Chapter 1 has disclosed what God purposed in eternity past in regard to Christ and the Church; chapter 2 discloses what God is doing at this present time. He is presently gathering the material that will comprise the Church by calling believers out from among the Jews and the Gentiles, and bringing them together into a “joint-body” (chap. 3:6). It is a special vessel of testimony He is forming in view of displaying Christ’s glory in the world to come (the Millennium). In the meantime, this same vessel has become the habitation of God by the Spirit, as a present testimony of His grace in this world.
Three Insurmountable Conditions Overcome by the Mercy, Love, and Grace of God
In chapter 2, we see the material that God has chosen lying in a most impossible state. Men and women from among the Jews and the Gentiles are dead in sins, far from God morally, and there is deep racial prejudice and variance between them. Hence, there are three seemingly insurmountable conditions which prevail over the whole scene where God has purposed to work. There is:
Spiritual death (vs. 1).
Moral distance from God (vs. 13).
Racial dissension (vss. 15-16).
Satan is also there to oppose the carrying out of the counsel of God, and thus thwart the purpose of God reaching its fruition. However, the same great power that has taken Christ out of death and set Him at God’s right hand in chapter 1 is seen here in this chapter overcoming these great obstacles of death, distance, and dissension, so that the purpose of God may be accomplished.
As in the first chapter, we see here all three Persons of the Godhead working to secure what God has purposed. There is:
The work of “God” quickening and creating us in Christ (vss. 1-10).
The work of “Christ” in redeeming and reconciling us (vss. 11-13).
The work of the “Spirit” bringing believing Jews and Gentiles together in one new man and giving them access to the Father (vss. 14-22).
Spiritual Death Overcome
Chap. 2:1-10—Firstly, we have God’s work in quickening and creating us in Christ and thus overcoming the obstacle of spiritual death.
Vss. 1-3—Three opposing forces are seen dominating and controlling those whom God has purposed to use in the formation of this new vessel—the “world,” “the prince of the power of the air” (the devil) and “the flesh.” This state of spiritual death is not a condition of irresponsibility, for these dead men are described as walking. It is to God they are dead; to the influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil, they are very much alive, and are controlled by them.
Vss. 4-6—However, three divine motives have brought God into action—His “mercy,” “love,” and “grace.” And, three great results have occurred—He has “quickened us together,” “raised us up together,” and we now “sit together” in heavenly places in Christ.
“Quickened” refers to the impartation of divine life to the soul whereby the spiritual faculties in a person become operative and thereafter he is able to receive divine communications. Elect Gentiles (vs. 1) and elect Jews (vs. 5) have experienced this quickening power. (Note: he says, “We too being dead in offences ... ” This refers to the Jews, of whom Paul includes himself.) The result is that both (believers from the Gentiles and the Jews) have been raised up together out of the condition of spiritual death, and have been seated together “in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” “With Christ” (vs. 5) indicates our association with Him in life, and “in Christ” (vs. 6) indicates our new standing before God in Him. We are presently seated in the heavenlies in Christ, but when He comes and takes us home to heaven, we will be seated there with Christ.
Vs. 7—Verses 1-3 have described what we were in the past as under the control of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Verses 4-6 describe our present position as raised up and seated together in Christ in the heavenlies. And verse 7 tells us of our future place of blessedness.
In “the ages to come” (the Millennium and the Eternal State) God is going to “display” before all His creatures “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” It is commonly thought that this verse is referring to the riches of God’s grace being showed to us in that coming day, but that is not the point in the verse. It is to the world that the exceeding riches of His grace will be shown (John 17:23). We are shown it now by the Spirit as we spend time in His presence in communion with Him (John 16:13-15); we do not have to wait until that day to learn of the wonders of His grace.
Vss. 8-9—This work of God is wholly “by grace.” To emphasize this, it is mentioned a second time. Even the “faith” to believe these wonderful things and to be saved is a “gift of God.” We have nothing to “boast” in personally.
Vs. 10—We are God’s “workmanship” and are part of a new creation race of men “created in Christ Jesus” for the purpose in which He has called us. Hence, the condition of spiritual death is no obstacle to God’s fulfilling His great purpose.
