You were dead in trespasses and sins, but now quickened; you were walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air—the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; among whom also we all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. Thus, the saints are reminded of their former condition, under the power and sway of a three-fold enemy -the world, the flesh, and the devil; but God’s power was greater; you hath He quickened. But what objects are these? We were not only under the power of this three-fold enemy; but we loved it. And such are the objects of God’s love, His mercy, and His grace. God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He lived us, even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. What power! What love! what grace! He first places Christ as Man at His own right hand, to be head over all things; Head of His body the Assembly; and then quickens us together with Him, thus overcoming the three-fold power of the enemy, raises us up together, and makes us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ. Here in connection with this, Christ is brought in as Head, and the believers are shown their relation to Him as members of His body. He is seen in a double character with everything put under Him, as Head over all things; but secondly, as Head of His body the Assembly, in conjunction He is to reign. He and His body together will reign over all things. In Hebrews 2 we see not yet all things put under Him, but we see Jesus exalted and the many sons brought to glory. But here in Eph. 1 everything is seen according to the counsels and purposes of God, and so it is looked at as already done. And when the operation of the Holy ghost is shown in regard to the Church (Eph. 2), it is looked at as the whole body of saints between the cross and Pentecost gathered in. It is not till quite at the end of Ephesians 2 and the beginning Ephesians 4, that we see the Church as a visible thing on earth.
What blessed power then, love and grace, there is to carry the saints through, and make them in the meantime walk as members of the body of Christ! Yea, even if only two or three in a place walk together in this manner they have all the power and love and grace of God on their side, to carry them through against all the power of the enemy; and God means us to be throughout all the ages to come, the exhibiters of His love and grace through Christ Jesus. By grace truly we are saved, through faith. By grace-the free favor of God, on His side; on our side, by faith. But if of faith, are we to boast? Nay, that is the gift of God. It is not of works, lest any man should boast. On the contrary, we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Thus, faith and works are but a proof of God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in. The moment we get on the resurrection side of the cross, life in Christ connects itself with the soul, for we see in John 20:22Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. (John 20:2)2 The Lord breathing into His disciples His own Spirit of life, and from this life good works flow out. Besides this the Holy Ghost unites us to Christ as members of his body (Acts 2), so that we get one with the risen Man, and so in spirit are risen with Him. He is raised as Man by God; we are raised with Him by the Holy Ghost. This is more than mere quickening; we are united to the raised Man as already quickened, and so raised with Him. It is only in this sense that we can say we are raised with Christ, for it is clear our whole man is not raised yet; our bodies are still unredeemed. But in Spirit, as united to Christ, and already born again, we can say we have a distinct place with the Son in resurrection. We are raised in Him and seated in the heavenlies in Him. It is clear that we are not yet with Him. We are still actually on earth, whereas He is actually in heaven. I say this to guard against an error (which comes further on in the Epistles), of some saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrowing the faith of some. It is alone as quickened, and united by the Holy Ghost to the dead and risen Man, that we can say that we are dead and risen with Christ. Such is the blessed place where grace has set us here. To God be all the glory!
We come now to the position the Church holds with respect to the ways of God with this earth, and for this the believers are referred back to the original position of Jew and Gentile.
We are called to remember what we were. Wherefore remember, says the apostle, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision, by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. The world before Christ, after the call of Abraham was divided into this two-fold state; Jews and Gentiles. The nations after the flood having gone into idolatry, were handed over to a reprobate mind (see Rom. 1) and Abraham was called out as a testimony for God, in separation from evil, and to him was given the covenants of promise. From him was descended the Jewish nation who were brought out of Egypt by the power of God, and become His witness on the earth, against the idolatry of the nations, being outwardly brought nigh to Him. God dwelt amongst them in a tabernacle and then in a temple; gave them the law and then displayed amongst them His government as Jehovah. Circumcision was the outward mark in the flesh which distinguished them from the nations; which signifies a cutting off of the flesh. Thus, the Gentiles were afar off-the Jews outwardly brought nigh. But now this state of things had all come to an end. The Jews had filled up their iniquity by rejecting their Messiah and King when He offered Himself to them, and they were rejected in consequence for them as God’s nation. Now in Christ Jesus, ye Gentile believers, who sometimes were afar off are brought nigh by the blood of Christ. By birth they were Gentile; now in Christ Jesus dead and risen they got a new position and a new birth. In Christ Jesus on the ground of His blood they had been brought nigh, for Christ was their peace. He had made both Jewish and Gentile believers one in Himself. There was not only enmity between man and man, but the law of commandments contained in ordinances was the great means of keeping it up. The Jew was forbidden by the law to have anything to do with the Gentile. The Jew was on the ground of keeping the law and was in relationship with Jehovah: the Gentiles were outside-without God, without hope in the world. Thus,, as long as the law went on, there could not be union between Jew and Gentile into one body. The whole principle was to keep them apart. But now Christ has come in. He perfectly fulfilled the law as Jew, took up its claims in His own Person, answered to it all, and in His flesh in death He abolished it, took it out of the way, and having risen, He had laid the foundation of a new creation; having ascended up on high and sent down the Holy Ghost, He has united these two into one-He has formed one new man; Himself the risen and ascended Head, Jewish and Gentile believers, newly created into one, the body. Thus,, peace was made, the enmity abolished and, forasmuch as man and man were enemies to each other and to God, so by the cross He has reconciled both unto God in one body, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to the Gentiles afar off, and to the Jews who were nigh. Thus, man is brought nigh to God through the Peacemaker. In the cross Christ having fulfilled the law in His own Person, abolished it. The enmity between man and God in Christ are thus brought to an end, Christ having died for us. There the Jewish believer ended his history, there likewise the Gentile, and by the resurrection and ascension, and the descent of the Holy Ghost, these believers were united together in a new creation, a new man, brought nigh to God in perfect peace.
