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Blessed in Christ - An exposition of the letter to the Ephesians

Ephesians (Chapter 2)

Published since 04. Dec. 2024
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Ephesians 2
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Chapter 2: The Fulfilment of God's Counsel

God's grace (chapter 2:1-10)

With the words "you also," the thought interrupted in chapter 1:20 is taken up again. There, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is mentioned, and here, this thought is continued but immediately interrupted by another insertion until the end of verse 4, after which it says, with a slight change, "we also." 

In the first three verses, we find God's judgment on the human condition. In verses 4-6, we are told of God's grace and His work for us, and in verses 7-10, the purpose of His dealings with us. Here, we are presented not with the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross - we find that in chapter 1:7 - but with the blessings God has bestowed on us because of that work. 

The human condition

Before this happens, a clear picture is first given of how God sees humanity, whether the individual knows it or not.

Verse 1: "Even you, who were dead in your trespasses and sins,"

First, Paul uses the word "you" to refer to the Gentiles, but then he includes the Jews in the word "us." In the Old Testament, Israel was God's chosen, blessed people. The nations, the uncircumcised, did not share in Israel's privileges, as is made clear from verse 11 onwards. But what is said here of the Ephesians applies to everyone: "dead in your trespasses and sins." This does not refer to physical death, as verse 2 speaks of the former way of life. What is meant is the moral state of the natural man, with which God cannot be pleased. "Dead" here means "spiritually dead," i.e., separated from God and at the same time in ignorance of Him. On the other hand, the letter to the Romans describes the activities of man living in sin (Romans 1-3). Sins prove that there is nothing good in man and that he is spiritually dead to God. According to Romans, this person living in sin must be crucified with Christ, die, and be buried in baptism (Rom 6). Anyone who is baptized testifies that his old nature has come to an end. 

Here, on the other hand, we see that the sinner is dead by nature. He has to be made alive for God - with Christ; he has to be resurrected - with Christ; he is even seen to be transferred to heaven - in Christ. The teachings of Romans on the end of the old man, and those of Ephesians on a new creation, the new man, complement each other perfectly. It is probably easier for us to understand the teachings of the Romans because they are closer to us in practical terms. Through justification by faith and the condemnation of the old man, our old life has ended, and we now walk in newness of life. But this is not just a practical new beginning. It is a new creation, a new man (2:15; 4:24). God has made something new for Himself out of wretched creatures. 

There is no good core in lost human beings. If there were, the Son of God would not have had to die for us because then we could be freed from the mire of sin. But a dead man can do nothing. God had to deliver us from death because only He can do it. The essence of all religions, which (except for the Israelite religion) are not based on divine revelation but on human thought, is that there is a more or less good end which man must achieve by his own efforts. But true salvation is only possible through faith in God, who alone can cleanse us from our "transgressions and sins." An offense (or transgression) is an action one knows is wrong, whereas many people do not realize that their whole life consists of sins. To sin originally means to miss the mark. 

Verse 2: "In whom once you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience;"

Man lives in these things by nature, and the model for this is the "course of this world" and the "prince of the power of the air," that is, Satan, the prince of angels, who has tremendous power. His power is broken by the cross because man is no longer inescapably under his influence. There is salvation. But we must not underestimate the power of the devil. He is still the prince of the power of the air. As the air surrounds us and permeates everything, so does the prince of the power of the air. There is no possibility of isolation. Satan pursues people everywhere. He is the spirit "now at work in the sons of disobedience." People are not only influenced from the outside, but this spirit is also active within them. Satan had put it into Judas' heart to betray the Lord Jesus (John 13:2). Satan influences people's thoughts and is therefore active in those who are here called the sons of disobedience, that is, people full of disobedience. It is similar with the expression "children of wrath" (verse 3). These are people whose whole life consists of disobedience to God. The natural man does not seek the will of God. He is, therefore, disobedient whether he wants to be or not. Although the Jews occupied a position that set them apart from the peoples of the world - they possessed the revelation of God, a privilege that some passages in the New Testament remind us of - they were no better by nature. No member of the Jewish people is saved by being Jewish. 

Verse 3: "Among whom also we all once walked according to the lusts of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the mind, being by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest."

