Our Chief Cornerstone

Remember. Paul writes, “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh” (2:11). Paul wants the believers in Ephesus to think back to their lives before they knew Jesus. Gentiles. A Gentile is anyone who is not Jewish. God gave Abraham’s family a sign on the body called circumcision, to show they belonged to Him. Gentiles did not have it. Paul says the sign was only “made in the flesh by hands” (2:11). A sign on the outside could never make a heart clean. What they did not have. Paul says that “at that time you were without Christ” and “strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (2:12). The covenants of promise were God’s promises to Abraham and to David, including the promise of a Savior. God’s plan for every nation. God chose Israel and gave them His promises so that, through Israel, every nation could be blessed. Paul was Jewish himself, and God still keeps every promise He made to Israel. Far off. Being far off does not mean living far away on a map. It means being far from God. Sin puts every person, Jew or Gentile, far from Him. But now. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (2:13). Two little words change everything: but now. Jesus shed His blood on the cross, and that is what brings people near to God. What this means for you. Remember what life without Jesus is like, and thank Him for bringing you near. If you have not trusted Him yet, He is ready to bring you near today.

Remember (2:11). “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands.” In 2:8 Paul taught that “by grace you have been saved through faith.” Now he asks Gentile believers to remember what that grace rescued them from. A sign made by hands. Circumcision was the sign God gave Abraham’s family. The two names, Uncircumcision and Circumcision, marked a line between peoples. Paul calls the sign a mark “made in the flesh by hands.” An outward sign could not change a heart. Five losses (2:12). “That at that time you 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.” The commonwealth of Israel was the nation God had made His own. The covenants of promise were His promises to Abraham and David, including the promise of the Messiah. A city full of gods. Ephesus was full of temples and idols, yet its people were “without God in the world.” Many gods could not give them the one true God or any real hope. God is faithful to Israel. Paul, a Jew, writes with love for his own people. God chose Israel to carry His promises to the world, and “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Far off, brought near (2:13). “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Far and near describe distance from God, not miles. Gentiles stood far off, yet sin left every person, Jew and Gentile, needing the same Savior. The blood of Christ, His life given on the cross, is the only way anyone comes near. Application. Gratitude grows when we remember. Think back to what life without Christ means, and thank Him that the words “but now” are true for everyone who trusts Him.

Paul told the Gentiles to remember where they came from. A Gentile is a person who is not Jewish. Paul himself was Jewish. Long ago God made special promises to Israel. The Gentiles had no part in those promises. Being far from God does not mean far away on a map. It means not knowing God. Sin keeps every person far from Him. But God sent Jesus for every person. Jesus died on the cross to bring people near. Now everyone who trusts Jesus is close to God. Remember what Jesus has done for you, and thank Him!

Many people were far from God. They had no hope. Jesus died on the cross to bring them near.

Our peace. “For He Himself is our peace” (2:14). Jesus does not only give peace. He is our peace. When we belong to Him, we have peace with God. Both made one. He “has made both one” (2:14). Both means Jews and Gentiles. Two groups that stood apart became one family in Jesus. The wall. Christ “has broken down the middle wall of separation” (2:14). At the temple in Jerusalem a low stone wall kept Gentiles out of the inner courts, and Paul most likely had a wall like that in mind. Anger and distrust between the two peoples were like a wall too, and Jesus broke it down. Rules that divided. Christ abolished “the law of commandments contained in ordinances” (2:15). Some rules, like food laws and feast days, marked Israel off from the nations. Those rules are no longer a wall. God’s call to love Him and love others still stands, and Jesus kept the law perfectly. One new man. He made “one new man from the two” (2:15). God did not turn Gentiles into Jews or Jews into Gentiles. He made a new people in Christ. Through the cross. He came “that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross” (2:16). To reconcile means to bring enemies back together as friends. The cross fixes our problem with God first, and then our problems with each other. Good news for all. “And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near” (2:17). The same good news is for everyone. Coming to the Father. “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (2:18). Through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, we can come to God the Father in prayer. What this means for you. In Jesus there are no outsiders. Treat every believer as family, and talk to your Father in heaven with confidence.

He Himself (2:14). “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” Peace is not first a feeling or a plan. It is a Person. Christ Himself is the peace between God and sinners, and between peoples who were enemies. Mesotoichon. “Middle wall” is mesotoichon (say: meh-SOH-toy-khon), a dividing wall inside a building. In the temple courts a stone barrier marked how far Gentiles could go, and Paul most likely had a wall like that in mind. The deeper wall was hostility. The enmity abolished (2:15). “Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” The ordinances that set Israel apart, such as food laws and feast days, had become a wall of hostility. In His death Christ removed that wall. He did not cancel God’s holy standard of loving God and neighbor; He kept the law perfectly in our place. One new man. “So as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” Not two groups living side by side, but one new people in Christ. Neither group becomes the other; both become something new. Reconciled in one body (2:16). “And that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” The cross deals with our distance from God first: sinners are reconciled to Him. Then the walls between people fall. At the cross the enmity died, not the people. Peace announced (2:17). “And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.” The message of peace went to Gentiles and Jews alike, on the same terms. Access (2:18). “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” Through the Son, by the Spirit, to the Father: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are at work together to bring us home. Application. Prejudice, cliques and pride have no place among Christ’s people. Ask God to show you any wall you have built, and let Christ’s peace take it down.

