ONE NEW HUMANITY

Ephesians 2:14-18

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Rainbow in My Hand by Gwen Meharg

God never intended for a great barrier of hostility to exist between the Jews and the other nations.  God only intended for the Jews to be set apart and used for God's glory with the result being that other peoples and nations would see the difference between the Living God and the false gods they were worshiping.  He wanted the other nations to see that He was a God of grace and mercy and love, that He created them and would therefore care and provide for them, and that He NEVER demanded the sacrifice of their children to appease His anger.  But, instead of the nations always seeing that through the Jews relationship with the Living God, the Jews shut them out and soon it developed into an "us" against "them" mentality.  But, to be fair, if I was part of a nation that God used to wipe out entire people groups, I might gain that mentality myself.  It would be easy to get confused in such a situation.  What's important to remember here is that God didn't wage war on people groups to prove the superiority of the Israelites, He did it to prove His own superiority as the God of gods, the Living God over all the other gods in a world where many, many false gods were being heavily worshiped and to whom children were being sacrificed. (Romans 1:20-25 and Jeremiah 7:31-32 and Leviticus 20:2, Deuteronomy 9:4-5)

Painting of Nineveh capital of Ashur ca 700 BC

The book of Jonah is such a great example of God's great mercy and grace to the other nations. When God sent Jonah to warn the Ninevites that judgment and wrath were coming to them, Jonah ran away.  He would have sooner drowned in the sea than give the Ninevites opportunity to turn to God.  The Ninevites were part of "them" -- they were Gentiles and enemies of Israel.  Jonah did finally give them God's message, albeit very begrudgingly, the Ninevites repented and turned to God for mercy.  Guess what God did?  He extended mercy to them and told Jonah,

"And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?" (Jonah 4:11, NIV)

Any move towards God and God reaches out His long arm of mercy and grace, rescues those that were lost and far away and brings them near where they find peace.

God had commanded the Jews to care for the the foreigner and alien.  Any foreigner or alien who became one of their servants or who sought refuge with the Israelites was to be included as one of the Israelites:

"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:33-34, NIV

They were to be allowed to glean from their harvest fields and the Jews were commanded to leave what was dropped and to leave the corners of their fields alone so the poor and hungry, no matter who they were, could eat.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:9-10

There is no place in God's economy or law for "us" and "them."

Paul points out that in Christ, through His sacrifice, there is no dividing line.  The Jews no longer have to follow all of the rules and regulations that kept them separate from the other nations.  The Jews are no longer the only ones through whom God speaks and shows Himself mighty.  We see all of that now as one body of believers, one church through which Jesus Christ is worshiped as King and Savior and through whom we all have access to the Living God -- Jew and Gentile alike.  He brought peace to all the nations -- whether we live into it or not.  Christ and no one else has solved the problem of our relationship with God and with each other.

Remember, Paul's objective in the letter to the Ephesians is to take them higher and help them rise above the day to day sins that beset each of us, to root them deeper into the truth of God's word and to widen their scope of understanding about who God is and His purpose for humankind.  He's telling them and us, "Enough with the walls and barriers you put up between you and them.  In Christ, those walls and barriers DO NOT exist.  Out of the two worlds, Jew and Gentile, Christ has made a new creation.  One that is at peace.  One that strives to love each other.  One that no longer emphasizes the differences, but embraces the unity of Christ's sacrifice for all."  We are one in Christ.

In unity,
Kerry

JEW AND GENTILE: DIFFERENT AND THE SAME

Ephesians 2:11-13

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 

It's easy to read these verses and gather the impression that Paul is pointing out the low class of the Gentiles and how it's only by God's good graces that they would be considered for inclusion into God's kingdom with the Jews.  And, all of that is true, only not in the sense that you might think.