That is why the apostle says here: "In whom also we all once walked according to the lusts of our flesh," thereby also naming the sources of evil: the lusts of the flesh. Anyone who does the "will of the flesh and of the mind" is not acting according to the will of God and is therefore disobedient, as we saw in verse 2. While the "flesh" indicates the source of the action, the "thoughts" indicate the spiritual path that leads to the sinful act. This means that even the Jews are "by nature children of wrath like the rest." All men are under the just wrath of God. That is why the Lord Jesus could say: "He who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36). On the cross, He took upon Himself the just wrath and punishment of God for all sins and for the condition described here on behalf of all those who believe in Him. Therefore, everyone who believes in Him can know that God's wrath has been turned away from Him, for God is just and does not punish twice. The wrath of God remains on him who does not believe; he remains a child of wrath.

God's dealings with us

In verse 4, the apostle returns to the demonstration of God's power, a theme he had begun in chapter 1:19 but interrupted in verse 21. 

Verse 4: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,"

Only when we realize our utter depravity can our eyes be opened to God's love, grace, goodness, and mercy. Only when the prodigal son ended up as a shepherd with the pigs were his eyes opened to his father's love (Luke 15). On his return, he could experience the full richness of his father's mercy and love. 

We do not find here the work of the Lord Jesus, but the origin of what happened on Golgotha, the love in the heart of God, as we already see at the beginning of chapter 1. John writes once: "God is light," but twice: "God is love" (1 John 1:5; 2:8, 16). Let us thank Him daily for the much love He has shown us by saving us through His Son! 

Verse 5: "Even when we were dead in trespasses, He quickened us with Christ - being saved by grace,"

Although we were dead in trespasses (see verse 1), God's "reaction" to our wretched condition is not described here because then it would have been enough for Him to forgive us our sins. As chapter 1:7 says, we have redemption and forgiveness, but God wanted to give us much more: He wanted to lavish us with the riches of His mercy, love, grace, and kindness. He wanted to give us a place near and equal to the place He had given His Son. He raised Him from the dead when His work was finished and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (Hebrews 1:20). For this reason, He "quickened us together with Christ." We were morally dead in sin. According to God's Word, death is separation. Moral death is separation, the removal of the person living in sin from God; physical death is the separation of soul and body; and the second death - in contrast to physical death - is eternal damnation, eternal separation from God. The Lord Jesus, who is life itself, willingly died for us. When God forsook Him on the cross during the three hours of darkness, He voluntarily took upon Himself what we deserved for all eternity (cf. Mt 27:46; 2 Thess 1:9). 

Just as the Lord Jesus was made alive after His death (cf. 1 Pet 3:18), we too are "made alive with Christ." But there is a great difference. As the Son of God, He gave up His physical life and took it up again (John 10:17, 18), but here, where He is seen as a man, God made Him alive. We, on the other hand, had no spiritual life but were spiritually dead. We have received new life through and with Christ, the life of God. It is the life of the Lord Jesus in the resurrection. God's purpose has existed since eternity, the foundation for which was laid almost 2000 years ago through the resurrection of the Lord, and this happened the moment we believed in His work. Even if no believer understood at the moment of his conversion that he was "made alive with Christ," it is still true. How much more His work and the work of God in us contains than we think! Spiritually dead people have become alive for God! That is our part. His grace has given us so much more than we needed. Let us thank Him more and more for this!

Verse 6: "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"

But we are not only "quickened" with Christ. We are also "raised" with Him. There is a difference between the two. The resurrection does not refer to the new life that we have received but to the new position in which we have been placed, in accordance with the new life in us, in which the new life can actually unfold. We also see this in the Lord Jesus. When He made Himself known to Mary Magdalene on the day of His resurrection, she wanted to touch Him out of joy. Still, He refused, saying: "Do not touch me" (John 20:17). A new state had arisen, which He explained with the astonishing words: "For I have not yet ascended to my Father." Now, she could still see Him before her, but He belonged to another world, the world of the resurrection, and was only here temporarily. After His Ascension, she would fully understand. 

The Lord Jesus has risen bodily, and we have risen with Him spiritually. We have received a new life that is not for this world, and through our spiritual resurrection, we have been placed in the realm of life where that life can unfold. The book of Ephesians, in particular, reminds us like no other that our place and blessing is in heaven. As believers, we have a heavenly calling. Our citizenship is in heaven. Christ's resurrection has separated us from the natural man, who is dead to God, and joined us to the Lord Jesus, who is already in heaven. Although we are still on earth, we are separated from it in position. Our duties on earth arise from this wonderful position in the resurrection as God's messengers to reveal His love here (cf. chapter 5:1). It is not the task of a Christian to actively influence events in the world. He belongs to the world of the resurrection. This can become a reality for our bodies at any moment when the Lord Jesus comes to take His own home.