Moral Distance From God Overcome
Chap. 2:11-13—In this next section, the Apostle focuses on the work of “Christ” in redeeming and reconciling us, and thus overcoming the second great obstacle to God accomplishing His purpose.
Those whom God has purposed to use in His great plan to glorify His Son are not only dead in trespasses and sin (vs. 1); they are also far from Him morally and spiritually (vss. 11-12). By nature and practice, they are at a great moral distance from God. Being in such a state, they are totally unsuited for representing Him and displaying the glory of Christ. Before the grace of God reached us we were:
“Without Christ”—Christless.
“Aliens”—friendless.
“Strangers”—homeless.
“Having no hope”—hopeless.
“Without God”—godless.
However, through the work of Christ on the cross, God has overcome the obstacle of moral and spiritual alienation, and has brought us to Himself. We who were once “far off” are now “made nigh” in Christ. This is reconciliation. In 1st Peter 3:18 the Apostle Peter speaks of this great work of God. He says, “Christ also hath once suffered for sins (propitiation), the Just for the unjust (substitution), that He might bring us to God” (reconciliation).
The work of Christ is brought in here to show that God works sovereignly in quickening souls (vss. 1, 5) because He has a righteous basis on which to do it—“the blood of Christ” (vs. 13). The “blood” is the means of our cleansing by which we are made fit for the presence of God and able to be used for the display of His Son’s glory. The blood has met the need of our moral unsuitability by washing our sins away. Hence, by virtue of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ, man's moral distance from God is no obstacle to God in fulfilling His eternal purpose.
Racial Dissension Overcome
Chap. 2:14-22—In this section of verses, the work of the “Spirit” is prominent in bringing believing Jews and Gentiles together into “one new man,” making “peace” and giving them “access to the Father,” thus overcoming the obstacle of racial dissension and prejudice.
Vss. 14-15—Humanly speaking, Jews and Gentiles could never dwell together in unity. But God has done the impossible. Christ is “our peace who hath made both (Jew and Gentile) one.”
The aspect of “peace” here is racial. It is one of three parts to our standing in peace. Firstly, we have external peace Godward (Rom. 5:1). This is not a state of mind but a condition prevailing between two who were once alienated. Secondly, we have internal peace resulting from knowing deliverance from sin (Rom. 8:6). It is a peace in the mind and conscience flowing from resurrection life in the soul through the indwelling Spirit. Thirdly, we have racial peace existing between Jewish and Gentile believers who now dwell together in this one new company (Eph. 2:14-15). All three aspects of peace are connected with our standing in Christ and are ours the moment we are saved and sealed with the Spirit.
God has “annulled” (not “abolished” as in the KJV) the thing that gave cause for the enmity between the Jew and the Gentile—“the law of commandments in ordinances.” The enmity had developed from the presence of the law, which made a distinction between Jews and Gentiles in their customs and their manner of life. The Apostle makes an allusion to “the middle wall of partition” in the temple which separated the two. Every time the Jews went into the temple they were reminded of their privileged place with Jehovah, and it only fueled their pride and prejudice against the less privileged Gentiles. The Gentiles, on the other hand, have been vexed by the hypocrisy they see in the Jews (Rom. 2:24), and it has stirred their disgust and hatred for the Jew. Over time the “enmity” has become very deep-seated.
In Christianity, God has removed the division of Jew and the Gentile. He has “broken down” the middle wall of partition in this new company of believers and has “made, of the two, one new man.” The “one new man” is Christ—the Head in heaven—linked to the members of His body on earth by the indwelling Spirit. This is union in the body of Christ. Hence, in the one new man, the Jew is gone, and the Gentile is gone (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11), and with them, the enmity that existed.
Not only has God formed a union of Jews and Gentiles to Christ the Head in the one new man, but He has made it possible for there to be a practical unity among them. Union and unity are not the same thing. For instance, we could tie the tails of two cats together and have union, but we wouldn’t have unity. Unity is a practical thing in which the members of the one new man walk together in peace and with love for one another. This has resulted from “the enmity” being “slain” at the cross.
