Sermon Notes: Ephesians 2:14-16 – The Gospel Destroys Racism
These are the notes of a sermon preached by Andy Evans on the morning of the 18 April 2010 at Firwood Church. Click here to stream or download the sermon audio.
Ephesians 2:11–22
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
1. RACISM DEFINED
a. The Problem
i. Separation from God
Last week, I began by giving you three reasons why this passage should matter a great deal to us. The third reason I presented was intended to persuade you that this passage matters because it deals with the two biggest problems in the universe for human beings.
Last week we occupied ourselves with the biggest of the two big problems: the separation which exists between men and God.
This problem is the big problem facing everyone regardless of nationality, race, culture and ethnicity. We are, Paul writes, by ‘nature children of wrath’ (Ephesians 2:3) and the result of this is separation and alienation from God.
We are all in the same boat.
And yet, there is a difference. Paul addresses this in this passage and allows the distinction between Jew and Gentile to stand. In Paul’s mind, therefore, the Gentile is far off and the Jew is near,
Ephesians 2:17
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
It is important that we do not push this too far. Paul is not saying that the Jews are saved as a result of their Jewishness. No, rather he is saying that there is something about the Jew that results in them being nearer to salvation than the Gentile.
This was our starting point last week. We considered the way in which God operated prior to the incarnation of the Son of God. Before Christ, God revealed himself, primarily, to a particular people group: Israel. Paul addresses this truth elsewhere,
Romans 9:4–5
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
The truth then is this: Paul is able to write that the Jews were nearer to God because God has poured out favour upon them for hundreds of years. God chose them out of all the nations of the earth. God revealed his law to this particular people from all the peoples of the earth. God spoke to them clearly through the Patriarchs and Prophets in a that he did not speak to any other nation on the planet.
Out of all the inhabitants of the earth, God made a covenant with this particular group of people. They were to be his people and he was their God.
Circumcision was the sign, the seal, of this covenant.
The result is that the Jews were near and the Gentiles far off, but, ultimately both groups were in need of the reconciliation that is only possible through Christ Jesus. This is the message of the Gospel,
Ephesians 2:17-18
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
The greatest problem in the universe for human beings is not global warming, childhood obesity or the prospect of a double-dip recession. This is the greatest problem, that although some of us may be near and some of us may be far off, without Christ Jesus all of us are separated and alienated from the living God. This is why those of us who believe, know Christ Jesus to be the hope of the world,
Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
All of us are in the same boat, all of us are lost without Christ Jesus and yet Gentiles, in our ignorance of the things of God, were far off, whereas Jews, as recipients of the old covenant, were near.
And circumcision was the sign of God’s covenant with Israel, all of which leads me to the second big problem.
ii. The Covenants of Promise and the Sign of Grace
Paul begins by setting out the problem,
Ephesians 2:11
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands
Notice what has happened here, circumcision is a mark of the covenants of promise (v. 12).
Repeatedly, throughout the Old Testament God reminds Israel that he chose them not because of their merit, but because of his great love,
Deuteronomy 7:6–8
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
We see, then, that God’s choosing of Israel was an incredible act of sovereign grace. It is not because Israel was lovely, but that He is loving. It is not that Israel had intrinsic worth, but that He is worthy. He chooses Israel from the overflow of his great love. He fixes his affection upon this particular people from all the many because this is the kind of God he is.
What was true of Israel is true of us, the Church, today, and this should change the way we think about our salvation. This is where we were in Ephesians 1:4-5,
Ephesians 1:4–5
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will
God chooses us, not because we have intrinsic value, but because He is infinitely valuable, loving, gracious and kind. He chooses us from the overflow of his great love.
Now all of this matters this morning because it shows us the parallels between Israel’s situation and our situation as believers in Christ Jesus. It also shows us how Israel should have viewed circumcision.
The ‘covenants of promise’ (v. 12) were, in fact, covenants of grace and, circumcision, the sign of the covenant, should have been a reminder of God’s grace towards this chosen people. Instead, however, circumcision led to separation, arrogance, pride and, ultimately, hostility. We see this in verse 11 and we see this in verses 14 and 16.
A grace gift which should have led to thankfulness, humility and love instead results in hatred, enmity and hostility.