Thirdly, God has made us "sit with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." When the Lord Jesus comes to take us home, we will enter heaven with Him to be with Him forever (cf. Rev 5). But spiritually speaking, this is already our part now because of the work of the Lord Jesus and through faith. That is why the Word of God writes here very precisely "in Christ Jesus," that is, in union with Him and based on His position, and not "with" Him, that is, united with Him. We are still on earth, but we are already there in Him. That is why this letter does not mention the Rapture, the taking up of the faithful into heaven. According to God's plan, everything has already been accomplished. 

Just as in Romans 6, there are three steps to the end of the old man: crucified with Christ, dead, and buried, so here we see three steps to union with the risen and glorified Christ: made alive with Him, raised from the dead, and seated with Him in the heavenly places.

God's purpose

Now, we are shown what God's purpose was in all this. 

Verse 7: "That in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

We have already experienced God's love, grace, and mercy in abundance. Love is God's nature, grace is His undeserved love, and mercy is His love and grace in the face of the wretched, desolate condition in which we found ourselves. On the other hand, His goodness is not revealed in pity but is the abundance of His love, not to the lost but to the believers. They can experience the "exceeding riches of His grace in kindness" "in the ages to come." One of these ages to come is the Millennium (chapter 1:10), and eternity after that is also one of these ages to come. Throughout all eternity, God will show us the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness! Although we will then know as we have known (1 Cor 13:12), we will still see new aspects of God's goodness in Christ. It will be part of our eternal happiness. So from our election in Christ before the foundation of the world, to our redemption through Him, to the demonstration of His goodness in Christ Jesus in the ages to come, the arc stretches from eternity to eternity. The Beloved, on whom the Father's eye always rests with delight, will also be the object of joy and adoration of the redeemed for all eternity.

Verse 8: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God;"

Verses 8-10 confirm that we could not contribute the slightest thing to this unfathomable blessing. "For it is by grace you have been saved." The source of our salvation lies solely with God, who gave His beloved Son for lost sinners. We owe all the blessings we have received to the grace of God alone. 

The means by which we are saved is neither reason nor emotion, but faith, the trust and obedience of the heart to God and His Word. Even this faith is described here as something that is not of ourselves. Does this mean that we cannot do anything? The same apostle once said: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). This seems contradictory. But we cannot fathom it with our minds. The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus: "The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Even today, despite all the modern technology in our weather forecasting, the direction and effect of the wind cannot be fully calculated! So, it is impossible to describe exactly how a person comes to faith. On the one hand, there is a call to faith; on the other, faith is a gift from God. Both have their place in God's Word, and we would do well to accept this.

Unlike many other passages in the New Testament, salvation is seen here as an accomplished fact. We no longer have to wait for salvation. We already have it. This refers to the salvation of the soul, whereas in other epistles, salvation is seen as a work in progress. In Hebrews, our salvation is seen as help through all the difficulties of the life of faith, for which the Lord Jesus, as our High Priest, intercedes with God (Heb 7:25). In Philippians, salvation also refers to our body, which will be transformed into His glorious body at the coming of the Lord (Phil 3:20, 21). In Ephesians, on the other hand, we are already considered to be fully saved. Again, we see that the counsel of God is revealed to us. 

Verse 9: "Not by works, lest any man should boast."

If the undeserved grace of God is the source of our salvation, and the faith necessary for it is a gift from God, then it is clear that man cannot add anything to this salvation. This is emphasized, especially concerning the believing Jews addressed in this letter, by the fact that it is "not of works" (cf. Rom 4:2; 11:6). Works are the hallmark of every religion: you have to do something yourself to reach the goal. But faith in the Gospel of God is quite different. No man can boast about it; the glory belongs to God alone, as Paul also says in several other places (Rom 3:27; 1 Cor 1:29, 31).

Verse 10: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

God's work begins in eternity with our election and predestination, and it includes the mission and work of His Son as Savior, and what He has done for us and with us is also His work. God has created something entirely new in Christ Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, new things have come into being" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just as the first creation was the work of God, so too is the new creation. We are "created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." 

