Ephesians 2:11-13 BUT NOW The conflicts and separations between Jews and Gentiles that we see going on in the world today are nothing new. Right from the time God called Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to the land we call Israel today, there has been animosity between these two groups. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers to describe why they had been called by God to be His workmanship with good works to others as evidence of God's present interest in all men. With that objective in mind, they needed to remember the past: who they were before God saved them, and to be challenged as to who they are now and to where God had brought them. We need to remember what God has done for us in order for us to be conscious of the value of being "seated with Christ in heavenly places."
Writing to the Gentiles, Paul positions himself as a Jew, pointing out what Gentiles were historically considered by the Jews. There are some things that are important to remember in relation to our past before we were saved. The Jews who remembered their past thought of themselves as "we are the people." To Jews, circumcision was an act that made them different and therefore acceptable to God as His people. There is a sense in which this was true. However, the physical act was not evidence of the true cutting off of the world and its ways. Circumcision of the heart was the intention of the physical act. The Jews were supposed to have been a kingdom of priests who would worship and serve the living God and His interests here on earth. They failed in this, but still thought they were superior to all other people. Arrogance and smug self-satisfaction are still keeping people from God. He draws near to those who are "of a humble and contrite spirit and who tremble at (His) word."
The Gentiles Paul was writing to were without a promised Messiah who would bring peace on earth and would reign in righteousness. Gentiles lived only for the moment of physical pleasure and any momentary gratification of the flesh. Jews then and now were looking for a Messiah who would rule the world with a rod of iron and establish them as the primary nation of the world. Because of that, they have missed the blessings of peace that come from love, mercy, and grace, rather than heavy-handed control. The first kind of peace will last. The second only as long as those in authority have bigger, better, and more weapons of war. As those who didn't have the promises God gave the Jews, Gentiles were those who were outside looking in. Aliens are those who may be in the same place as citizens, but do not have a real part in the benefits and privileges of citizenship. Unsaved people may live alongside believers and wonder what makes them different. Some keep their identity obvious by the way they dress. Believers commit themselves to being modest and honorable. Honesty and unworthiness are outward expressions of what a person is like inside. An alien doesn't fit in with those who are citizens of the kingdom of God, and the reverse is true as well.
One who is a stranger doesn't know their way around in a place, nor does that person know the unique aspects of the culture into which they are looking. Not belonging to a group is one of the most devastating things that can happen to children, teenagers, and young adults. They are often willing to compromise what they know is right to be accepted by their peers or a group of people who have common interests. Some adults from a foreign country refuse to assimilate into the nation to which they want to come, and consequently live there as strangers for a lifetime. Christians are like "strangers and pilgrims" to the world system because they "shine as lights" in the darkness. The Gentile believers in Ephesus were without Christ; they had no Messiah. As aliens, they were without citizenship, which placed them in a position to claim the promises of God. As strangers from the covenants of promise and without any kind of covenant with God, they were on their own as individuals and nations.
Hope is a great incentive to act in a certain way. When there is no hope in an individual, that person is usually unhappy, without any motivation to make changes for the better. That person will only live for the moment when they look ahead at the consequences that will follow that choice. Suicide is a response to hopelessness. Anger against others that leads to conflict is another response. Bitterness, envy, and malice are characteristics of hopelessness. Atheism and fatalism are two of the culprits that flourish when there is no hope. That mindset is what has promoted idolatry and other forms of false worship among many people all over the world. The Ephesians made their own idol of Diana and worshipped images of their own imaginations to fill the void that is natural in man without God. When all of these missing things: without Christ, without being chosen people, without a covenant with promises, without hope; that is all summed up - without God. A God-less people in an ungodly world among ungodly people is about as far away from the meaning of life as a person can get. That was where we were in our sins.
Then came divine intervention, summed up in these words, "But now in Christ Jesus." Everything has changed from separation and alienation to reconciliation and acceptance. A barrier has been removed by a power and authority far greater than a treaty between men and nations. Covenants have been made by the hundreds between nations, and they all have failed after a time. Any that have lasted for more than a few generations have been maintained by the power of armies and forces that overcome obstacles. The covenant made between Jewish and Gentile believers has been made by "the blood of Christ." The sacrifice of His life for us changes everything from the "them and us" mindset to making something entirely new in which both are a part. The past is over and done with. Jews and Gentiles who are "in Christ Jesus" are brought near to each other, and to God. No longer are there divisions between those who are members of His body. There are differences but not divisions. The appreciations of every true believer in Christ is because the blood of Christ has brought us all onto new ground - "redemption ground, the ground of peace."
I am not sure just how to say All it means when Christ did pay With His own blood the cost of peace - But this I know, it is by His grace That barriers are removed, the price is paid When on the cross, the righteous God laid Our sins and iniquities that had separated Men from men and God from men He created.
One religious group separated from another Because willful men can't stay together - Unless they agree, there is one common Source That challenges God's people to stay the course. Instead, each wants to do their own thing. One group wants to play and another to sing Rather than worship the Father in spirit and truth And give the Word of God the place of greatest worth.
But now in Christ barriers are by God brought down, When His word is obeyed, and Jesus Christ is owned To be Lord over all, "God blessed forever." When that is the case, there is nothing to sever
That which God joined together as one "new man" - Each one responding as best they can To a fact unchangeable, God has stepped in And removed the barriers that are caused by sin.
True, we were once all far away. Like sheep from a fold, we all did stray. Jews and Gentiles alike were both apart From God and truth because of a sinful heart. Without Christ and aliens, strangers to promise - We've been brought as one to where God wants us. Once without hope, but now in Christ brought near - Reconciled by blood, no longer separation do we fear.
"My Father in heaven, I thank Thee for the blessings of being able to share in common my life and faith with those who are from different places and cultures. We have just worshiped and praised together. We have talked and enjoyed each other's company because we have been brought near to each other by the blood of Christ. I thank Thee again, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."