For the Apostle Paul to describe people's condition As being in a state of separation from Christ is one of the most grim diagnoses. that he could make about any human's condition. There are millions and millions of people in our country today, both Jew and Gentile. who remain separated from Christ. And that's a dreadful thing.
It is a dreadful thing. What's amazing about the good news of the gospel is that by faith alone, we can be united to Christ. And to use the words of Ephesians 2:13, be brought near by the blood of Christ. This is the Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind, as each week we feature the preaching and teaching ministry of R.C. Sproll.
And today we start a new series in Ephesians. And we'll discover how, because of Christ, there can be peace between our holy God and sinful man. and how there can be unity horizontally between Jew and Gentile. How we can be one in Christ. We'll be spending a few weeks in Ephesians, but all of Dr.
Sroll's teaching on Ephesians was brought together and formed his expositional commentary. We'll gladly send you a copy today as our way of saying thank you for your donation in support of this daily program at renewingyourmind.org. Make your donation today before this offer ends at midnight.
Well, turn your Bible to Ephesians 2. Because here's Duck to Sprawl. We're going to continue our study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Chapter 2. And I will be reading beginning at verse 11.
Through the end of the chapter. Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh Called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision. which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ. alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility, By abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace. and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens. but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone. in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In whom you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God.
By the Spirit. Keep in mind that one of the major themes of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Is the theme of the nature of the church of Jesus Christ? And so what he teaches in this lesson I think it is critical for our understanding of what is the church.
So he starts this portion by calling the Ephesian Gentiles to remember something. He says remember that at one time You Gentiles in the flesh. Let me just comment briefly on that phrase: in the flesh. Because Paul uses the term flesh. in two different ways.
Sometimes he refers simply to a person's physical human nature. Without any particular reference to their fallen condition in original sin. Other times he uses that term flesh. To describe our fallen nature where we are in bondage to sin. But now I think here when he talks about the Gentiles in the flesh, He's not talking about their fallen condition, but that those who were defined.
as Gentiles in terms of their ethnicity. The fact that they are not Jewish by nature. but that they are in fact non-Jewish in their physical and personal background. Remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh Called the uncircumcision. by what is called circumcision.
Now, actually, this is kind of a euphemistic and polite translation. that we have here. Because we know that the term that was used by the Jews to describe non-Jews or Gentiles was not simply that they were uncircumcised. But they referred to them In the pejorative sense, As The foreskins, because they still had foreskins which had been removed from the Jews by the right of circumcision.
So that was a little bit more crass than. Simply being called on the circumcised. By what is called the circumcision, which of course refers to the Jews, which is made in the flesh by hand.
Now again, he calls the Gentiles to remember. Their former situation. and their former estate. and I would ask us to pay close attention here. because he lists specifically five things that separated the Gentiles From the Jews.
remember that you were at that time First of all, Separated. From Christ. Being Gentiles. You had no relationship. With the Messiah.
that was promised to Israel. Remember the term Christos or Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew term for the anointed one, which referred to the Jewish. promise and hope of the coming anointed Messiah. And The Gentiles being non-Jews did not have this historic background and preparation for the coming of the Messiah. And so, in their circumstance and whatever religious involvement they were in.
they were completely separated From Christ.
Now For the Apostle Paul to describe people's condition as being in a state of separation from Christ. is one of the most grim diagnoses That he could make about any humans condition. There are millions and millions of people. in our country today. Both Jew and Gentile.
who remain Separated from Christ. And that's a dreadful thing. And if it was the only thing that Paul introduced here to describe their previous condition, it would be ghastly enough. But he doesn't stop at that point. He continues to spell out the further ramifications of what it means to be separated from Christ.
Remember that. Remember. The time Before Paul came to Ephesus and planted that church there. Remember before you heard the gospel. Remember before you were converted.
Remember before you were made alive by the Holy Spirit. What condition you were in. First off, you were separated. From Christ. Second of all.
Alienated. From the Commonwealth of Israel. Yeah. Not only were they separated from Israel, But there existed Tension. and conflict between Jew and Gentile.
that can be described in terms Alienation. Alienation is often rooted ethnic differences. And we have a tendency To be frightened. by those apparent differences. And so here.