The Gentiles, those not born of Jewish descent, you and me, were simply that -- not born of Jewish descent.  That's the only real difference between us as human beings . . . different from the Jews, that is.  Once again Paul is drawing the distinction that because that is the only thing that separates, there is really nothing that separates us.  In Bible times, circumcision was the outward sign that set you apart as a member of the Jewish race of people.  God had Abraham circumcise himself and his entire household, sons, grandsons, servants, slaves and foreigners and aliens that were among them as a sign of the covenant between him and God.  The covenant was this: for Abraham's part, the Lord alone would be his God, whom he would trust and serve; for God's part, He would be with Abraham and his descendants and make them a great nation because of Abraham's faith and that He would be with them and be their God. (Genesis 17:1-14)

As time went on, the Jews used the term "uncircumcised" in a very contemptuous way, believing and pointing out the Gentiles lowly state of their soul.  Paul, on the other hand, is simply using the term here to make his point (hence the quotation marks) that "circumcised" or "uncircumcised" doesn't matter because circumcision is only something that is done to the flesh . . . by human hands.  What matters is if our hearts, not our bodies, bear the mark of the covenant promise . . . of the Eternal One who brings us near to Him and gives us citizenship in His kingdom. 

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:16-19, NIV

A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. Romans 2:28-29, NIV

It's true, there was definitely a distinction between Jew and Gentile, but not in a spiritual sense.  The distinction was made through Abraham.  Because Abraham had faith in God, God chose him to bring the blessings of God to the rest of the world, to the foreigners and aliens . . . those outside of Abraham's descendants.  Abraham's descendants became the Jewish nation.  God chose Abraham's descendants to do a special work. 

What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.  Romans 3:1-2, NIV

. . . the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.  Romans 9:4-5, NIV

The Jews were given the special tasks of bringing God's word through history, they were the picture of adoption into God's family and they enjoyed the glory of God's presence (like with the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night as in Exodus 13:21-22).  God made his covenant with them to bless all the peoples of the earth through them.  In the receiving of the law He gave to them the standard of living for all people, and He didn't just speak the law to them, He wrote it on stone tablets.  These tablets became prize possessions to the Jews symbolizing their relationship with God.  He gave to them the standard for worship and the precious promise of a Savior.  And, not at all least of these, is the patriarchs.  God was pleased to be the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and it was through these faithful few that we trace the human ancestry of Jesus.

So, yes.  There was a distinction between being Jew and being Gentile in terms of responsibility to the human race.  BUT, that in no way means that there is a distinction between Jew and Gentile in terms of the spiritual condition of our souls.  The Jews were chosen for the task of showing the rest of the world, the foreigner and the alien, the non-Jew, who this living God was, but they still had to circumcise their heart.  Being chosen by God to do this work did not negate their own need for God's grace and mercy.  They still had to come to God the same way the Gentiles had to, in faith . . . like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Being a Jew did not gain them access into God's presence.  Faith did.

These verses go on to tell us that the Gentile was separated from Christ and excluded from citizenship in Israel, going through life unaware of the covenants and promises and without hope of really knowing the God who created them.  Again, that was Israel's job.  They were to love the foreigner and alien and, in the Old Testament, if the foreigner and alien were willing to be circumcised, then they were to be counted as part of Israel.  It's no different now, New Testament life.  Those outside of the knowledge of salvation, those who haven't yet believed, go through this life unaware of God's love and hope and knowledge of the God who loves them.  Paul tells us that now, through Christ's work on the cross, through His blood, those outside do not need to remain outside, unaware.  The work of Christ is for us all.  We no longer depend on Israel to be God's messengers.  They did their job.  We have God's word and it tells us everything we need to know about who we are, who God is, how we should live, whom we should love, how much God loves us, the message of the cross and blood that leads us to life.

The message is this:  there is no difference between us or anyone else -- Jew, European, African, Indian, Middle Easterner, or American.  In God's economy no one is any lower class than the other.  And, God is not begrudgingly allowing us the opportunity to gain eternal life with Him.  He is GLADLY holding out the promises to you and to me!  He has gone to the most extreme lengths to insure our salvation.  His grace is extravagant and it lavishly ushers those on the outside in as soon as they desire it.  We all must come to the same place the same way: to the cross in faith (like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) believing that through Jesus' blood we are brought near to the throne of God, the Ruler of all who live, who will live and have ever lived.

