BROUGHT NEAR
Ephesians 2:11-13 NKJV
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you 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. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus, a major port city in what is now western Turkey. Ephesus was considered a Greek city that prided itself on its worship of the goddess Diana. So, when Paul came preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, he was reaching a group of people with no Jewish background whatsoever.
In our verses for today, Paul is referencing what the Ephesians were before Christ. They were Gentiles in the flesh, meaning everyone who is not Jewish. Called Uncircumcision by the Jewish people, who referred to themselves as the Circumcision. The Jewish people referred to themselves as the Circumcision because it set them apart from everyone else. Circumcision was the outward sign of those people who had a covenant with God.
So, before Christ, these people at Ephesus were outside of the nation of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise. They had no relationship with God, so they were without hope. This connection to God and His covenant was the exclusive property of the Jews and the nation of Israel, and they loved their exclusivity.
But all that changed when Jesus gave His life on the cross, and God raised Him from the dead. Now, all those who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. This was tough for the Jews to accept. No longer were they the only ones connected to God and His promises. No longer were they the only people of God. Now, even the pagan people of Ephesus who worshipped Diana could be brought near to the Heavenly Father through faith in Jesus and His work on the cross.
This is the gospel that Paul declares so beautifully in his letter to the Ephesian believers. This is the beauty of what takes place in a person spiritually, which supersedes whatever someone was in the flesh. This is the beauty of God's grace. Even though mankind was separated from God by sin, God paid a price to enable anyone who believes the right to be close to God. Anyone who believes in Jesus can become a new creation. Anyone who believes can become a citizen of God's Kingdom and a member of God's family. Now, everyone who believes can have hope and be connected with the living God.
PRAYER
Father, thank You that I am no longer without You and without hope in the world. Thank You that the blood of Jesus has brought me near to You.