Paul began this letter to the Ephesians with praise to God, 1:3-14, and then went on to give thanks for his readers and pray on their behalf, 1:15-23, give a word on the saving grace of God, 2:1-10, following up with an exposition on the incorporation of the Gentiles into Israel - the house of God, 2:11-22. In our passage for study, 2:11-18, Paul speaks of the former state of loss of the Gentiles and of their incorporation into the family of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

v11-12. Paul asks his Gentile readers to remember that they were once the "uncircumcised", that they were once a people outside God's family and thus apart from his blessings. Paul calls on his readers to recall five disadvantages from their pre-Christian days.

v13. Yet, now the Gentiles have a place in God's family, but this is not by incorporation into the nation of Israel by means of obedience to the Mosaic covenant. Membership in God's eternal family is now a matter of grace through faith in Christ. In particular, Paul identifies the means of reconciliation and access into the presence of God, as "through the blood of Christ." The means is by Christ's sacrificial death for the redemption of mankind. Of course, this means of access for the Gentiles is now the same as for the Jew's.

v14 -15a. Christ has accessed the Gentiles, along with the Jews, into the family of God, and this apart from the regulations of the law. He has done this through his sacrificial death. In so doing, Christ has broken down the barrier of the Mosaic law that once existed between Jew and Gentile. Therefore, he has created "one new man", a new people of God.

v15b-16. The purpose of Christ's work on the cross was to reconcile a family of believers with the living God. Christ's death on the cross serves to reconcile us with God and with each other, particularly, Jewish believers with Gentile believers.

v17. In the proclamation of the gospel, peace with God is proclaimed and all humanity has the opportunity of access into the presence of God. In this verse Paul borrows from Isaiah 57:19. The Lord God proclaims his message of peace through his prophets. This message is to those "far away" (the lost, the Israelites of the dispersion), but also to those who are near. The day of salvation, the day of the coming kingdom and of the peace of God, was eagerly awaited by the true Israelites. This day has now arrived and Paul rightly sees it as a day which includes the Gentiles; a day promised long ago to Abraham.

v18. In Christ all humanity can access the living God. This is made possible through the presence of the Spirit of Christ who indwells all believers - both Jew and Gentile. "Christ in us" gives us access to the throne of the living God.

The principle of a common equal access and standing before the throne of God, through faith in Christ, is a mighty ones indeed. It is a principle that affects the way we function as a fellowship. There are two particular applications:

1. "His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two", v15.

The first application has to do with the integral unity of the fellowship of believers. Out of diversity and division, God's ultimate intention is to gather to himself a community of friends - "one new man".

There are many factors which divide a church and so work against the "one in Christ" principle. Today we have to live with the inheritance of schism, reform movements, national churches and the like. Denominationalism certainly does not reflect the image of "one new man". Yet, little can be done to overturn such ingrained products of history. We are bound to live with denominationalism and the ever-emerging new "community churches", "revival centers" and the like.

Yet, within our own Christian fellowship we are free to develop the "one new man" principle. We commonly call this "body life". Body life develops when we prayerfully encourage the expectation of oneness. Realistic expectations (in this case according to the will of God) produce the right results.

2. "In this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross", v16.

The second application has to do with the common right of access of all believers into the presence of the living God. Believers stand equally before God the Father on the basis of Christ's sacrifice. There is no privileged class.

The idea of a privileged class of believers is with us today as much as it was with Paul in his day. There is the clergy class, Wardens, Parish councilors, Bible study leaders etc. Sometimes those who simply attend the Sunday services feel as if they are second-class citizens.

We need to affirm the truth that all believers possess equal standing before God, all are equal members of the "one body", and this because of a personal reliance on Jesus Christ. In Jesus there are no second-grade believers.

1. In what sense has Jesus created "one new man out of the two"?

2. Discuss how your church structure works against the image of the church as "one new man".

3. Identify any areas of privilege in your church which may develop a "them and us" attitude.