This was the problem in the First Century Church and this is the problem in the world today.
iii. Separation between Jew and Gentile
For the First Century Jew, the separation between Jew and Gentile was profound. The Jew had received the favour of God and the Gentile had not. The Jew had received the blessings of God, the Gentile had not. The Jew carried the sign of circumcision, the Gentile did not.
This sense of separation touch everything.
William Barclay, summarises the deep hostility between Jew and Gentile in the following terms,
The Jew had an immense contempt for the Gentile. The Gentiles, said the Jews, were created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell. God, they said, loves only Israel of all the nations that he had made […] It was not even lawful to render help to a Gentile mother in her hour of sorest need, for that would simply be to bring another Gentile into the world. Until Christ came, the Gentiles were an object of contempt to the Jews. The barrier between them was absolute. If a Jewish boy married a Gentile girl, or if a Jewish girl married and Gentile boy, the funeral of that Jewish boy or girl was carried out. Such contact with a Gentile was the equivalent of death.[1]
Unsurprisingly, then, this deep-seated prejudice permeates every facet of Jewish life: social, cultural and religious. Indeed, the Historian Josephus records that Herod’s Temple had a barrier surrounding the inner sanctuary beyond which Gentiles were forbidden to go. Josephus suggests that tablets, written in Greek and Latin, were placed at the thirteen entrances to this inner area declaring, ‘No foreigner is to enter within the forecourt and the balustrade around the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his subsequent death’. [2]
All of this perhaps seems distant and alien to our Twenty-First Century sensibilities, until we remind ourselves:
The holocaust in which over six million Jews were slaughtered, incidentally, by Gentiles, took place just a little over half a century ago.
That, as recently as 1992, war broke out in Bosnia following a referendum in which Bosnian and Croat Muslims voted for independence. The Serbian army, led by Radovan Karadzic, set about a campaign of terror and ethnic cleansing in which they slaughtered over one hundred thousand Muslims, most notoriously, in the siege of Sarajevo.[3]
It was only 1994 when Hutu militia turned, overnight, upon their Tutsis friends and neighbours and Rwanda, once among the most prosperous nations in Africa, turned in upon itself. It is estimated that some 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered in one hundred days of genocide.[4]
Or, lest we convince ourselves that race-related atrocities only happen over there, it was only in 1993 when a young black boy, Stephen Lawrence, was set upon and murdered by white youths and the subsequent police investigation criticized and labelled the investigating police force as institutionally racist.[5]
Again we remind ourselves that it was only in May 2001 when race riots broke out in Bradford, Burnley and in Oldham, just a short walk from this church.[6]
All of this reminds us that the problem that Paul addresses here is incredibly relevant today as we live, work and minister in the racial diverse neighbourhood which is Westwood, Oldham in the middle of 2010.
Paul is addressing racism of the worst kind, a racism which is predicated upon a belief that one side is chosen and the other side rejected by God.
Paul shows us that the gospel of Jesus Christ destroys racism.
iv. Skin Deep
But firstly Paul shows us the folly of the Jewish position which distorted the grace gifts of God and the symbol of this grace, circumcision,
Ephesians 2:11
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands
Paul sets out the true nature of the distinction between Gentile and Jew: they are ‘Gentiles in the flesh’ and Jews by virtue of a circumcision, ‘which is made in the flesh by hands’.[7]
Paul’s intention here is that we see the distinction that has resulted in so much hostility is, ultimately, skin deep.
It may surprise us to hear Paul talk about circumcision in these terms, after all, was not circumcision given as a confirmation of the covenant by God himself? This is the great misunderstanding which resounds throughout much of the Old Testament and the gospels by which the people believed that they were safe, children of God, (remove) by virtue of the flesh, be it circumcision or ancestry. Jesus, however, explodes this myth recognising that gospel transformation is a matter of the heart (Mark 7:1-23) and results in obedience (John 8:39-41)
Paul recognises that circumcision without a heart change is simply a matter of the flesh.
