One New Humanity
Notes
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Introduction:
Last week we began answering the question: “What is the church?”
And to begin with, we looked at the picture of the Flock and the Fold. First of all we understood the context of the man born blind. Jesus healed the blind man in such a way, making clay to put over his eyes and having him wash in the pool of Siloam, that He (Jesus) annoyed the Pharisees. This became such an issue, because it forced a decision on the identity of Jesus (was He of God or not), that the Pharisees ended up casting the man who had been blind out of the synagogue- which in effect meant they cast the man out of the nation of Israel. They made it impossible for him to continue being a Jew.
Then we get to John 10 and we learn that actually, Jesus was Himself, as the Good Shepherd, leading the man who was blind out of the fold.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
We discovered that the fold was National Israel. And because Israel as a nation had rejected Jesus as their Messiah, God temporarily set them aside, and started something new. That something new Jesus calls a flock. He led out Jewish believers from the fold, and he gathered non-Jewish believers (Gentiles) and combines them together and makes of them ONE FLOCK with ONE SHEPHERD.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Last week we drew out from this discussion several implications that help us to answer the question what is the Church. One of those implications was the nature of the unity of the church. The unity that we have within the church is no longer external (there is no longer any fold), instead the unity in the FLOCK is organic, it is attained by following the shepherd. There are no external walls that contain the FLOCK- they stay together as a FLOCK because of their common following of the Shepherd.
This week we are going to once again look at the idea of unity within the church. Is there anything else, besides our common following of our Shepherd that gives us unity? In other words, following our Shepherd is a very subjective task. Is there any objective source of unity within the church? Yes there is an objective something that takes place that constitutes the church.
And to see that we need to turn to Ephesians 2
In our passage, in Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul wants the believers in the local NT church in Ephesus, to remember several key truths. And in commanding these believers remember key truths Paul lays out for us some very important teaching concerning the NT church.
We also, as believers in the local NT church in Oconomowoc, must remember several key truths if we are going to grasp God’s teaching concerning the NT church.
What truths does Paul want us to remember?
I. We must Remember our former position without Christ (vv. 11-12)
I. We must Remember our former position without Christ (vv. 11-12)
A. Our Separation (vv. 11-12)
A. Our Separation (vv. 11-12)
11 Wherefore remember, 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;
12 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:
Main command of the paragraph: “Remember!” (Pres, Act, Imperative, 2nd, pl)
You used to be Gentiles in the flesh
You used to be mocked by the Jews as being separated from the people of God. Paul says you used to be called “Uncircumcision.” The meaning of this word is rather lost in the English translation. This word was actually an insult that Jews used to hurl at Gentile people. They would insult them by calling them “Uncircumcision.” Actually, in the Greek this term means the part of the physical body that gets removed. It is really an insult. And would call them this insulting term? Those who are called “Circumcision.” But notice it was those circumcised in the flesh made by hands. In other words the ones insulting them were ethnic Jews, those who came from Jewish decent. Those within the fold. Important difference between circumcision made with hands and those without hands.
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
So what Paul is saying, is that at one time there was great division between the Jewish race and the Gentile race. God never intended it to be that way. God intended for his chosen people to be a beacon to the world to invite other people to know God in a personal way. But Israel instead twisted their privilege and became proud and instead of reaching other nations for God, began mocking other nations because of their status as the people of God. And naturally the Gentiles nations responded in turn. And so there developed hostility between Jewish people and Gentiles.
You were separated from Christ
You were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel (body of citizens) i.e. (if we use the John 10 imagery) they were outside of the fold (the external set of criteria that made one a Jew)
Being outside the fold, in the OT, meant that you were also strangers to the covenants of promise
Having no part in God’s covenants meant that you were not part of the people of God, which meant that you had no hope and were without God in the world.
This is all speaking of your former position in relation to God. In vv. 1-3 Paul detailed what that meant practically in your everyday life.