Vs. 16—A two-fold enmity had existed; firstly, between men and God, and secondly between the Jew and Gentile. But a two-fold reconciliation has brought them “unto God” in happy relations, and it has also brought them together “in one body” in a happy relationship.
Vss. 17-18—In the one body of Christ, not only do we dwell together, but we work together as God’s present vessel of testimony on earth. Christ, through the many members of His body, is presently preaching peace to the world—to those who are “afar off” (Gentiles) and them who are “nigh” (Jews). Those who believe and are brought into this favoured relationship with God in the Church now have equal “access by one Spirit unto the Father.” This is superior to the advantages the Jew had over the Gentile in approaching God in the Old Testament economy. They had a limited access to God; their approach to Jehovah was through a system of ordinances, which kept them at a distance from Him. Now believing Jews and Gentiles can approach “the Father” in the liberty of sonship in His immediate presence (Heb. 10:19-21).
Hence, God has overcome the seemingly impossible obstacle of racial dissension between Jew and Gentile, and has brought them into a relationship with Himself that is far beyond what was ever known by Israel before.
Various Links in the Formation of the Heavenly
Vessel of Testimony—the Church
We are made alive (quickening)—vss. 1-10.
We are made nigh (reconciliation)—vss. 11-13.
We are made one (union)—vss. 14-22.
Two Figures Used to Describe the Church’s Present Testimony—the Body and the House
There are two main figures used in the New Testament to describe the Church in its corporate setting—the body and the house. Verses 14-16 have given us the body of Christ, and in verses 19-22 we see the house of God. As the body of Christ we are to manifest unity, and as the house of God we are to manifest order according to God’s holiness.
Vs. 19—Christians are “fellow-citizens with the saints” in the heavenly city (vs. 19) and are destined to reign with Christ and will be the means of displaying His glory in the world to come. But in the meantime, God intends that the Church should be His present vessel of testimony on earth now. Hence, the body and the house come into view.
Vss. 20-21—There are two aspects of the house of God in the New Testament; firstly, it is in the process of being built by Christ, the Master Builder. Each believer is a living stone in the structure (Matthew 16:18; 1 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 3:6; 1 Corinthians 3:9a). People become part of the house by believing the gospel. As each new believer is added, the house “increases” until the last believer is built into it. Then it will be His “holy temple” and ready to display Christ’s glory in the world to come. The construction of the house has taken almost 2000 years. The first stones were put in place on the day of Pentecost, and when the last person is saved and put into the structure, the Lord will come and take the Church home to heaven.
Vs. 22—Secondly, the house is viewed as a place where God is presently dwelling by the Spirit. In this sense, it is a “habitation of God through the Spirit.” In the first aspect, believers “are” the house (Heb. 3:6); in the second aspect, believers (and false professing believers) are “in” the house (1 Tim. 3:15; 2 Tim. 2:20). In the first aspect we see God's sovereignty—He saves people and puts them into it. In the second aspect we see man's responsibility, where men are seen as having a part in the building of the house (1 Cor. 3:9-17). Consequently, there is the possibility of failure coming into the picture and bad material being built into the structure, though this is not contemplated here. In 2 Timothy 2:20, we see this aspect of the house in the hands of men, and false professors being brought into it and corrupting it, so that it has become “a great house” embracing all professing Christians, both real and false. The house of God in this aspect (in the hands of man) has become a place of corruption, confusion, and much failure.
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In conclusion, we see that nothing has or ever will hinder God from fulfilling His counsel concerning the formation of this heavenly vessel of testimony—the Church. Job rightly said, “I know that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted” (Job 42:2; Eccl. 3:14). The Church was conceived in eternal love and fashioned by the power and wisdom of God, so that He would have a suited vessel to display the glory of Christ. When the age of display (the Millennium) is ushered in, Christ will reign with His eternal complement at His side. She is there as His body and bride, not for her glory, but to enhance His glory. The whole scene will manifest the wisdom of God, the grace of God, and the glory of God.