Not only are we a new creation (cf. the "new man" in verse 15 and chapter 4:24), but our "environment" and our "way" are prepared for it. This is not to be understood as God having a set of well-defined good works for each believer to do. Indeed, we will see in the Father's house how perfectly He has guided us. But what is meant here is that certain things are no longer an option for the new man, but good works are. The Holy Spirit leads us along a path where these good works can be found. Not only have we received new life, but we are now in a new area of life where that life can be active, namely in deeds that we did not even know before. 

However, good works are not the result of keeping the law, as some Christians believe. Although the law, which was only for Israel, contained God's commandments for the natural man on earth, it was by no means the perfect revelation of God's will (cf. 1 Tim 1:8-11).

The perfect example of a godly life of good works is the life of the Lord Jesus on earth. In the Gospels, He has left us the image of a holy, God-pleasing way of life that can guide us correctly and perfectly in all things. After all, we are called to follow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21). 

God's work in and with us (chapter 2:11-22)

In Ephesians 2:11, God's counsel concerning Christ and His church, mentioned in chapter 1:20-23, is taken up again. Since the calling of Israel as God's earthly people, humanity has been divided into two groups: Israel (or the Jews) and the Gentiles (or the nations). The cross changed this situation completely. It became clear that both Jews and Gentiles needed salvation and were eternally lost without faith in the Lord Jesus (cf. Romans 3:9). 

Verse 11: "Remember, therefore, that you who were once Gentiles in the flesh are called the circumcision of the flesh, which is done with hands,"

First, Paul again points out the difference between the Jews and the Gentiles (cf. 1:12, 13). The outward sign of the Jews was circumcision, which God had already given to their forefather Abraham as a sign and seal of the covenant made with him and later renewed in the Law of Sinai (Genesis 17:10-14; Leviticus 12:3). This outward sign was considered so characteristic that the Jews were commonly referred to as "the circumcision" and the Gentiles as "the foreskin" (cf. Rom 3:30; Gal 2:7).

The fact that this removal of a piece of flesh had a symbolic meaning was known to the Israelites from the beginning (cf. Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4). However, the full spiritual significance of circumcision was not revealed until the New Testament. It is a picture of God's judgment on the flesh, the sinful nature in man, through Christ's death on the cross (cf. Phil 3:3; Col 2:11). 

However, Paul is not speaking here of the spiritual meaning but of the literal circumcision "done in the flesh with hands." The nations, as such, had no relationship with God but belonged to that part of humanity that knew no calling from God and was not set apart for a special witness to Him.

Verse 12: "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world."

The Gentile nations did not know the promises of the coming Messiah, nor the person of the One who had come to this world as Savior. Nor did they share in the privileges of God's earthly people and the covenants given to them, whose promises, beginning with Abraham, pointed more or less clearly to the coming Messiah. So they were without hope and God in the world. They were not only dead in their trespasses and sins but had broken off all connection with the living and true God and had not the least knowledge of Him.

Verse 13: "But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

But the work of redemption of the Lord Jesus is not only for the people of Israel but for the whole world. Through His blood, He has paved the way to God for all people who believe in Him. Similarly, in Hebrews 10:19, the apostle writes to the Jews who have come to faith that it is through the blood of Jesus that they have the boldness to enter the sanctuary because, through His blood, He has accomplished both atonement before God and cleansing from sins. 

It is the "precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish or stain," as Peter writes (1 Peter 1:19). Through the blood of Christ, the sign of the giving of His life unto death, we have received redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), and through His blood we have been brought into the immediate presence of the holy God. Believers from the Gentile nations who were far from God have thus been brought close to God, as have believers from the Jewish people. Now, they are no longer far from God but are in the most intimate relationship with Him. Let us never forget the high price our beloved Lord had to pay for this!

Verses 14 and 15: "For He is our peace, who has made them both one and has broken down the dividing wall, having put to death in His flesh the enmity of the law of commandments and ordinances, that He might make both of them one in Himself, making peace."

Christ is "our peace"! This peace is not a feeling that we enjoy but a person: Christ! Our faith can rely on him. If He has become our peace, that peace is secure and irrevocable. We have a settled peace only when we grasp this in simple but firm faith. Then, we can enjoy what we believe. But peace is not just something in us; it is a fact that Christ Himself has created, and that rests in Him.

Not only have the Gentiles come close to God through the blood of Christ, but the Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus are also removed from their former position as God's earthly people. The law was a dividing wall that fenced in Israel, so to speak. God had separated His people from the nations. According to the Law, the Jews could not have fellowship with the Gentiles. In a sense, humanity was divided into two groups: the Jews, who were close to Him, and the Gentiles, who were far from Him. Christ has now removed the "dividing wall of the fence" on the cross (cf. Rom 10:4; Col 2:14).

