THEN AND NOW
EPHESIANS 2:11-13, 19 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.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
The church at Ephesus was considered the foremost of all the churches in Asia. And it was a church made up of Gentiles who had formerly worshipped pagan gods. But when they heard the truth of the gospel, everything changed.
Paul called these believers Gentiles in the flesh. He did not refer to them as Gentiles currently. After believing in Jesus, Paul does not make an issue out of what people are according to the flesh. In Christ was what mattered to him.
But Paul was spelling out their situation before Christ. They were not part of Israel. They had no covenant with no promises. They were without hope and without God. They were in a bleak situation.
That was then. But now. Thank God for those two little words. But now, in Christ, these former Gentiles were no longer far away from God. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, they had been brought near to God.
Paul goes on to describe how complete the work of the cross of Christ was in the lives of these believers. He sums it up with declaring they were no longer strangers and foreigners. But fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. What a difference.
There is a difference between a foreigner and a citizen: Citizens have rights and privileges that are not available to foreigners.
And there is a major difference between strangers and members of the household. There is freedom and acceptance for all the members of a house. They are family. They belong. Strangers do not have access. Strangers are on the outside.
APPLICATION:
Many of us can attest to the difference in our lives before Christ and after Jesus became our Lord. And we rejoice in that difference.
But we are not done. There is still much to learn regarding what we have now that we have been brought near by the blood of Jesus. This is the revelation Paul was praying about for this church in Ephesus. And it holds true for us today.
As we continue on to know the Lord, we can grow and develop in the days to come. We have not arrived yet. And we can look back on how much we have grown and rejoice in the difference between then, the past, and now.
PRAYER:
Thank You Father that I am not what I used to be. In Christ I am a new creation. Help me to grow in grace and in the knowledge of You.