Thus,, a new circle was formed in the world, outside the Jewish and Gentile circles, brought into a new position and state by the death and resurrection of Christ, these believers’ original state had ended for faith at the cross, and Christ having ascended up on high and the Holy Ghost having come down, they were united together to Him in the glory and to one another on earth. This was the body of Christ, which is here called the new man. As the great image of Daniel 2 was a display of the glory of the nations, so the body of Christ now became the display of God’s glory on the earth, and of what He was purposing to do. Alas, now, what has it become! But such was what it was at first, and no true heart could read Acts 2 without being saddened with the contrast between what the Church (Footnote: My reader will do well to remember that the word church is translated from the Greek word ekklesia, signifying an assembly.) was when it was first set up, and what it is now. Then all were together; they counted nothing as their own; they broke bread from house to house; they ate their meet with gladness and singleness of heart. But let us return. Through Christ they now had access by one Spirit unto the Father. They had now liberty to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth; He being the Object of worship, Christ the way to the Father, and the Spirit the power to draw nigh.
But being brought nigh they are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God, being built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building fitly framed together, was growing into an holy temple in the Lord; whilst they, the saints at Ephesus, were builded together as a present habitation of God through the Spirit.
Here we come to the third great relationship of the believers as set forth in this Epistle. First, we have seen that they are related to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, by nature and adoption as sons, and heirs of His inheritance; secondly, to Christ as the Head of the body of which they were the members; thirdly, here, tothe Holy Ghost, who dwelt in the Assembly on earth as in a habitation. What a unity to be brought into! What a holy place! Such was the Assembly as first set up. First, it is the body of Christ according to God’s eternal counsels, a circle to be manifested in a world outside Jew and Gentile (comp. Eph. 4:1-51I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (Ephesians 4:1‑5); 1 Cor. 12;27). Secondly, it is Christ’s building growing up into an holy temple in the Lord (comp. Mat. 16:16-18; 1 Pet. 2:4-54To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4‑5)). In this respect it is unfinished but will be displayed in the new Jerusalem when Christ returns to reign over the earth( comp. Rev 21).
Thirdly, believers are now builded together on earth to be an habitation of God through the Spirit. This is the visible aspect of the Assembly on earth.
It is well to be clear on these points for Rome has mixed up the outward church with the real spiritual building which Christ is building and which He keeps in His own hands; so that the gate of hell shall not prevail against it. We must not confound Christ’s building (Mat. 16:16-18) with that which was handed over to man’s responsibility; as the apostle Paul says in 1 Cor. 3:10-1610According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Corinthians 3:10‑16), I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let everyman take heed how he buildeth thereon. Alas for the Church on account of the builders who have not taken heed to Paul’s warning. One has built on the foundation good material-gold, silver, precious stones; others, bad; and so the building has been growing up in the world, till, in 2 Tim. 2:19-2219Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. 21If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 22Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:19‑22), we find the Assembly likened to a great house, full of vessels, some to honor and some to dishonor. And the word is now to depart from iniquity—follow righteousness, peace, love with those that call on the lord out of a pure heart. Again, If thou shalt return, thou shalt stand before Me; in returning and rest shall ye be saved (Jer. 15:1919Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. (Jeremiah 15:19); Isaiah 30:1515For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. (Isaiah 30:15)).
Oh, dear believers, think of your solemn position. Alas! God’s habitation has been turned into a den of thieves. The Holy Ghost’s presence is utterly disowned and disbelieved. Man’s order has come in taking the place of God’s; so that now a man clothed in the garb of a priest, or dressed in white reading out of prayer book, and conducting divine service for a congregation the majority of whom are unconverted worshippers, is held to be doing things decently and in order; whilst Christians who meet simply as members of Christ, owning the presence of the Holy Ghost in their midst, remembering the Lord in the breaking of bread, and edifying one another in love, are said to act contrary to that principle. All I ask any dear Christian to do is to read 1 Cor. 14, comparing it with the chapters that precede (11-13), and see who are those who are doing things decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:4040Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40)). No wonder God says, Return! If I have departed from His standpoint I must return to it. If God’s habitation has grown to a great house I must depart from iniquity in it, to stand upon God’s original ground. If Christ’s body has been turned into many bodies, I must, in faithfulness to Him, disown the many bodies with their memberships, to own Christ Head of His body, and His membership. The great point in the Church is to see on the one hand that it is Christ’s body, on the other hand that it is God’s habitation. How can unconverted people be united to Christ or His body? It would be to connect sin with Christ. How can evil, moral or doctrinal be allowed in God’s house? If so, and it is not put out, each individual must depart from iniquity to purge himself, in order to be true to that Blessed Holy Spirit that dwells there. Dear reader, excuse this diversion; it is rather the subject of 1St Corinthians and 2 Timothy, but the importance of it has made me refer to it. What I desire every one to realize is that the Assembly is Christ’s body. He is the Head of it, exalted to the right hand of God, above everything. And the Assembly is God’s house on earth, and the Holy Ghost come down from heaven indwells it. There is no other Assembly but this, and chapter 4:4-6 calls our attention to this. (See Eph. 1:22,2322And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:22‑23); 1 Tim. 3:1515But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)). Thus,, Christ as Head must give His character to the body; and if God is in His house, He must rule, and not man.