Peace From Heaven

Peace from Heaven (Ephesians 2:11-22)

Among the many news feeds revolving around Racism, especially our own local news. Like Siya Kolisi being vocal about Black Lives Matter, or South African Cricket taking a bow for the same reason. And the desperate plea from many South African about farm murders, that does need more air time.

However, the one that got my attention was Mkaya Ntini sharing his experience as a cricketer of how he felt as a black man during his playing years. He basically said that, it wasn’t that the team was being racist – pushing him out. But they never really welcomed him in, as part of them or as one of the boys. Generally speaking, you don’t have to be a certain ethnicity to know the feeling of not belonging; you only have to be human. Which means that, it probably feels worse when being when not being welcomed in is ethnicity related. The feeling of not belonging, or not allowed in, and not fitting in.

Here in the rest of our passage, Paul stresses and fixes our minds on the Gentiles inclusivity, as equals, not only with other people but with God too. Because for Paul, being united, being one, and at peace with Jewish believers meant more than merely dealing with the exclusivity of the Gentiles. But it also meant understanding and accepting that their inclusion is now a priority.

Notice there is a change in Paul’s thinking from verse 11-12, where the sins of the Jews are clear. The Gentiles are oppressed and rejected by birth. And ridiculed for not being circumcised, basically for not being Jewish. According to the Jews, They also have no part in the citizenship and membership the Jews enjoyed. So they have no place among the Jewish Christians.

From verses 13-16, Paul puts forward Christ Jesus as the solution to the ethnical tension, specifically the Gentiles exclusion. That in his own flesh and in himself, he achieves a new humanity, who is one and near to God.

But now in verses 17-22, we notice Paul’s profound change of language, thought and projection of the Gentiles – moving his reasoning from the Gentiles’ exclusion to their inclusion. Contrary to being treated as second-hand humans, outside God’s people and outside God’s place. They are now part of God’s people and part of God’s place in the way the Jewish Christians are. Because of what Jesus Christ alone has done.

So Paul then declares their new status. Verse 19 says, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.  They were part of…Included in…and belonged to…Then verse 22 says, In him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. God dwells in the Gentiles too. Then in chapter 3:1 Paul continues to describes himself as “A prisoner of Christ” for the sake of the Gentiles. Meaning, he is responsible for the task of getting the Gentiles to be included in the church. Paul says in verses 2-5. That this is a mystery of God – that God made known to him. Then in verse 3, he tells us what the mystery is, and how he fits into the mystery. Verse 6 says, This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. They are heirs together, members together, and sharers together.

In other words, the weight of Paul’s thinking and reasoning and ministry continues to be towards the Gentiles as the oppressed and excluded. Stating their inclusion as their rightful place among the Jewish Christians. Even though Paul doesn’t exclude the Jews from the peace and new humanity Christ achieved. However, he makes sure the Ephesians understand that his point is that the Gentiles is part of God’s new humanity as well.

Paul’s Gentile focus can be noticed in one word in verse 19, that is, the word “Consequently”. Or it can be noticed in two words in the ESV, that is, “So then”. Almost to say, now that the Gentiles’ inclusion makes sense doctrinally, let’s put it into practice, receiving them as members in the church. Meaning, the result of Christ’s work on the cross is not that the Jewish Christians became obsolete and ostracized, since they are also the church and God’s people. But the Gentiles must, without question, be part of the community and welcomed in by the Jews.

This means that, if Paul’s attitude and ministry against tribalism is anything to go by – him fighting for the excluded to be included. And more so, by showing it in Christ work on the cross. Then the church’s conviction and commitment must be towards the oppressed, marginalized and segregated – welcoming them in. If you think about it, Ephesians 2:11-22, under the providence of God, was not written because both the Jewish and Gentile Christians suffered. But it exist because the Gentiles suffered. So the church have to ask who are the excluded among them? So they can welcome them in.

So we will focus on verses 17-18. Notice in these verses who Paul says welcomes the people in. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Meaning, the father welcomes in all people who are in Christ by giving them access to himself.

Notice the order of importance. Only after Paul says the Father welcomes all people in by giving them access. Does he then say in verse 19. That their welcome applies to the church too as fellow citizens and fellow members. Meaning, what applies for heaven must apply on earth. All to say, it would be disobedience, a sin, and an insult to God to reject on earth, who he accepts in heaven. Church! Think about it, any racist act and attitude to another believer is like saying to God that. Someone may be welcomed, included and acceptable to him. But to us they will remain outsiders and unwelcome. That they may be sons and daughters to him. But they are illegitimate children to us.

Notice in verse 17, the role of Christ the Son. Paul is clear that Jesus Christ achieved the access to the Father by preaching peace. Twice in verse 17, he says “He came and preached peace”. Christ the preacher achieves the pass to the Father. Verse 18 says, “Through him”. If someone  heard the sermon and word from the Preacher of heaven and responds positively, they are guaranteed access to the Father. Jesus says in John 14:6, talking about his prerogative to grant access to the Father. He says, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Access to the Father is a family-affair. No ethnicity comes to the Father based on their ethnicity itself. And no one can be denied access to the Father based on their ethnicity. There is no such thing as “Die Volk”, apart from Christ. Jesus Christ is the Preacher who came to preach the accessible path of righteousness to the Father. This is why the Ethiopian in Acts 8 could ask, “What can stand in the way of me being baptized?”, now that I have placed my trust in Christ.

Notice Paul’s trinitarian thinking. In verse 18 he says, We have…access by one Spirit. So not only did the Gentiles have access to the Father. And not only did they have access through Christ the Son. But their access to the Father was by the Spirit as well. In verse 22, Paul explains the Spirit’s involvement, “To become a dwelling in which God’s Spirit lives”. So it’s not only that the Gentiles had access to God the Father, through Christ, by one Spirit. But God the Father now in turn accessed them by the Spirit through Christ. In this way, to not welcome others in is therefore not only to say they have no access to the Father. But even worse, It’s to say that the Father, by the Spirit, has no access to them.

 

Paul says in Romans 8:14-15. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…The Spirit [they] received brought about [their] adoption to sonship. And by him, they cry ABBA, Father. Meaning, the Spirit, with the Son, brings about access to God’s people to be children. Consistent with that, the Spirit helps understand that God is with them as their Father. Paul is clear about the Gentiles inclusion in the church with the Jewish Christians. And he starts by showing first their divine inclusion. So the question is: does your welcome of others match the welcome of the Trinity? More relevantly, does your welcome of others from a different ethnicity match the welcome of the Father, Son, and Spirit has for them – him calling them children, and they saying Father.

My hope is that if Ntini, or anyone like him, whether colored, white, poor, or the disabled walks into the church. That they would not only say, that the church didn’t exclude them. But they will also be able t say that the church welcomed and included them as equals.