Christians are often told to “remember” this or the other thing. And this week in Pastor Dan’s series Paul reminds the Ephesian believers to consider all those things they did not naturally have, but now, as a result of Christ’s work, we do have.
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Eph 2:11-13 NAS
11 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–
12 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.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Why are believers repeatedly told in Scripture to REMEMBER?
The first place this occurs is in Exodus 13:3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place.
The most famous place is found in Luke 22 and 1 Cor 11 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you, this is my blood which is shed for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
As believers we are told over and over, even commanded, to remember where we have come from, where we are right now, and where we are going. We are reminded who we were apart from Christ, who we are in Christ, and who we will become in Christ.
The problem is, our memories are short and our gratitude wears thin. We are a forgetful people, and we are an ungrateful people.
What we are told in vv 11-12 is that at one time in their lives, the Gentiles in Ephesus, and at one time in our lives, we who are Gentiles, were formerly at a natural disadvantage to the Jews.
11“formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called the “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands. 12 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.
The natural advantages of the Jews are stated positively in Rom. 9:4-5 (ESV) 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.
By contrast, Gentiles, according to vv11-12, had several natural disadvantages in comparison to the Jews. Let’s look at each of those in turn.
First, Gentiles are naturally
1. Separated from Christ. They have no share in his human ancestry
Gentiles, by definition, were not descended from Abraham though Isaac. Jesus, however, was a direct descendant of Abraham.
In Matt. 1 we read, The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Jesus was descended from Abraham and David, Gentiles were not. Therefore, Gentiles were separated from Christ by natural descent. They were not members of the same natural family as Christ, therefore they were like strangers to him and him to them.
I’m much more aware of my own ancestors than I am of yours. I know who the notable characters were in my family but I don’t know yours. Likewise, the Gentiles of Paul’s day knew little of Abraham, David or Christ.
Gentiles are not only members of a different family from the Jews, they were citizens of a different country.
So second, we are told that Gentiles are naturally
2. Excluded from citizenship in Israel. Two OT examples include Ruth of Moab and Naaman of Syria.
Ruth appears in the OT book of Ruth as a foreigner from Moab who had been married to the son of a Jewish woman named Naomi. She had met her husband in Moab, where Naomi and her sons had gone during a period of famine in Israel. After her sons died, Naomi decided to return to her own land, and Ruth, her daughter-in-law, decided to go with her. Ruth, apparently had learned from Naomi during the years they were together, and had come to worship Naomi’s God, Jehovah. At first Naomi tried to persuade her to remain in Moab, but Ruth would not. Ruth said, “Urge me not to leave you, or turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (1:16). Notice that she could not say your God will be my God until she had first said your people will be my people. Ruth confessed here need for a change in nationality before there could be a change in her God.
Naaman was a general in the most powerful nation of his day, Syria. He was strong and respected yet he was also to be pitied, for somewhere along the way he had contracted leprosy, and there was no known cure. Through a young Jewish slave girl who had apparently been captured during one of his raids, Naaman learned of the existence in Israel of Elisha, who he had been told could cure him. He went to Palestine, but when Elisha refused even to come out to meet him and merely sent word that he was to wash himself seven times in the Jordan, Naaman’s national pride rose to the surface. He did not want to wash in the muddy Jordan compared to the beautiful Rivers of his own country. However his servant persuaded him to give it a try and he was cured. As a result he ordered his servants to fill several sacks with Jewish earth to take back to his own country. When he arrived there he had a frame made and had the earth poured into it so that he could pray to Jehovah on Palestinian soil. Naaman, a Gentile was willing to become a Jew, in order to continue to rely on the grace of the Jewish God who had healed him.
In both cases the Gentiles were saved, but they were saved by becoming Jews first. (Illustrations from James Boice, Commentary on Ephesians, p 78).
Third, Gentiles are naturally disadvantaged because they are
3. Foreigners to the covenants of promise. They have no share in the promises based on covenants given to Abraham, Israel and David. You might say they have no share in the family inheritance.
Listen to what was promised to Abraham and his descendants:
They were promised land. Of Abraham it was said in Gen. 15:18 (NLT) So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River–
They had a deed signed in blood. Of Israel in the wilderness it was said in Exod. 24:8 (NLT) Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the LORD has made with you in giving you these instructions.”
They were promised God’s everlasting loving kindness and an eternal heir to their throne. Of David it was said in Ps. 89:28-37 (NLT) I will love him and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end. I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven…. His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun. It will be as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!”
Before the coming of Christ, the Gentiles were unaware of any such promises for them. You might say they were destined to relative poverty by their exclusion from the promised inheritance.
Fourth, Gentiles were naturally
4. Without hope
The Biblical definition of hope is “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” With no privileges in the present or promises for the future, the ancient gentiles had no hope. No hope things will be good or get better.
