There’s been much talk in recent times about the good and the bad of immigration in all its forms. Canadians have always been sympathetic to those fleeing oppressive regimes or war-torn countries and have been glad to receive settlers merely seeking the hope for a better future. Immigration is a reality that we as Canadians can appreciate. The problem in our day isn’t so much about foreign arrivals itself but assuring we as a country can handle the influx. In 2021, out of 33 million residents in Canada, over 3 million were either permanent landed immigrant or a non‑permanent resident. It is a universal fact that these elevated numbers have put a strain on our economy which has lead the current government to cut back their numbers in a panic.
Laying aside the intricacies of bad immigration policies, let’s focus upon the positive of immigration for a moment. For most immigrants coming into our country, their aim is supposed to be to become citizens as a means of experiencing the privileges of that residency. Citizens possess certain rights granted to them such as the right to vote, to live and work anywhere in the country, and to run for municipal, provincial, or federal office. God help you if you choose the latter! Citizenship is also supposed to entitle people to certain equal rights that are protected by the Charter of Right & Freedom.
Ancestral Citizenship
Citizenship in Israel for thousands of years was something quite unique. Unlike our country, which is today an ethnic and religious melting pot, the privilege of citizenry was entitled largely to those who were born, not so much into a country, but as descendant of the patriarch Abraham. In other words, you were an Israelite because of your ancestry. Those Jewish civilians who received the sign of the covenant with Abraham (circumcision) were privileged to much greater rights than other countries in the world. They had the right to be called the people of God and a Holy nation. They had the freedom to worship the true and living God, to know His law, and boast of being the recipients of the promised divine inheritance. But what was seen as the greatest of these privileges was that within the boundaries of Israel, especially in its Capital, Jerusalem, dwelt the presence of the living God among them. In the sight of all its citizens stood their beautiful temple where people flocked to be close to Him and to worship Him.
A Change in Citizenry
But then suddenly, roughly 2000 years ago, something fundamentally changed in the citizenry of Israel. The residents of Israel were privileged to finally meet their long-promised Messiah. He was the One who the prophets foretold would bring glory to Israel and in return, even greater privileges as citizens of Israel. That Messiah was none other than Jesus Christ. What is most apparent as we read about the coming of Jesus Christ is that the glorification of Israel didn’t reveal itself in the way that they expected. His coming into the world brought to the world (not only to those with relations to Israel) a true citizenship. He clarified the nature of the privileges of that citizenry and in a most shocking turn of events expanded it to those who were not natural born Jews. Outsiders would now be called God’s people and a Holy nation. They would enjoy the right to dwell in the presence of the living God. Many living outside the borders of Israel, from all nations, would flock to this new kingdom and experience its privileges. Let’s unpack this.
The Text
Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:11-13)
The Gentiles
An age-old question that has perplexed the minds of theologians over the centuries has been to attempt to answer where Gentile believers fit amongst the people of God in comparison with Jewish believers. We are unsure of the circumstance that prompted the above segment in Ephesians, but we can presuppose that the Gentiles were perhaps treated in a lesser status in the church than Jews. While vs. 1-10 dealt with what reconciliation looked like vertically with God, the following passages deal with what a resolution looks like horizontally between these groups. The salvation brought about in vs.1-10 has social and corporate implications upon the lives of Gentiles. Both are significant changes, and both are reliant upon a new position within a new creation. The great body representing God’s people on earth is no longer a privilege for the physical descendants of Abraham only. Paul wants to set the record straight and assure that those promulgating their inequality in the kingdom is rebuked. His clarification is argued by stressing their former state in the flesh and their current status in the Spirit.
Hand-Made Covenanters
If these Gentiles were to appreciate and understand their current blessings, they needed to know what they gained in Christ. They required a crash-course on how it was better from their former life. What are the privileges of being raised with Christ and seated in the heavenly places? Paul once again returns to their former life. Prior to taking this position, these believers were “Gentiles according to the flesh”. They didn’t share any ethnic association with the Jews or the patriarch Abraham and in return signified that they were probably either Greek, Roman, Barbarian etc. The term “Gentiles’ comes from a Jewish source, generally used as a derogatory term associated with the ungodly pagans who were outside the people of Yahweh. They were the uncircumcised which meant that they hadn’t received the sign of the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14) and hence were barred from being the people of God. They had no entitlement to any of God’s promises to Israel.
Paul identifies clearly who this derogative came from, mainly from the so-called circumcised which is performed by human hands. We detect a little sarcasm in his tone, probably because he saw little value in circumcision. He wrote in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything (Galatians 5:6) and Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. (1 Corinthians 7:19). This sign, while commanded from God under the Old Covenant, was administered by human hands rather than divine power. But under the New Covenant, the sign of the covenant by the work of the Spirit is a circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:29). The exceeding quality of the circumcision of the heart was not something unknown to a Jew (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6). The Rabbis in local synagogues certainly didn’t attribute any authenticity to their claim of being the people of God. This leads us to believe that those who were of the circumcision made with hands were law-abiding Jews and not those converts within the church body. These same Jews would have been looking forward into the future for the fulfillment for a divine circumcision (Jeremiah 4:4; 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:36) and sadly didn’t buy into the claim that these prophecies were fulfilled in the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon Gentiles.