In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises.  Galatians 3:28-29, MSG

In faith,
Kerry

A GOOD LIFE

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

This verse shows us that one of the things that salvation is intended for is to produce the good works that bear out its reality, its truth.  Let's be clear here.  "Works" plays NO PART in securing salvation.  It is, however, how we prove our faith. 

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17, NIV

You are God's handiwork.  Handiwork means to have the characteristic quality of a particular maker.  It's like when you look at a Van Gogh painting, you can tell it's a Van Gogh.  It has that distinctive look and feel to it.

YOU are God's handiwork!  You have the touch of the Maker all over you!  And, what's more, the good works you are to do, the good life you were meant to live, were created in advance for you to do!  Let me try to explain.  In Genesis 1:26 it says this:

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image . . .'" 

The "us" and "our" in that verse clearly indicate that God, the Creator-King, is not alone.  The idea of the Trinity is introduced for the first time here and God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are actively involved in the work of creation together.  In John 1:1-3, the apostle is talking about "the Word," referring to Jesus, as being with God in the beginning and that "the Word" was God and that

"through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." 

Jesus was with God in the beginning, active in creation and is, in fact, God.  And, YOU, dear Believer, were created by Jesus himself with the idea that you would put your faith in Him on display by the good effort you put forth at living the life He gave you.  Better put: the good life, or the life of goodness, that having faith in Christ produces was prepared for Believers from the beginning.  It was meant for you from the beginning of time to live a good life, or to live a life of goodness.  And, that life of goodness will demonstrate the reality of our salvation.  Furthermore, you cannot boast about this life of goodness because even IT has its source in God -- the One who made it possible.


For goodness sake,
Kerry

I LOVE THAT I'M LOVED!

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. 

Let's keep this simple and to the point.  You did nothing to warrant, deserve or contribute to God's gracious act on your behalf.  Salvation is His gift to you.  Furthermore, the faith it takes to believe cannot even be produced by you.  The faith it takes to believe in this gift of salvation is simply a trustful response on your part.  A trustful response.  He already did the work to bring you to this place of trust, and trust is your response to that work.  It is not to be misconstrued as an effort or action on your part that helped the process along.  It's like simply loving to be loved.  You did nothing to be loved by God or to earn that love.  Loving that your loved by Him is your response to a God that loves you!  The Holy Spirit produces faith in us.  We cannot produce it ourselves.  Salvation is a gift of God's grace; it is the unmerited favor of God to you and to me.  To take any credit, or to boast about any action on my part in achieving salvation is altogether out of place.

He did it all!  I love that I'm loved!
Kerry

Images for this post can be found at www.freymanc.com.

RAISED UP AND SEATED!

Ephesians 2:6-7

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

In my last post, we talked about how Paul points out 3 things that God did for us in Christ in these verses (5-7).  The first one is that He "made us alive with Christ."  The second thing He did for us is "raised us up" and the third thing is He "seated us with him in the heavenly realms."  When reading these few verses, it's easy to feel a little disoriented and bewildered by the picture we're given and by the words used to convey this message.  I mean, seriously . . . I don't feel raised up from anything today and I don't think I'm sitting in the heavenly realms right now.  With all that life has put on my plate today, I'm pretty sure I feel like I'm right here, right now, on earth in this mortal body.  You with me on this one?  But, let's just break it down a bit and find the literal parts of the symbolic.  Understanding these verses are key to understanding the reality of our salvation.

"The Redeemed Walked There" by Marcia Hinds

The actual part of this story is that Jesus actually left the tomb where he was laid as a dead man and appeared to His disciples, alive.  Forty days later He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father.  That's the literal part of this story.  Our part in this story is that we participate with Him in this.  Here's how:

• We literally anticipate resurrection and glorification with Him in the coming age.  When we die and leave our mortal bodies behind, we live on in a new body (whatever that may look like!).  Death did not keep Jesus in the tomb, and it will not keep us lying in a grave, non-existent, with no life to live. 
• We can face each day knowing how temporal this mortal life is.  Yes, we have problems to deal with, car repairs to be paid for, health issues niggling at us, (insert your own here) . . . but, Friends, it IS temporary.   

