The Coming of Peace (Ephesians 2:11-18)
The dark past
Paul addresses the Gentiles among his readers and reminds them of the dark spiritual state they were in before they believed the gospel. He mentions five features of that lost condition and they have been summarised by William Hendrickson in this way: they were ‘Christless, stateless, friendless, hopeless, and Godless’.
They had been Christless because they had no information about the Messiah; they had been stateless because they did not belong to the people of God; they had been friendless because they and God did not have any agreements between them; they had been hopeless because their future before they heard the gospel was dire; and they were Godless because their religions were all about idols rather than the true God.
Obviously, this is a very dark description of sinners, of those who have not yet tasted the salvation of God. This is a reminder to us of the dangerous position unconverted people are in. That is where many of our neighbours, colleagues and contacts are in a spiritual sense. It is the place we all were in before we believed the gospel invitation.
In contrast, the Jews had known about the predicted Messiah, they belonged in a formal way to God’s people, they read the many promises in the Old Testament connected to their relationship with God, they had hope about the future connected to God’s purpose, and God was with them in a special manner. Sadly the Jews misused their privileges and did not get any spiritual benefits from them because they refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
The feature that the Gentiles and Jews had in common was lack of peace. There were widely different causes for where they were, but while there were different causes there was one remedy.
The delightful present
Paul reminds those Gentiles that things were very different as a consequence of the gospel. They have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The descriptions ‘far off’ and ‘brought near’ refer to definite statuses. They are not so much describing our actions, but God’s actions. We were far away because of his judgment on the human race for Adam’s sin, and we are brought near because of what Jesus did for sinners.
We have seen that Paul mentioned five aspects of what it means to be far away from God. Then he mentions three aspects of what it means to be brought near. Each aspect is connected to an activity of Jesus designed to bring sinners into a state of peace.
Jesus makes peace by the cross
The first of these aspects is that Jesus by his death made it possible for sinners to have divine peace. At the time Paul wrote the biggest barrier in the religious world was that between Jews and Gentiles. The barrier was literally depicted in the temple in Jerusalem by a wall that separated Jews from Gentiles. If a Gentile tried to go beyond the wall into forbidden areas he would be executed.
Of course, the problem was bigger that a separation between Jews and Gentiles. What made it bigger was that both Jews and Gentiles were separated from God. The Jews could worship God according to his instructions, but all those sacrifices merely highlighted that they needed to have their sins forgiven through the blood of a sacrifice. The problem with the Jews was that they imagined that all that was needed for them to be friends with God was an animal sacrifice, but Paul has stressed that the only blood that was effective was the blood of Christ.
The death of Jesus made two aspects of peace possible. Since he paid the penalty of sin that God demanded, he made it possible for sinners to be reconciled with God. Jesus also by his death put an end to the Levitical rituals which meant that Jews and Gentiles no longer were separate. They could become the new man, or the new race in which there are no divisions.
Jesus preaches peace to his people
The second thing that Jesus did, says Paul, was to go and preach peace. Paul even says that Jesus preached to his readers in Ephesus. Of course, Jesus had never been in Ephesus in a literal sense. Indeed, the only times he was outside Israel were when he crossed the border into Tyre and Sidon and into Gergasa when he healed the demoniac. So what does Paul mean when he says that Jesus went to Ephesus and preached to Jews and to Gentiles, to those who were near and to those who were far away?
The apostle is referring to how the gospel comes to any location. When a person announces it, Jesus is present with them by his Spirit. He is not only present, but he is present in power because the gospel is the power of God for salvation (as Paul mentions in Romans 1:16). It is the same message for both Jews and Gentiles. We should not be surprised at this. After all, Luke tells his readers that the Book of Acts is really about what Jesus continued to do and teach after he returned to heaven.
Through his witnesses, Jesus calls to sinners to believe in him. When they do so, they become justified and are now at peace with God. This means that no longer are at enmity, with them against God and he against them. They are reconciled through the message of the cross.