B. Our Sinfulness (vv. 1-3)
B. Our Sinfulness (vv. 1-3)
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked 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:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Practically, you were dead in your trespasses and sins
You lived your life according to the course of this world (the destructive thinking and habits that permeate secular society), you bought into the lies of the prince of the power of the air, who is the spirit at work in the sons of disobedience. In other words, before Christ you were so dead in your sins that you too would have bought into homosexuality, transgender-ism, 3rd term abortion, and the list goes on and on. You used to follow (hook, line, and sinker) the course of this present world.
You used to live only according to the lusts of your flesh
You indulged in the desires of the flesh and of your sin cursed mind
You were children of wrath
Paul wants you to remember this. He wants you to remember where you came from, what you were like before Christ. And where were we? I think he sums it up best in v.12- we had no hope and were were completely without God in the world. Remember! I used to be dead in my sins, separated from Christ, outside of the possibility of participating in God’s promises- hopeless, Godless.
BUT ALSO! Remember!
II. We must Remember our present reality IN CHRIST (vv. 13-18)
II. We must Remember our present reality IN CHRIST (vv. 13-18)
A. IN CHRIST we have been brought near (v. 13)
A. IN CHRIST we have been brought near (v. 13)
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Remember our former position without Christ.
12 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:
You were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel (body of citizens) i.e. they were outside of the fold (the external set of criteria that made one a Jew)
Being outside the fold, in the OT, meant that you were also strangers to the covenants of promise
Having no part in God’s covenants meant that you were not part of the people of God, which meant that you had no hope and were without God in the world.
BUT NOW (One of the great contrasts in Scripture)- You (Gentiles) are made nigh (you have been brought near). γίνομαι- (Aor, Pass, Ind) to enter or assume a certain state or condition. At a point in time in the past, by means of something external to yourself, something other than you did this.
You (Gentiles) were made nigh, how? By the blood of Christ.
Where once you were without hope and without God, now you have been brought near to God, near to hope, only by means of the blood of Christ. IN CHRIST you have full hope and full access to God’s presence. Gentiles were not brought near to the fold (national Israel, remember John 10), instead they have been brought into the flock.
Does this remind you of another passage of Scripture that we just looked at recently?
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
You are commanded to REMEMBER this. I don’t mean that you should simply and only nod your head in agreement. I don’t mean simply that you should remember this here and now today as you sit in church. I mean, and Paul means for you to constantly remember this. I mean that when you wake up in the morning you should speak to yourself and say, “Self, you have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Preach that message to yourself daily. Reckon it to be true of you. Remind yourself repeatedly and passionately until it changes how you live on a daily basis.
Sometimes we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and say to ourselves, “I am no longer dead in trespasses and sins, I no longer walked according to the course of this world, I no longer live according to the lusts of my flesh, I no longer indulge the desires of my flesh and my sin cursed mind. I am no longer separated from Christ, I am no longer without hope, I am no longer without God. No, indeed! I have been brought near by the blood of Christ. I now have boldness to enter into God’s presence. I have the privilege of drawing near to God.”
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“It is not only that I know the doctrines of justification and sanctification, and something of the doctrine of God. Yes, but what matters is whether I am applying them. Am I living in the light of these things? That is the life and walk of faith. Faith means that this is the truth about me and therefore I live like this.”
Are you living in light of these things? What does that mean? It means you are constantly reminding yourself of these truths. You are speaking to yourself. You are preaching to yourself until you actual live like it!
If we preached that message to ourselves every day, how would it impact the way we lived?
B. IN CHRIST we have been made one (vv. 14-18)
B. IN CHRIST we have been made one (vv. 14-18)
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
In v. 14 Paul switches from “you” language to “we” language. Up until now Paul has been addressing the Gentiles believers in the church in Ephesus. Now Paul switches to the idea that Christ is “OUR” peace. Who’s peace? Both Jews and Gentiles. Here Paul begins his teaching regarding the NT church.
Christ made peace between Jew and Gentile by means of the blood of the cross. And Christ made both Jew and Gentile ONE. How did Christ accomplish this? He broke down the middle wall of partition between us- Christ, in shedding his blood on the cross became Himself peace between Jew and Gentile, by braking down the barrier of the dividing wall (fence) that stood between Jew and Gentile. What was this barrier? What was this dividing wall?
