Ep. 326. Ephesians 3-4 | One Lord

EPISODE 326

ONE LORD: EPHESIANS 3-4

We left off with the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers being made into one person by faith in Christ. No longer is there any dividing wall between them. As I've previously stated, even the Apostles originally thought that the gospel was for the Jews only. They thought "go into all the world" was a command to speak to all the Jews scattered among the Gentiles. This becomes really clear to us in Acts 11 when the believers are upset with Peter for going to be the guest of the Gentiles. But then Peter tells them how even the Gentiles were coming to faith. This, it seems, is the first time it dawned on the believing Jews in Jerusalem that salvation was for the whole world. It makes sense then that you would have some Jews in Asia (Ephesus) who were uncomfortable with Gentile conversion and still felt as though the Gentiles were "less than" or "sub-par" believers. Paul addresses this in the third chapter when he says, "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." This "mystery" had been "Hidden for ages" but was now revealed through Christ by the assembly of the saints.

As twenty-first-century believers we are aware that salvation was always intended for the Jew and the Gentile, but in the first century, and prior to then, the inclusion of the Gentiles was a mystery. Though the prophets had written about Gentile inclusion at length, the Jews had missed it.

Paul, then takes a moment in Chapter Four to remind the believers, Jews and Gentiles, that they share the same faith, same God, same Lord, same Spirit, same baptism, same hope, and that they are of one body. The last three chapters of Ephesians has Paul giving them practical wisdom and application on what it looks like to walk in unity before the Lord.

ADDITIONAL READING: Psalm 68:18; 1 Peter 1:13-16; Colossians 3:1-3; Romans 12:1-2; Psalm 4:4