Ephesians: April 22, 2020, Class 4: Chapter 2:11-22

Theme: How we are one in Christ

History:  Even before Jesus there was a huge argument within the Jewish community over who could or could not be considered to be Jewish.  

            In the 3^rd Century BCE the Septuagint was commissioned by Ptolomy of Alexandria.  This was what we would call our Old Testament.  According to legend 70 Jewish scholars put together in one book the Torah, books of history, books of the prophets, books of wisdom, and the proverbs and psalms.  All of these books were well known separately but this was the first time they had all been brought together into one book.  These writings were translated from Hebrew to Greek and became very popular in the ancient world.  The Hebrew religion and its philosophy was seen as being very pure because it was VERY ancient, had survived for a long time, and because of its clear ethical structure.  Many people became drawn to the religion, studied it, and wanted to become Jewish.

            This was a problem for conservative Jews because they believed that if you weren’t born Jewish – into the tribe of Abraham – then you couldn’t be Jewish.  But there was another movement that felt that gentiles should be allowed to become “converted Jews.”  As you can imagine there were opinions from all sides. 

            Paul actually started out as a Pharisee, which was more on the conservative side of this debate.  The fact that he was converted and saved by Jesus was a miracle in itself.  But he saw Christ as the answer to this debate.  By believing in Jesus and by being baptized into the faith through Christ a gentile could essentially become a Jew who believed in Jesus.    

            So, you can see why he is very insistent that Jews and Gentiles are now one in Christ. 

2:11-12:  * Circumcision was one of marks of being Jewish.  The Greeks had actually outlawed it when they were in power and the penalty for circumcising a child was death for the parents and the rabbi who had performed the ceremony.  Sometimes they would even kill the baby. This actually set off the Maccabee revolt.  You can see how if some people were Jewish in the church and some were Greek that this could cause lingering animosity.

            * The covenant and being Children of God was a big part of the theology that needed to be resolved.  Who is in – who is out?  People outside were seen as having no hope of ever knowing God.

Q:  Who do we think are outside the covenant today? 

            * Non-believers, homosexuals, members of other religions  

            * Historically: Women (restricted roles in the church) African-Americans, other races, Native-Americans.  Many people  throughout history have taken the stand that other races aren’t worthy of being included in the Christian religion or incapable of understanding it.

2:13:  Idea of Sacrifice.  Blood was a traditional sacrifice back then – for a long time it was considered to be the only thing that could “appease the gods.”  

Q: What are we required to sacrifice today for God/Christ? 

Note: Sacrifice comes from the word sacre: something holy and the suffix ice: state or condition of.  So a sacrifice puts you into a state of holiness.

* Our sins: We are supposed to give them up because even if they feel good, they end up hurting ourselves and others.  Think of the seven-deadly sins from our discussion on April 16: Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Laziness, Pride, Envy & Anger.  

* Then we Live Righteously – in the right way with God.  This is an offering that we give to God.  We do this with our time, talents & treasures.

* Prayers: Both a sacrifice and an offering. 

            Prayers to help you deal with parts of you that are wrong are sacrifices. 

            Prayers of thanksgiving and for others are offerings to God. 

2:14-16:  Christ as the person who unites the Gentiles and the Jewish ideologies and conditions of being under God.  (One body stands for the literal body of Christ and the Church)

Q:  What conditions do we set up in our own day and age (or have we set up in the past) for joining our Church?  

            * You need to believe in Christ

            * You need to understand the responsibilities of membership

2:17-18: Peace of God:  

            * Everyone gets along

            * Absence of war or conflict

            * Ability to listen and then to understand

            * Beauty we see/experience in nature

            * Felling inside of calmness and trust; God is always with you

2: 19-22:  

Citizens with Saints	Saints are the people of Faith who have gone before us.  They are now citizens of heaven.  But we are also citizens of heaven.  Jesus said that he is preparing a place for us – so we are already citizens, we just haven’t been there yet.
Members of God’s Household	Congregation, Family, Large Methodist Church as our family.  All Christians as our family.  A family looks out for each other so we must look out for each other.
House is built with the foundations of the apostles and prophets	Old Testament Prophets: Had a direct connection          with God New Testament Apostles: Had a direct connection           with Jesus We follow their example because of their experiences – they are our mentors and guides.
Christ as Cornerstone	Christ is our basis of belief; stabilizing factor; strong point of our faith.  The one who hold up the “weight” of the “Christian building.”
Structure creates Holy Temple (dwelling place of God.)	This is our holy space.  But the holy space is:       the individual       the fellowship      the building where we congregate      and the earth (all of God’s creation.
Church is:	The individual joined with the community, which creates the building. This is the summing up of all of the above.