Paul is speaking. of that kind of deep rooted alienation. Between the Gentile community of that period from the Jewish community. Indeed, there was not just a discomfort and a fear, but there was again much hostility that was generated between the two groups. Yeah.
And so he says, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. And there the Commonwealth of Israel is that. What's called the polity. Or the cultic life of the Jewish people. The Gentiles didn't understand Jewish traditions.
didn't understand Jewish practices, didn't understand Jewish religion. And But go on here for a second. And strangers. to the covenants of promise.
So that the ones who were aliens. who were separated. We're also strangers. Not just strangers to Jewish customs. And not just separated from Christ.
But strangers to the covenants of God. What does that really? Spell out. They Didn't know. The specific content.
of the covenant promises of God. Because what is it that they didn't have? that would have taught them. of the covenants that God made with Israel. They didn't have the scriptures.
They didn't have the word of God. You remember elsewhere in Romans? When Paul talks about he who is a Jew is one who is a Jew inwardly. And it's not merely by being circumcised in the flesh, but you have to have the circumcision of the heart. And when he talks about both Jew and Gentile are together under sin, and then He gives such a grim Evaluation of the behavioral patterns and the status of first century Judaism.
He then asks the rhetorical question What advantage then? Is there in being a Jew? And the way he goes through all of these things that show that this is an advantage, and that isn't an advantage, and this doesn't really get you into heaven, that won't get you into heaven. You expect him to answer his question. What then is the advantage of the Jew?
To say Not much. Or there's none. But that's not what he does. He says much In every way. And chiefly what?
They had the oracles of God. That they had the word of God. They had the cannon. of the Old Testament.
So working. without the oracles of God. without the special revelation of sacred scripture that Gentiles were Consigned to to a serious disadvantage, and we're left in so much more darkness. Then being without the light. that God gave to Israel.
Paul saying, remember where you were. They're separated from Christ. Alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel. Strangers to the covenants of promise. Having no hope, And without God.
In the world. That's last two. really spell out. The depths. of their lostness.
and of their condition. being without the knowledge of Scripture, being without Christ. being strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel. They were in a condition. of hopelessness.
Imagine A life. Without hope. Thoreau said that the vast majority of human beings Men. Live their lives. And quiet.
Desperation. Hi. I I think about this a lot. Particularly with respect to my friends and acquaintances and family even. who are without Christ.
And I'm thinking. How can they live? How can you live? in a situation. of hopelessness.
Well They are without really what is being said here is that they're without any meaningful hope. without any substantive hope. But they still Conjure up. Worldly hopes. And they think, you know, and they go start go through life and they say, Well, I don't like school, but as soon as I'm 16, I'm going to get my driver's license.
And so that sustains them through earlier hopelessness. But they get their driver's license. And it doesn't satisfy them. They say, well, as soon as I graduate from high school, then I'll be happy. They graduate from high school, that doesn't happen.
As soon as I'm twenty-one, soon as I get out of college, soon as I get married, soon as I have a baby, soon as I have a job, soon as I get my bank account to a certain level, soon as we own our own house, mortgage-free, and I keep postponing. Happiness Putting it to the future. But then there comes a time. When you realize It really caught. In a vortex.
A hopelessness. You know. And you start putting bumper stickers on your car that say he would dies with the most toys. wins. That's a philosophy.
of hopelessness. It's a philosophy. of despair and never I think in the history of the West. has hopelessness or permeated. A culture than it does today.
That's one reason. Why we're a drug ridden and suicidal. culture. Because without the covenants of promise. We have no hope.
And without Christ. We have no hope. And then the final thing. Without God. in the world.
The way it's translated in the Greek. Is not without God in the world. It is. N to Cosmo. A word there that is translated in English Without God.
is the word othioi. From which we get the English word Atheist. or atheism.
Now when you think of the nature of atheism What do you think of? You say an atheist is a person who says I will not affirm the existence of God. Or put it in the other way: I don't believe in the existence of God. I'm not persuaded of the existence of God. And it has to do with a philosophical conviction.