How few of the faithful understand this glorious truth! In Christendom, the law that the Lord Jesus broke in His death has been partially re-established and made the rule of life for Christians. The result is anxiety, doubt, and fear. No, the Christian is not under the law. He has been raised with Christ; he is not associated with a Christ who lives on earth, born under the law (Gal 4:4), but with Christ in the heavenly places. He is not under the law but under grace.

In Christ, all who believe in Him, whether they are Jews or Gentiles, are introduced into a completely new, heavenly position, of which there was not even a hint. The nations are not incorporated into the people of the Jews, nor is Christianity a modified continuation of Judaism. On the cross, the Lord Jesus became our peace by not only reconciling believers from the Jewish people and the nations to God but by making them one and creating a "new man" through peace. The new man is not Christ as a person (He is the "man from heaven," 1 Cor 15:47), but Christ in His attributes in the believers. These were already represented by Him on earth, but it was only after His death and resurrection that the new man could become a reality in believers. In Him, all social, cultural, and religious differences have been abolished, including those between Jews and Gentiles (cf. Colossians 3:11). People who used to "be hated and hate one another" (Titus 3:3) have now become one through the peace established by Christ. What a wonderful result of the redemptive work of Calvary!

One body

At the same time, the Lord Jesus laid the foundation for the church to be "one body" on the cross.

Verse 16: "And He has reconciled both of them in one body to God through the cross, having killed the enmity."

Just as all the differences of the old man are removed in the new man, so too in the body of Christ, which is made up of believers from the Jewish people and the nations, God is not the enemy of humanity, but they are His enemies. He did not need to be reconciled with us sinful human beings, but we have been reconciled with Him (cf. 2 Cor 5:20). Reconciling is also not the same as redeeming, saving, or justifying. The verb (Greek: apokatallasso) means 'to bring into a perfect agreement.' All who believe in the work of Christ on the cross have been individually reconciled to God and created into one new man, but by that same work, they also form a unity pleasing to Him, the church of God. All enmity between men, especially the mutual contempt of Jews and nations, has now ended because Christ died on the cross. The one body of Christ on earth, to which all the saved now belong and which in its perfection is called "the fullness of Him who fills all in all" in chapter 1:23, is seen here in its genesis. Although it was formed through the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), its foundation was the cross of Calvary.

Verse 17: "And He came and preached peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near."

The Lord Jesus made peace on the cross ("by the blood of His cross" Col 1:20) and thus became the one with whom peace can be found. But this peace had to and must be proclaimed to people. The Lord did this by "coming and proclaiming peace." Not personally, but through the Holy Spirit and the good news of the Gospel and the messengers sent by Him, the risen and now glorified Lord came to proclaim to people the peace with God made on the cross. The Gentiles, who had no relationship with God, were the far-off, while the Jews, who had been brought close to God since the covenant at Sinai, were the near.

Verse 18: "For through Him, we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."

Whoever believes in Him has free access to the Holy God as our loving Father. The Lord Jesus has prepared this access for believers of both Jewish and Gentile descent, and the one Holy Spirit who has united all believers gives us the boldness and joy of spiritual access to God as Father. The access of believers to the Father in worship, thanksgiving, prayer, and intercession is one of the greatest privileges of the present time of grace. 

All the Jewish forms of worship, such as holy places and days, pompous trappings, ceremonies, and musical instruments that affect the human senses, have no place in Christian worship. The cross of Christ has put an end to all this. The Holy Spirit sent from heaven enables us to worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).

The House of God

Verses 19-21 form the crowning conclusion of a chapter that describes the sinner's journey from distance and hopelessness to the immediate nearness of God based on Christ's work of redemption. The believers have not only been brought to God individually but are now part of the congregation of God, which is seen here as a holy temple in the Lord and as God's dwelling place in the Spirit.

Verse 19: "Then you are no longer strangers and aliens but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,"

It is as if the Holy Spirit is gradually leading us to this culmination of our relationship. He first calls the believers in Ephesus, who were previously aliens and without citizenship in comparison with Israel (cf. verse 12), "fellow citizens with the saints," which makes us think of the population of a city made up only of people who are born again and set apart for God. Personally, they are "saints and beloved," but they are not isolated; rather, they are at the same time "fellow citizens" of a heavenly city (chapter 1:1; 5:3; Phil 3:20). The following designation "members of God's household" leads us to fellowship with God as members of His family. These are wonderful privileges! But then it goes one step further to a divine building in which we are involved and which is now described from the ground up. 