2. THE GOSPEL DESTROYS RACISM
a. He is our peace
As we saw last week, the solution to war, terrorism, racism, violent crime and anti-social behaviour is Jesus Christ. Paul tells us why,
Ephesians 2:14-16
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
Notice that the solution is not simply what Christ does (although Paul stresses that he ‘makes peace’, verse 16), but who Christ is.
He is our peace.
The early church faced open warfare over this issue. The church in Galatia and, at times and in different ways, the churches in Jerusalem and Rome faced this Jewish controversy over circumcision which threatened to tear them apart.
Furthermore, the churched faced white-hot persecution from the state, from their former friends and neighbours and, in some cases, from family members.
In one sense it seems there is no peace to be found.
So too in our day, with war in Afghanistan, Iraq, the constant danger of escalation in the Middle East, and the threat of terrorism and violence on our streets, it seems as though real and lasting peace is far away.
And yet, Paul reminds us: Jesus Christ is our peace.
This changes the way in which we deal with warfare, violence, aggression and racism. Instead of looking for a strategy, we look to a person. Instead of placing our hope in politics or military might, we place our hope in him. Paul will now proceed to show us how it is that Christ Jesus is our peace.
b. He is broken down the dividing wall of hostility
Ephesians 2:14-15
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances
Note how it is that Christ becomes our peace and how he deals emphatically with the Jewish controversy,
[he] has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
Formerly there was a very real hostility between Jew and Gentile, Paul understands that, by the cross, Christ demolishes this divide. Consider now how Christ achieves the destruction of this hostility,
by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances
We need to exercise caution here. Is Paul saying that Christ has nullified the law and that it now no longer matters if we keep the moral laws, including, ‘Do not steal’, ‘Do not commit adultery’ and ‘Do not murder’?
Absolutely not.
Paul is stressing here a monumental shift of emphasis by which the focus has moved from the law, with all of its ordinances and rituals (including circumcision) which resulted in separation, to Christ Jesus. Formerly, for the Jew, the law and the observance of the law (in matters pertaining to circumcision, food restrictions, etc.) were the means by which one obtained peace between men and God. Now, through the cross, Christ Jesus has been made our peace. Now, through the cross, Christ Jesus has rendered the law inoperative. He has abolished the law of commandments and, in so doing, he has become our peace.
We may not face the same controversy around circumcision, but we are equally susceptible to legalism and, similarly, the solution is found in Christ Jesus.
We, too, introduce restrictions which are not prescribed in the Scriptures (whether it be issues around the consumption of alcohol, listening to certain kinds of music or watching anything rated 15 or higher) and then elevate them until they become requirements for salvation. We so quickly find ourselves back in First Century Galatia.
Paul understands that the gospel smashes all such peripheral issues and instead Christ Jesus becomes the only issue. What does He want of me? How can I please Him? How can I most glorify Him? What areas of my life and aspects of my character prevent me from most reflecting his glory?
The gospel relegates secondary issues to the place of secondary issues that Christ Jesus might be most prominent, most visible and most glorious.
c. He has made us both one
But how does the cross deal with racism? How does the cross bring together Jew and Gentile in such a way that we experience peace?
Paul addresses this here,
Ephesians 2:14-16
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
We see that, in ‘abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances’, there is a specific end in view. Christ Jesus thus acts,
[…]that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace […]
Formerly the law of commandments expressed in ordinances emphasised difference between Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised; those on the inside and those on the outside. Paul understands that this difference should have produced an overwhelming gratitude and humility for those on the receiving end, but instead resulted in misunderstanding, prejudice, racism and hostility. Something which was given for their benefit (to keep them from the world) and assurance (a sign that they were His) became distorted and to be understood as sign of superiority.
Christ destroyed the hostility through the cross by ‘abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances’. In so doing, Jesus brings peace and Jesus is our peace.
But the miracle of the cross is greater still, Paul reminds us that all of this is so that he,
Ephesians 2:15
[…]might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace
Formerly we were two collective people groups, Jew and Gentile, separated and in enmity towards one another. In the cross, however, Christ destroys the distinction created by the law of commandments expressed in ordinances and brings peace. He achieves this emphatically and gloriously by making these two people groups to be one person.