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NIV

And, know this: I AM NOT making light of the problems you face today.  I have my own and I know that they are small by comparison to some who face much greater tragedies than I.  I am not blind to what's going on this world.  Life -- this life! -- is full of problems that must be solved, decisions that must be made.  The apostle just wants us to understand that there is something greater in this life with Christ that transcends every problem we face today.  And, that "something greater" is eternal life!

• Because we have been seated with Him in the heavenly realms, we participate with Him in His action in this world -- in this life. 

Our problems are opportunities for His glory and our decisions make a difference in the lives of people around us.  Here's the good news: every problem, every decision is weighed at the throne of God and weaved into the story of humankind.  Now, how I handle my problem of paying for my car repair today may not seem consequential to humankind or history, but how I face problems like this IS consequential to those around me -- my family and friends.  Will I give them a picture of faith and of a God who loves me enough to be involved in my life?  Or, will I give them a picture of a small life with eyes that can't see past the nose on my face? 

http://www.sonoitacrossroads.org/sv/character.html

God wants to show off and demonstrate His great love for us in the lives around us . . . in the lives to come . . . and in the lives of the past.  By raising us up and seating us in the heavenly realms, He shows off His greatness and love to those who will believe and to those who already believe.  We certainly do not deserve this participation with Him and He didn't have to make this part of the deal of our salvation in Jesus Christ.  But He did!  You could call this act of grace His "publicity program" for the whole of history and beyond.  He planned a continual exhibition of His favor towards humankind to cover all of history, all of the future and into eternity.  His great riches toward us are "incomparable!"  His kindness to us in life is shown in His act of love to us through Jesus Christ.

Life moves on and you cannot stop it.  Problems come and go -- there is always something to be stressed about.  But you are part of a bigger, grander picture, one that includes life eternal.  God planned for you and had you in mind at the creation of the world, so you have always been a part of this grand story of life. This life is a stop along the way and you will go on from here because of His great love!

Exhibiting His favor,
Kerry

NOTORIETY AND RENOWN - THAT'S YOU AND ME

Ephesians 2:4-5

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

"New Thing" by Gwen Meharg  www.drawneartogod.com

Human beings are renowned for rejecting God.  We are notorious for this behavior.  Throughout all of history, human beings have rejected their Creator and instead given their hearts to created things. 

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. . . They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." Romans 1:21-23, 25, NIV 

I am no exception.  I remember well when I was one of the walking dead.  But in spite of this churlish behavior, Paul says that God loves me -- loves us.  He loves us in spite of it all!  Meditate on that for a minute.  Swallow it and internalize it.  In spite of it ALL . . . He LOVES us!  He didn't let our constant rejection of Him stand in the way of the great love He has for us!  Can you say the same?  Most of us have faced rejection of some kind and we always feel like it is unwarranted.  And rejection always hurts.  And, most of the time, when we face rejection from someone, we reject them back.  But not our God.  His love for us led to mercy.  We reject Him and He showers love on us.  It is difficult to fathom.  Instead of loving us even more, He could have destroyed such a rebellious and unlovely creation such as human beings.  And He would be justified.  Instead, He sees our weaknesses and flaws and unholy behavior and is moved to mercy.  He does not approve of our rebellion and unholy behavior, but He does approve of His creation -- you and me.  He made a way for you and me to find our way back to Him and to change our "walking dead" ways.  That way is Jesus Christ.  It works like this: when we were the most unlovable, Jesus stood in the way and God looked through Him and saw us . . . cleaned up, standing firm, living right, giving back, loving Him!  Because of Jesus, we are alive and well!