Verse 20: "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone,"

All believers are seen to be "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets." If Christ is not mentioned here as the foundation, but the "apostles and prophets," this does not mean that there is another besides Him, but that the foundation was laid by the preaching of the apostles and prophets (cf. 1 Cor 3:10, 11). These men were the instruments called by the Lord Jesus to proclaim the truth and to write the Scriptures of the New Testament. Of the scribes, the apostles Matthew, John, Peter, and Paul were also prophets, while prophets such as Mark, Luke, James, and Jude are not counted among the apostles. It is clear from 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 3:5 that the prophets cannot refer to the Old Testament men of God. This is confirmed by the common article for both groups and their order ("the apostles and prophets"). The apostles and prophets were "holy men of God," called by the Lord and chosen by the Holy Spirit, who received the revelation of the hitherto hidden mystery of Christ and His church and were inspired by God to proclaim it in "words taught by the Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21; 1 Cor 2:6-13). Though human like us, they were chosen and empowered as special instruments of God to record His truth in infallible form, so that the divine foundation of the assembly would not be compromised by human weakness. This cannot be said of all subsequent instruments of God. 

As if to counter all doubt and criticism, it is now added that "Christ Jesus Himself is the cornerstone." Does not the word "Himself" place the person of the Son of God in a certain contrast to the human instruments mentioned above? The emphasis is not on the apostles and prophets but on Himself as the divine cornerstone of the house of God. The building began with Him, and it is through Him that its measure and direction are determined. It is not men who build the perfect edifice of the church of God, but God. Otherwise, it would be impossible for "the whole building, well put together," to grow to its completion. Here we see the fulfillment of the Lord's words: "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Mt 16:18).

The Lord Jesus is the "cornerstone" of the church (Eph 2:20; 1 Pet 2:6). When we look at passages in the Old Testament where this word occurs, we see that it must be something that belongs to the foundation of a building, not the foundation itself, but an important stone in it, upon which the whole building is built. In Job 38:6, referring to the creation of the earth, it says: "In what was its foundation laid? Or who laid its cornerstone?" Isaiah 28:16 already applies the term prophetically to the Messiah: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, laid on the most sure foundation." In both passages, it is God who begins a great new work by laying the cornerstone. When Peter mentions the cornerstone in the context of the prophet Isaiah's quotation, he emphasizes the preciousness of this stone to God and to those who believe in the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 2:6-8). 

Verse 21: "In whom the whole building, being well joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,"

In Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, "the whole building," is now growing. "Building" (Greek: oikodome) is a versatile word, used in Matthew 24:1 to describe the buildings of the temple in Jerusalem, in 2 Corinthians 5:1 to describe the body of glory we receive at the Rapture, and in Romans 14:19 and many other passages to describe the spiritual "building up" or "edifying" of believers. In 1 Corinthians 3:9, Paul calls the Christians in Corinth "God's field, God's building," and here it says: "...in which the whole building, being well joined together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord." What all the different meanings of the word have in common is the idea of building, whether completed or still in progress. The last two passages clearly speak of something under construction. However, in 1 Corinthians 3:9, the church in Corinth is seen as "God's building" (i.e., its local expression) on which people are building, while here, "the whole building" represents the perfect divine building of the church on the whole earth. So the word "building" - like "temple" - does not always mean exactly the same thing. 

So how is it that the local or global church is described as a finished temple, the dwelling place of God and the Holy Spirit, and simultaneously as an unfinished "building"? We should not suspect any contradiction or imperfection in these different representations. On the contrary, because of our human weakness and limitations, God has to use symbolic representations of His church in His Word so that we can even grasp His eternal and sublime thoughts. He therefore uses familiar concepts from creation and human life. However, because of their limited expressiveness, they are not sufficient on their own to allow us to see all aspects at a glance. This is the reason for the confusing variety of aspects of the assembly as God's house. But only in this way can the "manifold wisdom of God," which is to be made known through the assembly, be fully developed in this respect too. We can say with adoration: "O depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Rom 11:33). 

