A HOLY TEMPLE IN THE LORD

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).

In this beautiful text, the apostle Paul seeks to impress upon his readers how much they have been given, spiritual blessings for which they should be thankful and praise God. In the context, he has contrasted what they once were with what they have become (see Eph. 2:11-18). They are no longer outsiders, separated from the people of God and the covenants of promise. No more are they without God or the hope he brings. Now they are fully incorporated into God’s community, the church.

To teach a lesson on the significance of his church, the apostle makes use of a series of metaphors to make his message vivid and appealing. He moves seamlessly and at times without warning from one figure to another. They have become fellow citizens (part of a kingdom). They are members of a household (a family). Indeed, they are built upon a foundation (the house itself). And the house becomes a temple (the house of God).

Paul combines and mixes the metaphors by describing how the house is not only “built” and “joined together,” but that it also “grows.” Different individuals from different groups and different backgrounds in Christ are “being built together,” Paul explains, added like the bricks or stones of a wall into this holy temple (compare Peter’s teaching in 1 Pet. 2:4-10).

Its foundation is rock-solid. Apostles and prophets were God’s messengers (Eph. 3:3-5). The work and teachings of these inspired men were foundational for the church (Eph. 4:11). It was through them that Christ built his church. But Paul also wants to be clear that the position of Christ in the plan is preeminent. He alone is the cornerstone. Just as everything in a building is directed and held together by the cornerstone, so Jesus Christ is the source and sustainer of his church.

God’s purpose in this great work was not only to bring believers from all backgrounds into one body, the church. It was ultimately to build them together into a “dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Just as the sanctuary of the old earthly temple was the place where God promised to dwell with his people, this holy temple has become God’s spiritual dwelling place among those who are his. The promise of fellowship with God and his family is for all who come to Christ in faith and obedience.

The more we consider this grand design, we can appreciate what Paul calls “the unsearchable riches of Christ,” which is evidence of the “manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:8, 10).

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

Dan Petty

Christ is Our Peace

 

“And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:17).

This statement recalls the words of Isaiah 57:14-19. In that passage the Lord’s message through the prophet was about God’s condescending love toward his people. It was a message about the loving concern of the high and exalted God, the holy one, toward those who are lowly and contrite of heart. It spoke of his promise to remove obstacles, to heal, and to restore comfort to those who mourn for their sins. “Peace, peace to the far and to the near” (Isa. 57:19).

In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul discusses the salvation that has been brought about by the cross of Christ. Those who were once dead in sin but have come to Christ in faith have been made “alive together in Christ” (vv. 4-5). Paul summarizes the first section of the chapter with the statement that, because of what God has accomplished through Christ, “we are God’s workmanship” (v. 10). Salvation is the gift of God.

The cross of Christ also removes other barriers. Paul reminds his readers, most of whom were Gentile Christians, of their prior state of alienation and hopelessness. They were formerly “strangers to the covenants of promise” that had provided the Jewish people the opportunity for a relationship with God (v. 12). Hostility had existed between the two groups of humanity for generations. That all changed with Christ. “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (v. 13).

The change was brought about by the cross of Christ. “He himself is our peace” (v. 14). That is to say that Christ not only brought peace, he himself is our peace. He removed the alienation by removing the Law that had been a barrier. By his death on the cross, Christ not only provided the remedy for sin and the separation it caused. He also provided for the reconciliation of those alienated from one another into one body. He made them into “one new man, thus establishing peace” (vv. 14-16).

God’s plan from the beginning was for the one gospel to be preached to all people, regardless of barriers that once separated one group from another. The result is that in the church, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

Peace between formerly estranged people is but a byproduct of making peace with God. The New Testament speaks of the need for us all to be reconciled with God. Through the cross of Christ, our sins can be forgiven. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:10). The “word of reconciliation” and its appeal to mankind to be reconciled to the Creator is the essence of the gospel and of the ministry of preaching (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

It's the good news. Jesus Christ is our peace.

Dan Petty