NOTES for Eph 2:11-22
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; |
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: |
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. |
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; |
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; |
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: |
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. |
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. |
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; |
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; |
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: |
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. |
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Continuing the discussion of salvation and of the new people of God, Paul pays special attention to its spiritual connection with the former people of God, the Jewish people. Strictly speaking, for the apostle there are not two different peoples: after all, God conceived and created only one people of his own, and the coming of Christ changed nothing in this intention. It only expanded the boundaries of the people of God, including in it those who without Christ would never have become part of it (vv. 11-13). But the expansion was not purely mechanical. It presupposed a new quality not only in the recent Gentile converts who were joining the people, but also in the Jews themselves. The issue is above all the complete cleansing from sin that is possible only by the blood of Christ. The blood of those cleansing sacrifices that had been offered among the people of God from ancient times could not completely free either an individual person or the whole people from the power of sin, cleansing them only partially. Now, with the Savior's coming into the world, the blood he shed on the cross, his death, and his resurrection make it possible for everyone to be cleansed completely, so that sin no longer has any power over the one who has been cleansed (v. 13).
But the matter is not only cleansing, though complete deliverance from sin is a necessary condition for abiding in the Kingdom. The matter is also a new quality of spiritual life, of those relationships that bind the faithful with God, with Christ, and with one another. Paul, of course, does not speak by chance about the cross that "kills hostility" between two formerly divided parts of humanity (v. 16). For it was precisely the Savior's death on the cross and his resurrection that opened the road into the Kingdom for everyone seeking it. Earlier, when speaking about the Torah, teachers and mentors spoke of commandments and of how, by observing them, one could attain righteousness and become a living Torah. The apostle calls this the "law of commandments" (v. 15), though no one ever dared say that he had achieved the goal set by it. Now there has appeared the One who himself became the example of the living Torah, fulfilling what earlier teachers could only speak of as a beautiful but unattainable ideal (v. 15; the corresponding Greek word can mean not only "teaching," but also "example" or "model").
The new quality of spiritual life revealed by the Savior abolishes the barrier that formerly stood as an insurmountable wall between the people of God and the rest of humanity. Now the life of the Kingdom, having entered the world through Christ and in Christ, has become available to everyone who seeks it. The breath of the Kingdom that comes from the Father is now equally available both to the Jews who have accepted the good news and to the Gentiles who have turned to Christ (vv. 17-18), so that now both groups can not only live one life of the Kingdom, but also build it together, taking part in the fulfillment of God's plans connected with it (vv. 19-22).
Readings for 12 July 2025
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