Paul said, “Because of Christ we now have peace.” Jews and non-Jews had been split apart. It was as if a tall wall stood between them. Many did not trust each other. Jesus broke that wall down when He died on the cross. God’s law had some rules that kept the two groups apart. Jesus took that wall of rules away. God still wants us to love Him and love others. Jesus makes all His people “one new people in him.” He gives peace with God and peace with each other. Through Jesus, we can all come to God the Father.

Jesus broke down the wall between people. He made peace through the cross. Now all who trust Him can come to God.

No longer strangers. “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (2:19). A stranger was a visitor from another land. A foreigner lived nearby but did not have the rights of a citizen. Fellow citizens. A citizen belongs to a city or a country and shares its rights. Believers are fellow citizens “with the saints,” all of God’s holy people. Members of the household. A household was a family living together under one roof. Believers are not guests who visit God’s house for a while. They belong to His family. Every kind of family. Families on earth look different. Some children live with a mom and dad, some with one parent, some with grandparents, and some with foster or adoptive parents. God’s household welcomes every child who trusts Jesus. Safe in God’s family. Belonging to God’s family never means keeping secrets for someone or going anywhere with a person who makes you feel unsafe. God’s family protects children. If anyone, even someone at church, makes you feel unsafe, tell a parent or a trusted grown-up. What this means for you. Look for the new kid, the lonely one or the one who feels left out, and treat them like family. In Jesus no one has to stay an outsider.

Now, therefore (2:19). “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Everything Christ did in 2:13-18 leads to this “therefore.” Strangers and foreigners. A stranger was an outsider from another land. A foreigner was a resident alien who lived in a land without a citizen’s rights. Gentiles once stood outside “the commonwealth of Israel” (2:12). Fellow citizens with the saints. Gentile believers now share the same standing as all of God’s holy people. No believer is a second-class citizen in God’s kingdom. Oikeioi. “Members of the household” is oikeioi (say: oy-KAY-oy), the people who belong to the family of a house. Citizenship gives rights; a household gives a family. God gives both. Every kind of home. Earthly homes take many shapes: two parents, one parent, grandparents, foster or adoptive families. God’s household welcomes every believer, and no home is second-class in it. Safety in the household. A true family protects its youngest members. Belonging to God’s family never means keeping secrets or going with someone who makes you feel unsafe, even someone at church. Tell a parent or a trusted adult. Application. In Christ, outsider status is over. Look for the student who seems to be on the edge, and make room for them.

Paul said, “So now you non-Jews are not visitors or strangers.” A visitor stays a little while and then leaves. A stranger is someone from another land. God’s people are not visitors in His home. Paul said, “You belong to God’s family.” God’s family has people from every country. Families on earth look different too. Some children live with a mom and dad. Some live with one parent, grandparents or a foster family. God welcomes every child who trusts Jesus. Belonging to God’s family never means keeping a secret that hurts you. If someone makes you feel unsafe, tell a parent or trusted grown-up.

Everyone who trusts Jesus is in God’s family. Never go with someone who makes you feel scared. Tell a parent or a grown-up you trust.

God’s building. God’s family is also God’s building. Believers are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (2:20). The apostles and prophets taught God’s Word, and the church still stands on what they taught. The chief cornerstone. “Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (2:20). In Paul’s day builders set a large stone first, at a corner of the foundation. Every wall was lined up with it. Jesus is the One His whole church is built on. Fitted together. “In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (2:21). Each stone has its place. Every believer is part of what God is building, and no one is a spare stone. Shaped stones. When Solomon built the temple, each stone was finished at the quarry, so no hammer was heard while the temple went up (1 Kings 6:7). Many Christians see this as a picture of how God shapes each believer for His building. A holy temple. Long ago God showed His presence at the temple in Jerusalem. Now God’s people themselves are His temple. Paul asked another church, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). A dwelling place. “In whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (2:22). The church is not a building with a steeple. It is God’s people, and God lives in them by His Spirit. What this means for you. When you gather with God’s people, you are part of His home. Build your life on Jesus, the chief cornerstone.

The foundation (2:20). “Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” The apostles and prophets laid the foundation by teaching God’s Word about Christ. The church still rests on that teaching, which we have in Scripture. The chief cornerstone. In ancient building the cornerstone was set first, and its angles fixed the line of every wall. Christ is not one stone among many; the whole structure takes its line from Him. Paul writes “Jesus Christ Himself,” and no one else can fill that place. Being fitted together (2:21). “In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” The stones are joined to one another. The building is alive and growing; it is still “being” fitted together. Shaped for the building. Solomon’s temple stones were finished at the quarry, so no hammer or chisel was heard at the temple while it was built (1 Kings 6:7). Many Christians see this as a picture of God shaping each believer, sometimes through hard things, to fit His building. Katoiketerion (2:22). “In whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” “Dwelling place” is katoiketerion (say: kat-oy-kay-TAY-ree-on), a permanent home, not a tent for a night. God does not merely visit His church; He lives in it by His Spirit. People, not a building. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). A church building is useful, but God’s temple is His people. Application. Christ is the cornerstone, so line up your choices with Him. Take your place among God’s people too; He is building you together with them.

Paul said God’s people are like a building. A building needs a strong base, called a foundation. God’s building stands on what the apostles and prophets taught. Paul said, “Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone.” Builders set the first corner stone very carefully. Every other stone lined up with it. Jesus is that stone for God’s people. Solomon’s builders shaped each temple stone before bringing it in. Many Christians see this as a picture of God shaping us. God’s people grow into “a holy temple in the Lord.” The church is not bricks. It is God’s people, and God lives in them by His Spirit.

Jesus is the most important stone. God’s people are like a building on Him. God lives in His people!