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
In many respects it was the law that set up the barrier between Jew and Gentile. In Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, He has broken down the barrier, the fence. As the church we are no longer under the law (The Mosaic Law- with some 600 plus commandments). Jesus has broken down that barrier, in that He has become our perfect righteousness. He did what we could never do in perfectly keeping the law, and in His shedding His blood for our sins (because of our failure to keep God’s law), Christ has taken away the righteous demands of the law, by both fulfilling all of the its requirements and by satisfying all of God’s justice on our behalf. So Christ is our peace, He has made both Jew and Gentile ONE by removing the barrier, the Mosaic Law.
What was Jesus’ purpose in making peace between Jew and Gentile? Paul tells us in the end of v. 15. In order to make in Himself of two, ONE NEW MAN- or your could translate that- ONE NEW HUMANITY, so making peace.
What does that mean- ONE NEW HUMANITY? It means that Jesus created a whole new race. Before there was Jew and Gentile, now in Christ there is something new. There is a new humanity. There is a new race.
Now the topic of race is a touchy subject in our society. But we don’t think about race in our culture the same way that Paul thought about race. When we think about race we normally think in terms of skin color, or a particular region of the world. But for Paul, race was most importantly connected to the idea of family or ancestry. What did it mean to be part of the Jewish race? It meant that you were connected to Abraham. What did it mean that you were of the tribe of Judah? It meant you were connected to Judah as an ancestor.
What Paul is teaching is that your earthly ethnicity has been transcended. Where there used to be only Jew and Gentile, now there is a new humanity, a new race, and it is the one that really matters. And your new transcended ethnicity, your new race, your new family, is Christian. You are now a follower of Jesus Christ. You are a sheep in the FLOCK. If ethnicity is spoken of in terms of family- what implications does that have for believers. In what sense can we say that the church is a new race or a new humanity?
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
So, God has made us as one ethnicity. Those of us who are in the flock we are one race, because we have been brought together into one body. Here again we have a new picture, a new metaphor. What is this ONE BODY that Paul is talking about?
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Here we discover that believers are all added though immersion (baptism) of the Holy Spirit into the ONE BODY. Scripture teaches us about two kinds of baptism. There is water baptism, and we just had an excellent example of that in our church. Water baptism happens after salvation, it is a means of identification with Christ, it is a step of obedience. It adds nothing to our salvation, but it is an important step in being a disciple of Jesus. The second kind of baptism that Scripture talks about is Spirit baptism. This is something that happens to all believers, at the moment of salvation. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, is to immerse us or add us into the ONE BODY.
What exactly is the ONE BODY? Can we put a label on it from Scripture? Well if you keep reading in I Corinthians you discover that this ONE BODY is called the body of Christ. And if you turn with me back to Eph 1.22 we will find a label for what that one body of Christ is called.
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
So the Holy Spirit has united us to the ONE BODY which is Christ’s body. We have union with Christ by means of the Spirit. We are joined to Christ by means of the Holy Spirit, and because He has united us all to ONE BODY, He has also united us to ONE ANOTHER. So we are unified as ONE, IN Christ’s body. You think of your own body, it has many parts- fingers, eyes, toes, mouth. But they are all one, because they are all a part of one body. We too are all one because we have been objectively joined together into the body of Christ.
So coming back to Eph 2.15 and 16. We are all of us, as a church objectively unified. Because Christ has made all of us one new humanity, one new race, one new ethnicity. And how did Christ do that? By reconciling us into ONE BODY. What is the ONE BODY? It is His body, it is the church. This is fundamental to our unity. Subjectively, we have unity by following our Shepherd. Objectively we have unity because we are all ONE NEW RACE by means of all of us being added to the Body of Christ.
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Christ came, He preached peace to those afar off (who are those? Gentiles), and to them that were nigh (who are those? Jews). For through Jesus we have both (both Jew and Gentile) access by one Spirit unto the Father. We just saw from I Cor 12 how the Holy Spirit adds us into the Body of Christ. And the Spirit brings us, as a body, united in Christ into the presence of the Father.
