Ephesians 2:11-20

Read Ephesians 2:11-20.

Paul begins here talking about circumcision. The Jews were required by their law to circumcise their male children. It was by this mark that one would "prove" they were a Jew. I've often wondered how it is that circumcision would be an outward sign of a relationship with God. My mind wonders how that is outward at all, being covered by clothes and robes? Anyways, Paul tells us point blank that circumcision was a physical thing, not a spiritual act. It wasn't a change of heart, just a change of physical characteristics that made them who they were.

Remember these baby Christians in Ephesus were being told (not by Paul but by other converts), "you have to become like us." "It's not good enough just to believe, you must become a Jew, you must act like us, you must look like us." Paul combatting that mentality says, No! Christ died to break down barriers between people. You can be in Christ a new creation and not have to become a Jew.

Today, many in our world are so hopeless. They know nothing of God and the hope that is offered through Christ. How can we witness today of God's love to the hopeless? How can we follow Paul's example? Is it by loving and accepting people without forcing them to become like us - to dress like us, to worship like us, to look like us. Expecting a change, because we are promised to be new creations, but to allow them to be who Christ says they are, instead of who we think they should be?

If we go back to last weeks lesson, we begin to see that Paul was saying, remember who you were and the hopelessness that you had because people all around you are in that position today and need to be loved. In him "our hostility toward each other was put to death." Christ died so that all may live in Him, not so all would be like alike, like little clones of each other. First Corinthians 12 points out how in Christ we are all different, given different gifts and yet still one body in Christ.

It is because of Christ's sacrifice we can come before God as a family of great differences and yet as holy because Christ makes us holy. What great joy we have in knowing that we have a Father in heaven who loves us for who we are. That He saw us where we were and sent His Son to redeem us and give us new life.