Jesus brings us into the place of peace
The third thing that Jesus did in order for us to live in a situation of peace is described in verse 18: ‘For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.’ Usually we assume that what is being described here is prayer. No doubt, prayer is a consequence of what is described here, but what Paul is describing is a position of peace enjoyed by all believers.
It was a custom in the ancient world, if an individual wanted to go into the presence of a ruler, for an important person who was acceptable to the ruler to take the enquirer into the presence of the ruler. The acceptable person had the authority of the ruler to allow people in and those people could not be thrown out even if they had offended the ruler. It is not difficult for us to the see the meaning of the illustration.
God is the ruler, Jesus is the acceptable person, and sinners are those wanting to go into God’s presence. Jesus will keep them out if they try and enter there without following the path he has provided, but if sinners follow the path, which is to believe in him, Jesus takes them right into the presence of God, and they are taken there peacefully.
Obviously, in everyday life, when a person was granted access to the ruler’s presence, he or she could not stay there indefinitely. They would need to return to where they lived. The amazing feature of the access that Jesus gives is that it is permanent. His people never leave it, which is why the verse is not just describing prayer. Believers live in the comfortable, peaceful presence of God.
No doubt, when a person wanted to try and get to see a ruler, he would make enquiries as to how he should behave while there. How do Christians prepare for living in the presence of God? The answer is that the Holy Spirit prepares them. He is the one who works in their hearts and minds, he produces in their character his fruit, and he enables them to appreciate the blessings of peace.
What can we say in conclusion?
Here are four responses, although many more could be given. One response is that we should recognise that the church is to marked by peace vertically and horizontally; its members have peace with God and with one another.
A second consequence to recognise is that each of the divine Persons is involved in our lives, or maybe we should put it the other way round – in some ways, we are brought into the activities of God and receive the benefits connected to it. Paul mentions some of them here, and there are others mentioned in other passages.
A third consequence is to recognise the uniqueness of preaching. In ways that we cannot explain, Jesus is involved in it, and one purpose of it is to bring peace. While we can never claim to have heard the voice of Jesus in a literal sense, we cannot say that Jesus has not spoken to us.
A fourth consequence is for us as believers to realise that we are constantly in the presence of the reconciling God. It is true that God is omnipresent, but it is also true that there are special aspects of his presence. Christians have been reconciled to him and given a new place to live – in his gracious presence.
In contrast, the Jews had known about the predicted Messiah, they belonged in a formal way to God’s people, they read the many promises in the Old Testament connected to their relationship with God, they had hope about the future connected to God’s purpose, and God was with them in a special manner. Sadly the Jews misused their privileges and did not get any spiritual benefits from them because they refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
The feature that the Gentiles and Jews had in common was lack of peace. There were widely different causes for where they were, but while there were different causes there was one remedy.
The delightful present
Paul reminds those Gentiles that things were very different as a consequence of the gospel. They have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The descriptions ‘far off’ and ‘brought near’ refer to definite statuses. They are not so much describing our actions, but God’s actions. We were far away because of his judgment on the human race for Adam’s sin, and we are brought near because of what Jesus did for sinners.
We have seen that Paul mentioned five aspects of what it means to be far away from God. Then he mentions three aspects of what it means to be brought near. Each aspect is connected to an activity of Jesus designed to bring sinners into a state of peace.
Jesus makes peace by the cross
The first of these aspects is that Jesus by his death made it possible for sinners to have divine peace. At the time Paul wrote the biggest barrier in the religious world was that between Jews and Gentiles. The barrier was literally depicted in the temple in Jerusalem by a wall that separated Jews from Gentiles. If a Gentile tried to go beyond the wall into forbidden areas he would be executed.