He is Risen by Paula Maybery

In verse 5, Paul points out one of 3 things that God did for us in Christ.  The first one is He "made us alive with Christ."  (The other 2 we will discuss in my next post.)  God gave us new life together "with Christ."  It's like a partnership (although we can take no credit for this partnership).  We were dead in transgressions . . . Jesus died on a cross.  When Jesus beat death by overcoming the grave, we too were given new life.  Death and the grave could not hold Jesus and it cannot hold us now, either.  We no longer have to live this life as a dead person.  We live because HE lives!  It was an act of God's power that Jesus was literally raised from the dead . . . it's an act of God's grace that we are literally given new life with Him.  Because of God's grace we share this life with Christ.  Mercy overflowed from God's heart at the cross right to you and me.  We deserve death but we got life = mercy.  We do not deserve life, but we got it anyway = grace.

Here's the good news, friends: you are no longer dead . . . you are ALIVE because God LOVES you!  God's loving heart holds a treasury of mercy and it cannot be exhausted.

"Yet this I call to mind
   and therefore I have hope: 

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness." 

Lamentations 3:21-23, NIV

"It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah."

Ephesians 2:4-5, The Message

May grace rain down on you today!
Kerry

DEAD OR ALIVE! PART II: WALK -ABOUT

 Ephesians 2:2-3

 . . . in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 

You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live. The word here "live" in the Greek literally means "walk about." That's right! Like in Australia when you hear them talking about going "walk about." There it means they're going to go travel about a bit and see what they can see. It has a similar meaning here only add a zombie-like attitude to the traveler. This is how you used to walk about this life before you came to know Jesus. The walking dead. Transgressions and sins used to be your manner of living. True life, real life, was not something you could grasp, although it was always within your reach. It's like being in a prison cell with the keys hanging within reach right outside the bars, but you don't see them or know they're there.

The evil one, the devil, is identified here as the ruler of the kingdom of the air. Taken literally, the air signifies the atmosphere around the earth and the earth is Satan's abode. According to ancient cosmology, the atmosphere was believed to be the habitation of demons. I'm sure you would agree that it's not a big stretch to see this world as being ruled by the evil one. When you consider everything that bombards us on the daily news reports, it's certainly easy to see the evil one at work. That's not to say that the work of the Holy Spirit isn't just as prevalent -- but those reports never hit the daily news. The devil is the spirit who is at work in those who are disobedient -- those who refuse to believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ. He is constantly at work keeping God's creation from choosing life -- from becoming alive and aware of the life God created for you. But, take heart. The Holy Spirit is also constantly at work in those of us who are obedient to call of Christ.

Paul started out in chapter 2 addressing the Gentile Christians, but in verse 3 he's addresses the Jews. Jewish believers were no better, despite their inclination that God's promises to them somehow made them better people and exempt from God's wrath. All of us have lived in the grip of sin, Paul included. "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:22-24, NIV  Human beings are sinful and we have numerous ways (too numerous to count, actually) of expressing our sinful side. We lie, we lust, we hate, we seek revenge, we are ungrateful. In fact, we are so sinful by nature that we need very little help from the devil, if any at all. One thing about Paul, he is very clear on the condition of humankind. Gentile, Jew . . . we're all the same and we all have to come to the same place to gain life: the foot of the cross. You have to remember that when Paul wrote this letter he was a Jew of the highest quality, sent to minister to the Gentiles, who every Jew considered to be of lesser quality, and had to find a way to make this Gospel message real and appealing and believable to both. He could not allow the Jewish believers to think of themselves as better nor could he allow the Gentiles to think of themselves as unworthy of God's promises. Therefore, we are ALL deserving of God's wrath.

Alive! Gwen Meharg

Here's what Paul is saying: though you lived, you used to be counted among the dead and those that followed the evil one and his ways, even without knowing it. But not now, believer. Yes, you still sin. We all do. The difference is transgressions and sins no longer define who you are. It's true for all of us. I'm not better than you and you're not better than me. We were all there at one time, ruled by sin and deserving God's anger. Faith, love, truth, life . . . these are the things that define you now. You walk about this life ALIVE!  The devil may rule this earth, but Jesus Christ rules your heart!

Defined by Life,
Kerry