In 1 Corinthians 3:16, we read: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ... The temple of God is holy, and so are you." In 2 Corinthians 6:16, we are warned against the unequal yoke and asked in this context: "What has the temple of God to do with idols? For you are the temple of the living God ..." The serious exhortations conclude with the words: "Therefore, since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves from every filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, and let us perfect holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor 7:1). And here it says: "... the whole building, well joined together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord." 

Although our human body is also called "the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 6:19), it is something different, even though it cannot be completely separated from Him. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the body of every believer is now a temple, for the Holy Spirit is a Person of the Godhead. But He also dwells in the midst of the believers as a whole, which is particularly expressed in the body of Christ, created by the baptism with the one Spirit. But the assembly, as a holy temple, is also the dwelling and working place of the Holy Spirit. 

However, unlike the "temple of God" in 1 Corinthians, this is not about the assembly from the point of view of human responsibility but about the perfect building of God. Using the same word should not obscure this important difference, even though it suggests that it is essentially one and the same thing. Furthermore, the temple of God is presented in 1 Corinthians as an already completed dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, whereas in Ephesians, the building is still growing into a holy temple in the Lord, i.e., it is not considered complete as long as "living stones" are still being added, that is, until the coming of the Lord. 

The "holy temple in the Lord" is built only by true believers. Although nothing is said here about He being the builder, the words "well joined together," in particular, show that an infallible builder is creating a perfect structure. Apart from Ephesians 2:21, these words (a single word in Greek: synharmologoumenos) occur only in chapter 4:16 and in a very similar context. There, it also speaks of the growth of the church, but it is seen as the body of Christ. All members of the body of Christ are true believers; there are no mere confessors among them. That is why it is also "well knit together." So when the same expression is used here, it is a matter of building up from the perspective and according to the counsel of God.

Verse 22: "In which you also will be built up as a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

The final verse of this section moves from contemplation of God's counsel to practice, as indicated by the words "you also," which are directly addressed to the believers in Ephesus. The word "dwelling place" (Greek: katoiketerion) is already used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, mainly for God's dwelling place, whether prophetically in Exodus 15:17, whether for the temple in 1 Kings 8:39 and other passages or for God's "holy dwelling place in heaven" (2 Chr 30:27). It occurs only twice in the New Testament: in Ephesians 2:22 as the "dwelling place of God in the Spirit" and in Revelation 18:2 for Babylon as the "dwelling place of demons." 

Salvation is the prerequisite for God's dwelling with people. The earthly nation of Israel is a weak and imperfect model of the church. As rich in teaching as the Tent of Meeting is for us, and as glorious as the Temple in Jerusalem may be, both are only "shadows of things to come, not the figure of things," for "the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands," and "He who is Lord of heaven and earth does not dwell in temples made with hands" (Heb 10:1; Acts 7:48; 17:24). His dwelling place is a spiritual house, invisible to the natural eye.

However, we do not have to wait until the Rapture to become God's dwelling place. We are already His dwelling place in the Spirit, which, like the body of Christ, has been formed by the Holy Spirit. He dwells in it, and so it bears His character. The "dwelling place in the Spirit" is the spiritual dwelling place of God on earth! All true believers now living on earth belong to it. 

Every house bears the character or stamp of its owner or occupant. The church of God is no different. His nature is to be expressed in His dwelling, and only His will is to be valid in it. No man or assembly, no matter how large, has the right to determine anything here. Only through His Word and His Holy Spirit is everything directed and determined. 

Even though the world may reject God, He still has a place where He dwells, He is recognized as God, and His rights are also recognized. Only there can He dwell and rest in the midst of redeemed sinners for whom He has done everything and who have now found peace and rest in Him and His Son. He dwells where He can rest, and He rests where the redeemed acknowledge and worship Him as God (cf. Ps 132:14). The sacrifice of Noah after the Flood already points this out to us, the "sweet odor" of which the Lord smelled and on which He based His promises.

The building is growing "into a holy temple in the Lord," and in it, believers are being built up into "a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." As long as the Gospel is preached and people come to believe in the Lord Jesus, the building will continue to progress inexorably. It will be completed when the Lord Jesus returns to take His own home. In eternity, the church will be the "tabernacle of God with men" (Rev 21:3). 

But the same building is already God's dwelling place on earth. This is marvelous: God does not dwell in an unfinished building but in a "holy temple" where everything is founded on the Lord and in a "dwelling place" where He is present in the person of the Holy Spirit.

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