Ephesians 2:16-22 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Ephesians 2:15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,  16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 

1. Gentiles now share access to the Father with the Jews (17-18)

Not only is Jesus Christ our peace (v. 14), but He also preached peace. He preached the message of peace, the gospel, through His apostles following His ascension (cf. Acts 1:1-2, 8) to both Gentiles and Jews (vv. 12-13).

       As a result of the Cross, both Jewish and Gentile believers have access to God. Formerly access to God was through Judaism, but now it is through Christ by the Holy Spirit. As a result of Christ's death, all believers now have direct access to the Father (cf. 3:12; Rom. 5:2). The Holy Spirit gives Jewish and Gentile Christians equal access to God. Note that all three members of the Godhead appear again here.

In four ways in 2:14–18 Paul emphasized that the two (Jew and Gentile) have been united: (1) “the two” are made “one” (v. 14), (2) “one new man” is created “out of the two” (v. 15), (3) “in this one body … both”) are reconciled (v. 16), and (4) “both” “have access … by one Spirit” (v. 18). Nothing could be clearer than the fact that this new union replaces enmity.

   C. THE GENTILES' CONDITION "IN" CHRIST (19-22)

      1. They are now "fellow citizens with the saints" (19a)

      2. They are now "members of the household of God" (19b)

      3. They are now part of "a holy temple in the Lord" (20-22)

Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

It rests on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Evidently New Testament prophets are in view since the word "prophets" follows "apostles" (cf. 3:5; 4:11). These men were the foundation of the church since it was through them that God revealed and established the church. "In practical terms this means that the church is built on the New Testament Scriptures.

When Paul wrote, the cornerstone was the crucial part of the foundation of a building. It was the stone with which the builder squared up every other stone, including the other foundation stones.

"In the East it was considered to be even more important than the foundation."

  Eph 2:21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Paul pictured the church as under construction with God adding new believers constantly (cf. 4:15-16; Matt. 16:18; 1 Pet. 2:5). The individual stones represent believers, both Jewish and Gentile. Today God does not inhabit a physical temple somewhere on earth, as He did in Old Testament times. He indwells His church, which is a spiritual temple spread over all the earth. It began on the day of Pentecost, and it will continue until the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:13-18). As physical temples glorified the gods they represented in ancient times, so the church glorifies the true God today. Paul may very well have used the illustration of a temple because the temple of Artemis in Ephesus was the city's most outstanding claim to fame. It was four times as big as the Parthenon that still stands in Athens. One hundred twenty-seven white columns rose 60 feet high and surrounded an image of the goddess Artemis (Diana).104 Authorities still regard this temple as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (cf.Acts 19:23-41).

a.  Before, they were "without God in the world"

b.  But now, God dwells in them through His Spirit!

Here he revealed that all Christians are part of one great temple, the church

universal. "Now His presence is dispersed, not localized. Now His presence is incarnated, instead of confined behind a veil."

"I wonder if anything is more urgent today, for the honor of Christ and for the spread of the gospel, than that the church should be, and should be seen to be, what by God's purpose and Christ's achievement it already is a single new humanity, a model of human community, a family of reconciled brothers and sisters who love their Father and love each other, the evident dwelling place of God by his Spirit. Only then will the world believe in Christ as Peacemaker. Only then will God receive the glory due to his name." John Stott

II. MAKING APPLICATION OF THIS PASSAGE TO OUR LIVES

   A. UNDERSTAND WHAT ONE'S CONDITION "OUTSIDE" CHRIST TRULY IS...

      1. A person is still an "alien" and "stranger", with no participation in covenants and promises that God has with His people today!

      2. A person has no basis for hope, and must go through life without the blessing of God guiding them in this world!

   B. UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED "THROUGH" CHRIST...

      1. He has brought to an end the Old Law; we should not seek to be justified by the Law - cf. Ga 5:4

      2. He has sought to unite all into one body; we should not try to undo the work of Christ on the cross through religious division cf. Ep 4:1-6

   C. UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE BECOME "IN" CHRIST...

      1. We have become "fellow citizens with the saints" in the wonderful kingdom of God; let's live accordingly! - cf. Ro 14:16-19

      2. We have become "members of God's household (family)"; let's behave and treat each other as the family of God! - cf. 1 Ti 3:15; 5:1-2

      3. We have become "the temple of God" in which God dwells through His Spirit; let's be careful not to profane God's holy habitation! - cf. 1 Co 3:16-17; 1 Co 6:19-20

CONCLUSION

1. Though Paul may have been speaking in "general" or "corporate" terms,

   I trust that we have seen the implications of what he has said affects each of us "personally"

   a. With salvation coming to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, we each benefit greatly on an individual level

   b. With salvation coming to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, we each bear an individual responsibility to live up to our "holy calling" as God's kingdom, God's family, and as God's temple!

2. What is YOUR condition in regard to Jesus Christ?

   a. Are you still "outside" of Christ?

   b. Have you benefited from the work that was done "through" Christ on the cross?

   c. Are you living as a person should who is now "in" Christ?

Jesus Christ is the key to reconciliation.