Of course, the problem was bigger that a separation between Jews and Gentiles. What made it bigger was that both Jews and Gentiles were separated from God. The Jews could worship God according to his instructions, but all those sacrifices merely highlighted that they needed to have their sins forgiven through the blood of a sacrifice. The problem with the Jews was that they imagined that all that was needed for them to be friends with God was an animal sacrifice, but Paul has stressed that the only blood that was effective was the blood of Christ.
The death of Jesus made two aspects of peace possible. Since he paid the penalty of sin that God demanded, he made it possible for sinners to be reconciled with God. Jesus also by his death put an end to the Levitical rituals which meant that Jews and Gentiles no longer were separate. They could become the new man, or the new race in which there are no divisions.
Jesus preaches peace to his people
The second thing that Jesus did, says Paul, was to go and preach peace. Paul even says that Jesus preached to his readers in Ephesus. Of course, Jesus had never been in Ephesus in a literal sense. Indeed, the only times he was outside Israel were when he crossed the border into Tyre and Sidon and into Gergasa when he healed the demoniac. So what does Paul mean when he says that Jesus went to Ephesus and preached to Jews and to Gentiles, to those who were near and to those who were far away?
The apostle is referring to how the gospel comes to any location. When a person announces it, Jesus is present with them by his Spirit. He is not only present, but he is present in power because the gospel is the power of God for salvation (as Paul mentions in Romans 1:16). It is the same message for both Jews and Gentiles. We should not be surprised at this. After all, Luke tells his readers that the Book of Acts is really about what Jesus continued to do and teach after he returned to heaven.
Through his witnesses, Jesus calls to sinners to believe in him. When they do so, they become justified and are now at peace with God. This means that no longer are at enmity, with them against God and he against them. They are reconciled through the message of the cross.
Jesus brings us into the place of peace
The third thing that Jesus did in order for us to live in a situation of peace is described in verse 18: ‘For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.’ Usually we assume that what is being described here is prayer. No doubt, prayer is a consequence of what is described here, but what Paul is describing is a position of peace enjoyed by all believers.
It was a custom in the ancient world, if an individual wanted to go into the presence of a ruler, for an important person who was acceptable to the ruler to take the enquirer into the presence of the ruler. The acceptable person had the authority of the ruler to allow people in and those people could not be thrown out even if they had offended the ruler. It is not difficult for us to the see the meaning of the illustration.
God is the ruler, Jesus is the acceptable person, and sinners are those wanting to go into God’s presence. Jesus will keep them out if they try and enter there without following the path he has provided, but if sinners follow the path, which is to believe in him, Jesus takes them right into the presence of God, and they are taken there peacefully.
Obviously, in everyday life, when a person was granted access to the ruler’s presence, he or she could not stay there indefinitely. They would need to return to where they lived. The amazing feature of the access that Jesus gives is that it is permanent. His people never leave it, which is why the verse is not just describing prayer. Believers live in the comfortable, peaceful presence of God.
No doubt, when a person wanted to try and get to see a ruler, he would make enquiries as to how he should behave while there. How do Christians prepare for living in the presence of God? The answer is that the Holy Spirit prepares them. He is the one who works in their hearts and minds, he produces in their character his fruit, and he enables them to appreciate the blessings of peace.
What can we say in conclusion?
Here are four responses, although many more could be given. One response is that we should recognise that the church is to marked by peace vertically and horizontally; its members have peace with God and with one another.
A second consequence to recognise is that each of the divine Persons is involved in our lives, or maybe we should put it the other way round – in some ways, we are brought into the activities of God and receive the benefits connected to it. Paul mentions some of them here, and there are others mentioned in other passages.
A third consequence is to recognise the uniqueness of preaching. In ways that we cannot explain, Jesus is involved in it, and one purpose of it is to bring peace. While we can never claim to have heard the voice of Jesus in a literal sense, we cannot say that Jesus has not spoken to us.
A fourth consequence is for us as believers to realise that we are constantly in the presence of the reconciling God. It is true that God is omnipresent, but it is also true that there are special aspects of his presence. Christians have been reconciled to him and given a new place to live – in his gracious presence.