They had only impotent self-dependence as was the case in King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in Dan 5:20,…whose “heart and mind were puffed up with arrogance” or dependence on the impersonal forces of fate.
Here’s what some famous people have written about fate:
- Fate … creeps like a rat —Elizabeth Bowen
- The Fates, like an absent-minded printer, seldom allow a single line to stand perfect and unmarred —George Santayana
- Fate treats me mercilessly, like a storm treats a small boat —Anton Chekhov
- Like warp and woof all destinies are woven fast —John Greenleaf Whittier
- We’re like dice thrown on the plains of destiny —Rita Mae Brown
—Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Fate is naturally pessimistic because it is impersonal and therefore hopeless.
Finally, Gentiles were naturally
5. Without God in the world
The implication is that the world is a dangerous place and the Gentiles naturally have only dumb and deaf idols who are impotent to help them.
The Jews by contrast had been promised God’s presence…
1 Ki. 8:11 (NLT) The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple.
And God’s provision and protection…
Gen. 12:2-3 (NLT) I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
However, this is not where the story of the Gentiles ends. Did you notice embedded in the promise to the Jews was a promise to the gentiles as well? In Genesis 12:3 we read, “All the families of earth will blessed through you.” The Jews were blessed in order to be a blessing. However, until Christ came this was overlooked.
The gospel of Christ is good news because it turns things in the world upside down – the first shall be last, the last shall be first, if you want to be great you must be the servant of all, the meek, not the strong, shall inherit the earth, and so on.
Gentiles, including you and I, not only have a THEN, they also have a NOW that has been brought about by Christ. He is the natural son of Abraham by which the Gentiles are blessed.
Paul wrote in verse 13 in our passage,
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off1have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
The phrase far off is a shorthand way of referring to the natural disadvantages of the Gentiles in verse 12.
Peter used a similar metaphor when preaching on Pentecost. Act 2:39 “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
This verse answers two questions:
-Who brought you near, and How you were brought you near.
Gentiles, though naturally separated, excluded, strangers, hopeless and Godless, are brought near IN CHRIST by means of HIS SHED BLOOD on our behalf. He is our redemption and our salvation. Not our family, our nationality, our job, our wife or husband or children.
V 13 tells us first that our redemption is found IN CHRIST…
If you’re looking for redemption from your natural family you won’t find it there. Though we are not naturally children of Abraham, in Christ we are members of his family including both Jews and Gentiles. However horrible or great our natural family, we have the promise in Christ of an even greater family in the household of God, the church here on earth, and a perfect family one day in heaven.
If you’re looking for salvation in the next presidential election, you won’t find it there. In the natural, we are citizens of nations that struggle with crime, unemployment, poverty, unjust laws and leaders. But in Christ our true citizenship is in heaven which is a perfect kingdom ruled by a perfect king.
If you’re looking for redemption through a family inheritance or winning the lottery you won’t find it there. In the natural, we may never receive a family inheritance. But in Christ we have an imperishable, undefiled inheritance awaiting us in heaven and the promise that we will surely receive it.
If you’re looking to find hope in your job, a promotion or raise, or in your husband or wife or children, you won’t find it there. Though we may have little or no hope in this world in the natural, but we can be optimistic about the future because Christ has gone before us and will ultimately make all things right.
If you’re looking for comfort or protection or provision from the things of the world you won’t find it there. Though we may feel alone or unsafe or sad or empty in the world, in Christ we can be assured of God’s presence, provision and protection.
V 13 also tells us finally that our redemption is BY MEANS OF HIS BLOOD, that is, by his substitutionary death in our place –
Jesus was willing to be separated from his family in heaven and to be rejected by his earthly family in order to join us to his heavenly family. He became a stranger that we might become family.
Jesus gave up his citizenship in heaven and became a citizen of one of the smallest and most insignificant of nations on earth in order to make us citizens of the kingdom of heaven. He became a foreigner that we might become citizens.
Jesus gave up the riches and glory of heaven in order to purchase a heavenly inheritance for us. He became poor that we might become rich.
Jesus gave up his secure future in heaven and placed his destiny in the hands of men who hated him in order to give us future full of hope. He faced hopelessness that we might have hope.
Jesus gave up his Father’s eternal love in order to purchase eternal love for us. He suffered God’s wrath to earn God’s favor for us.
He became a stranger, a foreigner, impoverished, hopeless and Godless that we might become with him fellow members of his family and his kingdom, and that we might have a certain hope for the future and God’s everlasting fellowship and favor.
God, grant us a renewed vision of Christ’s work as we remember all he has done to bring us near to You that we might be ever filled with gratitude that wells up into worship.