerly looked forward to those times. As each of the thirteen plus hours to fly directly from Dubai to San Francisco passed, we got a little bit more excited. When we landed in the States and heard, “Welcome back” from a customs’ agent, big smiles lit our tired faces. We were nearer to home. And finally, after one or two more domestic flights and thirty or more total travel hours, we would land where family was waiting. We were no longer far away. Multiple planes had brought us near. Our verse today speaks of an infinitely better near.

It's been several weeks since we began to look at how Gentiles were separated from Christ. Vertical separation from God causes horizontal separation between us and other people. Here, in Chapter 2, Paul illustrates that horizontal separation between Gentiles and Jews. In verses 11-12, Paul described the social and spiritual separation. We will tackle only one verse today, but it will highlight once again our separation from Christ and being 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 (emphasis added)

Paul doesn’t repeat the command to remember as he did in verses 11-12. In those verses, he wanted to remind his Gentile readers how blessed they were (vs 1:3-23; 2:1-10) and to be grateful. Now, as we will discover over the next few weeks, Paul will continue to remind them how blessed they are by what God has done (vs 13-18). We previously affirmed that remembering is a safeguard against arrogance, disobedience, and turning away from God. It is good for us to remember.

Remembering + Gratitude = (results in) obedience or the fruit of righteousness

Let’s look at verse 13: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

“But now” – This signals a shift (vs 4). Paul has already stated the Gentiles’ state before they came to saving faith. They were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God (vs 11-12). But now they are different. Their state has changed permanently. Now  is contrasted with “at one time” (vs 11) and “at that time” (vs 12). God has done something new. God has done something good. God has done something astounding.

“in Christ Jesus” – Christ is the reason, the only reason, the Gentiles’ state has changed. They are in Christ. They are forever in intimate union with Christ. They were made alive, saved, raised up, and seated with Christ (vs 5-6). Because they are in Christ Jesus, they, who were far off, have been brought near.

Far was used to refer to the Gentile nations (Deuteronomy 28:49; 29:22; 1 Kings 8:41; Isaiah 5:26; Jeremiah 5:15; Acts 2:39; 22:21). Near was a reference to Israel: “He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 148:14, emphasis added). Paul’s use of far and near is already revealing God’s work of uniting Jews and Gentiles in Christ, which we will examine more fully in the next few weeks.

Paul then tells his readers the means by which Gentiles (and Jews) are brought near – “by the blood of Christ.” No act of our own, no geographical relocation, no ceremonial ritual, no change in nationality, nothing else can bring us near. We are brought near only by the blood of Christ.

“By the blood” is the language of the temple and sacrifices, sacrifices that were insufficient no matter how many times they were offered. Jesus was the only sufficient  atonement for our sin, once for all (Hebrews 10:1-10; Isaiah 53:7). Next week, we will consider more closely the disunity and division that existed between Jews and Gentiles. Disunity and division in all its forms have sin at their core, and the only solution for sin is Christ’s substitutionary atonement. Because Jesus broke the barrier of sin, other barriers like that which existed between the Jews and Gentiles was also broken down.

You were far off from God, hopeless and helpless on your own to come near to God. Now, in Christ, you have been brought near by His blood, and His blood alone, to be in intimate union with Christ and to be united to other believers.

We will end today with meditating on a few passages from Psalms to help us soak in the truth of being brought near.

The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

Psalm 145:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Blessed is the one you choose to bring near,

to dwell in your courts!

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

the holiness of your temple!

Psalm 65:4

But for me it is good to be near God;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

that I may tell of all your works.

Psalm 73:28

Reflection

1.    Reading back through Chapter 2, what words/phrases describe your condition when you were far off from God?

2.    Reading back through Chapters 1-2, what words/phrases describe the blessing of being brought near? What part of being brought near are you most thankful for?

3.    The truth is that in Christ we have already been brought near, but we often function as if we still are far apart from God as we wrestle with ongoing sin. In what ways do you try to bridge the gap between feeling far away and being near? What truths do you need to remember instead?

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