This is incredible. Consider Ephesians 2:1-10 in which Paul examines our former state and who we are made to be in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2:1–2
And [we] were dead in the trespasses and sins in which [we] once walked […]
And,
Ephesians 2:3
[…] we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Our former state was perilous and hopeless, but then God intervened in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2:4–5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ […]
The result of all of this is that we become his poiema, his workmanship, a new creation in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The cross produces the miracle of new creation on an individual basis and now on a corporate basis, Christ died,
Ephesians 2:15
[…] that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace
Consider the implications of this. Consider the closeness and intimacy which this implies. Formerly we were in enmity and hostility towards one another. Now the unity and peace which is in Christ is so absolute that two divided peoples become one man.
This is the miracle of the cross.
d. He reconciled us both
But how is it that Christ becomes our peace, Paul unpacks this further,
Ephesians 2:14-16
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
The purpose of the cross is that Christ might create one man out of the two and, in so doing, bring peace. The purpose of the cross is that Christ might reconcile the two now made one to the living God,
Ephesians 2:14, 16
has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility […] [that he] might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
And, before the throne of God, all superficial distinctions, prejudice and pride is obliterated.
3. HE IS OUR PEACE
There are three applications which come out of this morning’s message: two lesser applications and then the central third application (which, in actual fact, makes sense of the first two points),
i. Blessed are the peacemakers
Jesus Christ has become our peace and so all who are his must be characterised by this same peace,
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
And,
Romans 12:16–18
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
This is a weighty calling and a sobering reminder as we approach a General Election in the midst of a financial crisis and on the back of a political scandal. Such an environment is ripe for the rise of extremism.
We have already seen racist far-right political parties, like the British National Party, increase in prominence and popularity. Christians must stand against racism and hostility. Christians must stand for peace knowing that Christ Jesus is our peace.
ii. Ambassadors of reconciliation
We are called to be peacemakers and we are called to take forth the gospel of peace,
2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
This is the message of the gospel. This is the gospel of peace. Paul, however, gives us an increased confidence as we proclaim the gospel in the midst of the multicultural mix which is Westwood. The gospel works for both Jew and Gentile. The gospel works for white British men and women, for the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian community. The gospel works for immigrants who have come into the country from Eastern Europe. The gospel works for those of African descent. The gospel works for those with a knowledge of Christianity. The gospel works for those who are ignorant of the living God. Jesus Christ came into the world for those who are far and those who are near,
Ephesians 2:17
And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
Jesus came to save people from every nation, ethnic and cultural group that he might create for himself a church to reflect his grace and his glory. The end of the gospel will be seen on that day,
Revelation 7:9–10
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
iii. Seeing the glory of the Prince of Peace
And God achieves all of this in and through Christ Jesus. The purpose of all of this is that Christ Jesus might be exalted to the highest place. The church is the foretaste of that day in which all things will be united in him. The church is the glimpse of the triumph of King Jesus,
Ephesians 1:7–10
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
This is the end of the gospel, that all things might be united in and under him. This is the kind of peace that the gospel envisages: the creation in submission to and intent on glorifying the Prince of Peace.
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that the Son of God came into the world and preaches peace to those who are far and those who are near. The end of the gospel is that the Prince of Peace will return for those who are his and peace will reign forevermore,
Isaiah 9:6–7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
[1] William Barclay in John Stott, The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Ephesians (Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 1979 [2009]). 91.
[2] David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1996). 963. Paul, of course, experienced the seriousness of this warning when a rumour spread that he had taken an Ephesian Gentile, Trophimus, into the inner courts and is seized by an angry mob (Acts 21:21-31).
[3] ‘Timeline: What happened during the war in Bosnia’, 21 July 2008, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL2164446420080721 and ‘Bosnia-Hercegovina timeline’, 7 April 2010, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1066981.stm
[4] ‘Timeline: 100 days of genocide’ (6 April 2006), http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3580247.stm
[5] ‘Stephen Lawrence case’, 8 November 2007, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/08/lawrence.ukcrime
[6] ‘Race “segregation” caused riots’, 11 December 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1702799.stm
[7] The phrase here translated, ‘made in the flesh by hands’, always means that made by human hands. Often, in the Septuagint, this phrase is used to describe the making of idols (Isaiah 2:18 and 10:11)