What is a Christian? (Ephesians 2:19-22)

If we were asked to describe what a Christian is, no doubt we could supply several descriptions. We could say that a Christian is a believer, or is a disciple, or is a child of God, and all of them are true, although perhaps they stress an individual relationship with God. Paul provides other descriptions in this brief set of verses, and he too could have mentioned other ways. One of the aspects of the examples used by Paul here is that they are all communal. The three examples are that Christians belong to a city, a household and a temple. So what does he say about them?

Citizen

The apostle mentions two features of this city. First, he says that it is populated by saints. A saint can be described in two ways, depending on where he or she is, and both these ways apply to this city. Some saints are still sinners and other saints are now sinless. How can that be? We get the answer when we consider what a saint is. Initially, a saint is a sinner who has been separated by God to be his forever through cleansing by the blood of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So, this separation commences at conversion, continues through life, and lasts throughout eternity. At conversion, the sinner is pardoned and the Holy Spirit is given to the saint as his sanctifier.

That is how we describe all the members of the city who are still on earth. But there are numerous saints who still belong to the city even although they left the earth when they died. The earth was not the only thing that they left. They also left their sinful tendencies and practices behind when they went to heaven. So they are now sinless saints, which means that their separation to God is totally holy. Yet we should not forget that they still belong to the city.

The fact that some saints are sinners and some are sinless does not take away from the second emphasis that Paul mentions about life in the city, which is that all are equal members of it. The apostle mentions this aspect when he says that the saints in Ephesus were ‘fellow-members’ of the city. All the saints have equal membership, which means that a believer on earth today is as much a member as the apostles, although those on earth don’t at present have the same kinds of experience of city life. But whatever the level of experience, it is good for us to realise that we belong to the heavenly city.

Household member

The second description that Paul uses of Christians is to say that they belong to God’s household. A household in Paul’s day extended to include relations and servants as well as parents and children. So Paul could have in mind by household the concept of service as well as the idea of family membership because in a household all those connected to it did what was required of them.

What ideas come to mind with this picture? It may help us to ask what would be the most famous household in the world at that time. The answer probably would be ‘Caesar’s household’ – to be a member of it would be a great privilege and would involve great responsibilities. When it comes to God’s house, Matthew Henry gives a good summary when he writes, ‘every converted sinner is one of the domestics, one of the family, a servant and a child in Godʾs house.’ Although we have the high privilege of sons, we have the great responsibility of service, that we engage in doing what God wants his people to do. The picture of a household stresses the intimacy that should mark God’s people, not only with God but also with one another.

Temple stone

The third picture that Paul uses is that the church is a temple. This is a well-known description of the church and it is the one that Paul elaborates most here. He mentions its foundation, its cornerstone, its stones and its occupant.

The foundation is said to be the apostles and prophets. It is straightforward to identify the apostles – they were the men directly commissioned by Jesus for this role. They include the eleven who witnessed the ascension, Matthias, Paul, and possibly individuals such as Barnabas. The prophets could include people like Silas and Agabus, but it is also possible that Paul means the Old Testament prophets. None of those men were sinless, so how could they be the foundation? The answer is that it is their message – the gospel – that is the foundation of the church, and that message united New Testament apostles and Old Testament prophets.

The cornerstone is Jesus. In an ancient building, the cornerstone held it together. Without a good cornerstone, the building would collapse. The church had the best possible cornerstone because Jesus is both God and man. As long as he is there, the church as a building will stand. In fact, it will stand for ever.

Then, there are the stones that compose the building. The initial stones, those who belonged to what is called the New Testament church, are all in heaven, as are all the stones converted during the Old Testament period. So too are all the stones right up to the most recent believer to die and go there. In addition there are all the believers alive today from all over the world. No doubt, the building has grown by numerous stones today.

One amazing feature of the building is that each stone is united to Jesus and to one another. We can easily appreciate how that is the case in a local church or with Christians we personally know. But we are united to them all by the Holy Spirit. Christian unity is not a goal in the sense that many people use it when they try and join denominations together. As far as existing believers are concerned, the unity is accomplished, although it will develop.

A second amazing feature of the building is that no-one knows how far on we are in its erection. We may be reaching the top floor, or we may still be close to the ground floor. The plans are secure in heaven, and no creature has ever seen them. All we know is that the church is growing at the rate marked out in the plans.

Yet we have to remind ourselves that the biggest building in the world is not the tallest one currently in Dubai. It is small compared to the church. May be that is one reason why the church in the book of Revelation is 1500 miles high, 1500 miles wide, and 1500 miles long.

The building is a special temple, and its specialness is indicated in the adjective ‘holy’. Holy cannot mean sinlessness, because all the living stones yet in this world are sinners. It may not mean perfect even regarding the stones in heaven because most of them are without their bodies. What makes it holy is their union to the Cornerstone and the indwelling of the Spirit. He is the Occupant.

A local temple

Paul then reminds the Ephesians that they are a miniature example of the church of Christ. The local church is the location of sanctification, and the significance of sanctification is that we are being prepared by the Spirit to be a place where God dwells. How do we know that we are being prepared? The important word ‘together’ tells us. As Paul has made clear in the chapter, the evidence of the work of the Spirit is unity and peace. If they are absent in a church, it is not growing spiritually whatever their numbers are.

When those circumstances are there, God is present. The Trinity is revealed to each believer. They have fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Spirit.

Obviously, God is an august Presence in his church. After all, the building belongs to God and he has decided that it is to be a temple in which each stone will worship the Lord forever. It is lovely that they start doing so in this life.