But in any case, the point I want to make here is that when Paul is describing the situation of the Gentiles. Before this period, and is asking, remember what they were, he's not simply saying, remember that you were atheists. But that you were As an atheist. without God in the world. You regardless.
And that's the description. Love everyone. Who is outside of Christ? They're godless. And Paul is saying That was your circumstance.
Before. And he's not just talking to a group of people in Turkey. He's talking about us. This is our pedigree. This is our background.
Nobody is ever born a Christian. You may be born into a Christian home. But you're DOA. You're dead on arrival. Spiritually.
You're a pagan when you take your first breath. You're not aware of at least of the scriptures. Yeah. You're dead in sin. You're Without Christ.
And you're godless. That's our natural fallen condition.
Now I mentioned earlier. When Paul in the beginning of chapter 2 In verse 4, you know, after he said, You were dead in trespasses, in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the earth, the spirit that is not working the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. And then, after this, Terrible indictment. We breathe a sigh of relief. When Paul says, But God.
Who is rich in mercy? Because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses. Made us alive together with Christ by grace who you saved through faith, and so on.
Well, after he just did that in the early part of chapter two, after describing the fallen human condition, he interrupts that Grimmy. Evaluation With the words But God. I remember I emphasized this so much in a Bible study I gave forty two years ago.
Some ladies that were in the class did needle point, and they needle pointed me a little thing with the words But God. And I had that hanging on the wall of my office because that's in a nutshell. The history of my redemption. Because it wasn't that I was dead and sin and trespasses, bat scroll, resolved to change his ways, to turn over a new leaf, pull himself up from his bootstraps, No. Salvation is of the Lord.
Fully and completely. And so now, after Paul talks about these five. things that we're missing. in the condition in the lives. Of the Gentiles saying that they had no hope and were without God in the world.
But Yeah. But now. He says, remember. Where you were. But now understand.
Where you are. But now In Christ Jesus. You who once were far off. have been brought near. You were so far away from the kingdom, we couldn't see you with Galileo's telescope.
You are so much strangers and foreigners. to the things of God. That The only way to describe it is that Mott that you were Jammed up close to it. Just on the threshold of coming to faith, just on the doorstep of the kingdom of God. No, you were.
Far away. In the distance. But you've now been brought near. By dromedaries. By horses, camels?
No, what has allowed you to Pass over that distance. They said the means, the instrument. That has carried you from afar. To near. It's the blood of Christ.
That's what's changed my situation. From death to life. from hopelessness to hope. From godlessness to God. It's the blood.
of Jesus Christ. He's talking about the atonement. The Atonement. It's the great equalizer. If Christ dies, For a Gentile.
The gentile is now no longer separated. From the Jewish Believer He's no longer an alien. to the Commonwealth of Israel. Because the blood of Christ has made him clean. Remember.
Again, the most common designation of the Gentile in the Old Testament. This thing's unclean. It was impure. What's a Filthiness. It couldn't be cleansed.
By soap. They require blood. A bloodbath. of the cross. That was R.
C. Sproll on the wonder of the gospel and the great cost of Christ's sacrifice. If you'd like to learn more about this good news, request Dr. Sproll's free e-book, What is the Gospel? at renewingyourmind.org slash gospel.
I so appreciated the reminder today of the blessing it is to have the sacred writings, to have scripture. It's a privilege to be able to mine its riches with such faithful teachers as R. C. Sproul. If you'd like to go deeper into Paul's letter to the Ephesians, I would encourage you to request R.
C. Sproul's hardcover commentary that will walk you through Paul's letter. Request your copy at renewingyourmind.org when you give a donation in support of the proclamation of the gospel through this daily discipleship podcast and all of the outreaches of Lignier Ministries. You can give your donation and request your copy until midnight tonight at renewingyourmind.org or when you use the link in the podcast show notes. Thank you for all the ways you show your support of Renewing Your Mind.
It truly would not be possible without you. Disagreements are real. Disunity is real. We feel and sometimes experience that disunity even on a daily basis. But the reminder for Christians is that no matter our background, No matter our station in life.
we have true unity in Christ. And that will be RC Sprawl's focus next Sunday, here on Renewing Your Mind.
