One Holy Temple – Ephesians 2:11-22

The United States has a sad history of exclusion. President Arthur signed into law the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which suspended Chinese immigration to America and made Chinese people ineligible for naturalization or citizenship. This was to assuage West coast workers who blamed the Chinese immigrants for declining wages, since they were willing to work for so much less.

Gentiles were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel by Israel until Christ came and brought about an end to the hostility.

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 him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11-22, ESV)

This salvation or rescue that we have experienced is a bringing into the fold of Israel those who were once alienated from God’s people and their promise. But though we Gentiles were brought into their commonwealth, their treasure, their citizenship, God did not require or expect us to become Jewish. In fact, the same peace that was preached to us was preached to them and brought both of us near to God.

God removed the requirement of the law that had stood between us by means of the sacrifice of the Messiah and has made us both one man. We are at peace with God and with each other. We now have the same access to the Father via the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We have joined a household that is built on the foundation of the message of Jesus Christ taught by his apostles and prophets. He is the cornerstone of that foundation, which means that the whole new temple that is being built on him is held together entirely by him. Remove him and there is no temple. All of us now, together, Jew and Gentile who believe in Jesus, have become a dwelling place for God because of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us corporately. We are the place where heaven touches earth. We are the ones who represent God to the world.

In such a temple there is no room for hostility, no room for prejudice against those unlike us genetically or culturally or by gender. The cross of Christ, which we all desperately need, has leveled the playing field. We are all alike fellow citizens, brothers and sisters, temple stones. If I do not receive you as such I am in contradiction to what Jesus has done. Failure to accept you is kicking hard against the cornerstone and that will only result in my foot being broken.

Discussion Questions

1. Describe a situation in which you felt like a total outsider and how that affected you.
2. By choosing Israel as His people, was God excluding everyone else and leaving them without hope and without God in the world?
3. Does abolishing the Mosaic law of commandments, is God abolishing law?
4. If Jews and Gentiles are now fellow citizens, why are there so few Jewish believers?
5. Are there certain ethnic groups or cultural groups you would prefer not come to your church?
6. How is God calling you to live out the unity of the Temple of Christ?