Paul considers this truth something very important for us as a church to remember. We have unity, in that we have been brought nigh by Christ’s blood. Near to God, by means of being added to the ONE BODY by the Spirit, near by means of being made into ONE NEW HUMANITY. So, united as ONE by the blood of Jesus, the Spirit forms us all into ONE BODY, objectively unified, and we are given access to the Father. Remember, Faith Baptist Church, you are ONE NEW HUMANITY! One new race, one new ethnicity. Because you are all part of the ONE BODY- the church.
How does our ministry change to one another if we really understand and embrace and live this truth?
III. We must remember God’s plan in building our church (vv. 19-22)
III. We must remember God’s plan in building our church (vv. 19-22)
A. What God has already accomplished (vv. 19-20)
A. What God has already accomplished (vv. 19-20)
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Now therefore! Paul is summing all of this teaching up for us. What does all of this teaching about the new humanity and the one body, and our former position, and our present reality- where is he going with all this?
Now therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners. You have been brought near, in Christ, by the Spirit, in ONE BODY, having been made into ONE NEW HUMANITY- one new race, one new ethnicity. So Paul can say, you are fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Here is the plan of God unfolded. God is building the church, the one body, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ is the most important part- He is the cornerstone. But this is why God did all that He did in bringing Jew and Gentile together. Notice Paul switches metaphors here again. Now the church is compared to a what? A building. But Paul still can’t get away from the body analogy, He can’t get away from the fact that the church is living, its organic.
B. What God is presently accomplishing (vv. 21-22)
B. What God is presently accomplishing (vv. 21-22)
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
God is fitting all the pieces of the body of Christ together into a building. And notice what they building is doing. The building grows! When is the last time you saw a building grow. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just go outside and plan building seeds, and water them, and care for them, and then come harvest time, up pops our new church building? That makes no sense whatsoever when you think of the church as a structure made of wood and stone. Again the building is not the church. We are the church. We are the body of Christ. We are the new humanity. And here in v. 21 I think God has in view the entire body of Christ- that is all believers from the time of Pentecost until the time of the rapture. God is fitting them all together and we are all growing. What kind of building are we growing into? A holy temple in the the Lord. That’s what the church is. It is a holy temple. It is the place where God’s presence dwells. Now all of this teaching about the church- is teaching concerning the universal church.
Invisible (because of what joins us together as a body is invisible). Universal (all believers everywhere from the time of Pentecost- we know this because it is the baptising work of the Holy Spirit that adds one to the body of Christ per I Cor 12.13. When did this first occur? Answer- Pentecost. And the Spirit continues to add believers into the body of Christ until Christ returns and raptures His church out of this world. So all believers from Pentecost to the rapture are all part of the new humanity and the one body and all of them are part of the building that grows unto a holy temple for the Lord. This is all doctrine concerning the Universal Invisible church.
Why does that matter for us? We are a small local visible church. Answer is found in v. 22.
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
V. 22 is addressed to the specific congregation in Ephesus. In whom YOU also. That means that how we think about ourselves as a church, and how we actual carry out the business of being a church must be based on God’s plan for the universal invisible church. What does that look like?
Paul says that you (Faith Baptist Church) also are being built together for an habitation, a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. So, the unity that characterizes the universal church, should be replicated in the local church in order that we might be a proper dwelling place for God. That is what we are. There is a unique way in which God’s presence dwells in this local body of believers, that is not true of individual believers on their own. And in order for this body to be a fit dwelling place there must be unity. The unity that comes from being one body and one new humanity. It is an objective unity given to us by God through the cross of Christ. Our job is to maintain that unity.
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
This is God’s plan, this is God’s purpose- to bring you together in one body, as one new humanity. A building growing together in lowliness and meekness and longsuffering, and putting up with one another- all in an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So that we can be a fit dwelling place for God our Father, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Faith Baptist church remember this!
As believers in the local NT church in Oconomowoc, must remember several key truths if we are going to grasp God’s teaching concerning the NT church.
We must Remember our former position without Christ
We must Remember our present reality IN CHRIST
We must remember God’s plan in building our church
You are all part of the ONE BODY. You are all part of the ONE NEW HUMANITY. You are all part of the ONE FLOCK with ONE SHEPHERD. You are all growing together to be a proper dwelling place for God.