Pre-Conversion on the Horizontal
In verse 12, the apostle Paul continues to relate to the Gentile’s their former state of affairs. This time, however, in relation to the people of God and not God Himself. What did life resemble prior to their conversion? There are five things that are mentioned about their past and all of them are related to Israel and the coming of God’s salvation.
Disconnected from the Messiah
Firstly, they were excluded or separated from Christ. Of course, all people are separated from Christ in their sin, but there is a special connotation here focusing upon the Gentiles and contrasting them from the Jews. So, how were the Gentiles uniquely separated from Christ in contrast to the Jews? The answer is that the Messiah belonged to Israel (Romans 9:5) and hence they expected Him to conquer the Gentiles on behalf of Israel. While there are promises of the blessing of the nations under the Old Covenant, their Messiah was never considered primarily the Messiah of the nations. In this new creation, resurrection, and ascension however, He would become a King and Saviour of a new Israel which consists of both Jews & Gentiles. What is probably the most fascinating turn of events in the bible is that this same Messiah would be rejected by the Jews but embraced by people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. The Son of David who came to save Israel would gather the nations and eliminate their distinctions in the entity called the church.
Non-Citizens
The second pre-conversion reality that the Gentiles lived was that they were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. The term “excluded” signifies one that is an alien and no citizenship within the nation. They had no passport and no national advantages. As Sam Storms points out:
The word “commonwealth” conveys the idea not only of a state or government but even more so of the rights extending to its citizens, i.e., privileges, blessings, resources, duties, etc. During the time of the old covenant God had restricted his elective purposes to Israel, but now, with the coming and cross of Christ, believing Gentiles are “fellow-citizens” (v.19).[1]
It’s important to remember that this was their former state. Formerly they were not the people of God, they were not citizens of Israel and didn’t have Yahweh as their God nor the advantages of the covenant blessings.
Strangers to Blessings
This brings us to the third reality mainly that they were strangers to the covenants of promise. Being outside of Israel meant that they were outside of the promise revealed by multiple past covenants. Notice the plural covenants which is probably referring to the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 15, 17; 26:2-5; 28:13-15) and possibly the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7). While the Jews would have known that the blessing of Abraham would eventually filter to all the nations of the earth, these believers in Asia Minor wouldn’t have had any exposure to this promise. The covenants of promise now apply to both Jews and Gentiles. These two parties inherit the promised blessings because they are both legitimately the children of Abraham by faith, because they received the circumcision of the heart, they were born of God which made them the true Jews and the true Israel. Attributing these covenant blessings to non-Jews brought about the disdain of ethnic descendants of Abraham against them.
The Hopeless
Being excluded from Israel and separated from Christ meant that the Gentiles were without hope. The hope that Israel was in the coming Messiah and in the resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:5). While this former state seems horrible, Paul moves to the crescendo. The worst part of their former state was that these Gentiles were without God in the world. Not only were they excluded from all blessings, but the God of Israel was also not their God. They worshiped Idols, images of non-existent deities but lacked the reality of having the living God Yahweh as their God.
Brought Near
In verse 13, the language of segregation suddenly shifts to inclusivity. There was a life altering factor that lead to their current new life. Paul is again contrasting the past with their present position. The apostle expounds the effects of being “in Christ Jesus” which resulted in you who formerly were far off have been brought near. The promises of God were for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:39). Being in Christ resulted in those Gentiles being brought near. No more would the Gentiles be excluded from the worship of Yahweh and the presence of the living God. They would be entitled to join equally with believing Jews in approaching the God of Israel in One Spirit of adoration, unified forever!
The Blood of Christ
This reality is further illuminated by the fact that they were brought near in Jesus Christ by His blood. The blood of Christ is the way by which we enter into God’s presence with confidence (Hebrews 10:19-20) because our hearts were sprinkled clean from the evil that separated us from Him (Hebrews 10:22). It is this blood that cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7) and appeases the Lord’s wrath against sin through His sacrifice (Romans 3:25). We are justified by this blood (Romans 5:1,9) and it purifies us to make us acceptable to enter. The blood of Christ is the essence of the New Covenant (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 12:24; 13:20). His blood was meant to grant the members of that covenant with a new heart so that all those in this covenant would have Yahweh as their God and they would be His people (Hebrews 8:8-13). Christians gather for the Lord’s Supper to remember this covenant made through His holy blood (1 Corinthians 11:25) to which we have been made servants (2 Corinthians 3:6). It wasn’t just the Gentile that required this blood but the Jew as well because His blood was on their hands (Matthew 27:25; Acts 5:28).
A Word of Encouragement
For those of us who are believers, while we maintain our citizenship in our respective countries, we are in fact a part of a greater country. We are ambassadors of a heavenly realm; sons of the Kingdom of the Most High God and we need to really begin thinking more fully in these terms. While the privileges that we receive are spiritual in nature, it can sometimes be challenging to place them above the rights of our physical abode. We need to exercise our faith, remind ourselves each day that we are sons and daughters of the living God, that we are citizens of a country without borders, we are recipients of present and coming promises but most importantly we have been brought near to the living God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel.
[1] Kingdom Come, Sam Storms, Christian Focus Publications, 2013, Page 183
The Moncton Herald 