We noticed two main themes in chapter 1 ­ the "open secret" of God's plan (involving his glorious grace bestowed on us in the Beloved one, redemption through his blood, being adopted as his children and, at the end of history, summing up all things in Christ as head) and Paul's prayer for them as part of the church, which is his body, the fulness of the one filling all things in every respect.

In chapter 2, Paul is considering these two themes again, both in clear relationship with his readers ­ the good news of God's grace by which we are made alive in Christ and the church in which we are made one in Christ.

Chapter 2

1 Now you were dead because your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you were once following the ways of this present age and the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit now working among the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them all of us also once lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath just like the rest. 4 But God is rich in mercy ­ how great is his love toward us! ­ 5 and, although we were dead because of our transgressions, he has made us alive together through Christ - by grace you are saved ­ 6 and he has raised us together and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that we might show in the ages to come the exceeding wealth of his grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this salvation does not arise out of yourselves ­ it is the gift of God ­ 9 not out of your works, in order that no one may boast. 10 For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works in which God planned long ago for us to live.
11Therefore remember that once you who are physically the Gentiles ­ called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "circumcised" (physically made by human hands) ­ 12 you were at that time without Christ, excluded from the society of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, being without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who were far away have become near be­ of the blood of Christ.
14 For Christ himself is our peace. He has made both parts - Jew and Gentile ­ one by destroying in his flesh the dividing­-wall - the hostility that separated us. 15 He abolished the law with its commandments and decrees, so that in Christ he might make the two parts into one new person, thus making peace, 16 and that he might reconcile the both in one body to God through the cross, in which he killed the hostility. 17 And when he came "he announced good news of peace" to you "who were far off and peace to those who were near" (1s. 57.19) - 18 because through him the both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens, part of God's holy people and members of his family. 20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is being fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together with us in the Spirit into a place where God dwells.

Alive in Christ

In vv. 1-3 Paul sets the background against which we can clearly see the good news of God's grace towards us. The readers are described as once following the ways of this present age and the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit now working among the sons of disobedience (v. 2). Later in this letter Paul will be writing about spiritual warfare. Here he simply notes that when we unquestioningly follow the accepted values and behaviour patterns of society we can simply be acquiescing in the devil's rule.

Paul describes the ways of this present age as living in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and the mind (v. 3). So in the spiritual area they were dead because of trespasses and sins (v. 1), their lives circling exclusively in the areas of body and mind. This present state leads on to future judgment as they were by nature children of wrath just like the rest (v. 3).

But there is good news because God is rich in mercy (v. 4) ! He has made us alive together through Christ and has given us a new status - seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus !

Vv. 8-10 put it in a nutshell - salvation is based entirely on God's grace towards us. It does not arise from us as people, nor as a result of our own good works. It comes to us as the gift of God. We receive the gift of God through faith. But the purpose of God's creative work in us (the Greek word here translated handiwork gives us our English word "poem") is that our lives will be full of good works. They don't earn us salvation, but arise as a result of salvation.

Made one in Christ

In Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10.25-37) we realise the deep-seated animosity between Jews and Gentiles (the Greek expression literally meaning "the nations" is translated Gentiles, because of the negative attitude of the Jews towards them.) The fact that they were uncircumcised meant that they were excluded from the society of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise.

God promise to Abraham (Genesis 12.1-3) indicated that there would be blessing flowing to all peoples on earth - a point the Jews were apt to forget. The very law with its commandments and decrees put the Gentiles firmly outside the covenant people.

But now Christ is our peace. By his sacrificial death he has destroyed in his flesh the dividing-wall - bringing reconciliation between these separated groups, making both Jews and Gentiles members together of God's family.

The church, the family of God, is built on the work of Christ himself - attested by the apostles and prophets. Each part is important to the overall temple in the Lord the place where God dwells.

Alive in Christ! (c) Peter J. Blackburn 1990. Permission is given for this study to be copied in its entirety for group use. Courtesy advice of the use of these studies would be appreciated. Any other proposed use must have the written permission of the author. Email Peter Blackburn.
Study 3: Good News for Everyone! - Ephesians 3
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