THE MYSTERY OF UNITY IN

CHRIST
Ephesians 2:113:13
Opening Thought
1) What examples of disunity and division, segregation and schism, have
you observed in your life?

Background of the Passage

Ever since the rebellion in Eden shattered the relationship between humans
and God, plunging the human race into sin and judgment, people have
found it impossible to co-exist peacefully. Consider Cain, whom murdered
his own brother Abel, in an act of pre-meditated, jealous rage. This
despicable act merely foreshadowed the enmity that would haunt the
human race. Every marriage, family, church, community, and nation
struggle daily to maintain harmony and peace. Our fallen nature creates
powerful feelings of alienation and suspicion, leading to
misunderstandings, disagreements, factions, conflict, and even out-right
war. Though the barriers between people, spouses, neighbours, and nations
often seem insurmountable, the bible gives real hope and the only lasting
answer for overcoming the grim prospect of hostility. Christ is the Prince
of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He alone can bring us into right relationship with
God. He alone can shatter the walls of antagonism and malice that separate
human beings. Consider the amazing truth found in the following passage.

Bible Passage
Read Ephesians 2:113:13
All Believers are One in the Messiah
11

So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth were called
the uncircumcised by those who called themselves the circumcised.
They underwent physical circumcision done by human hands. 12 At that
time you were without the Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel,
and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were in
the world without God.

13

But now, in union with the Messiah Jesus, you who once were far
away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. 14 For it is he
who is our peace. Through his mortality he made both groups one by
tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them. 15 He rendered the
Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus
creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace,
16
and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on
which he eliminated the hostility. 17 He came and proclaimed peace for you
who were far away and for you who were near. 18 For through him, both of
us have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 That is why you are no longer
strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of
Gods household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, the Messiah Jesus himself being the cornerstone. 21 In union with
him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary
for the Lord. 22 You, too, are being built in him, along with the others, into
a place for Gods Spirit to dwell.

Chapter 3
Pauls Ministry to the Gentiles
1

For this reason I, Paul, am the prisoner of the Messiah Jesus for the
sake of you gentiles. 2 Surely you have heard about the responsibility of
administering Gods grace that was given to me on your behalf, 3 and how
this secret was made known to me through a revelation, just as I wrote
about briefly in the past. 4 By reading this, you will be able to grasp my
understanding of the secret about the Messiah, 5 which in previous
generations was not made known to human beings as it has now been
revealed by the Spirit to Gods holy apostles and prophets. This is that
secret: 6 The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the
body, and common participants in what was promised by the Messiah
Jesus through the gospel. 7 I have become a servant of this gospel
according to the gift of Gods grace that was given me by the working of
his power. 8 To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given so
that I might proclaim to the gentiles the immeasurable wealth of the
Messiah 9 and help everyone see how this secret that has been at work was
hidden for ages by God, who created all things.

10

He did this so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all
its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the
heavenly realm 11 in keeping with the eternal purpose that God carried out
through the Messiah Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and
confident access through his faithfulness. 13 So then, I ask you not to
become discouraged because of my troubles on your behalf, which work
toward your glory.

Here is the Ebers Papyrus [1550 b.c.] medical text highlighting remedies
for stopping the bleeding of a circumcision.

Understanding the Text

2) How did Paul describe the plight of the gentiles and Gods subsequent
response? What does he say about the Jews? (2:11-13)
answer: starting with v. 11, Paul draws from all that he has said [recall vv.
110]: if God has graciously saved all who have faith in Christ, and has
re-created them so that they do the good works God originally created
humanity to do, then his gentile readers should especially recall how far
they have come. Paul urges them to remember what they at one time
were [as gentiles], as a way of further appreciating the magnitude of Gods
powerful work on their behalf. Paul says that his readers did not have the
physical mark of circumcision, which distinguished Jews from gentiles.
Paul echoes Genesis 17:914, where God tells Abraham to be
circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the
covenant between me and you [v. 11]. Pauls point is that the Jews saw
the gentiles as excluded from their social group and from special
relationship with God, because circumcision was the physical marker for
this. Circumcision was well known in the ancient Near East, though the
details of its practice and its significance vary from culture to culture. The
Egyptians practiced circumcision as early as the 3rd millennium. West
Semitic peoples, such as Israelites, Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites
performed circumcision. Eastern Semitic peoples did not [Assyrians,
Babylonians, Akkadians]. Nor did the Philistines, and Aegean or Greek
people. However, while the Hebrews amputated the foreskin of the penis,
the Egyptians merely incised the foreskin and so exposed the glans penis
[hence the reason for the new generation of Israelites to be circumcised a
second time in Joshua 5:2-9 after they left Egypt]. The earliest evidence
of this rite is on a relief in the tomb of Ankhmahor [2340 b.c.], depicting a
priest performing ritual circumcision.

Anthropological studies have suggested that the rite has to do with at least
one of four basic themes: fertility, virility, maturity, and genealogy. The
common denominator, however, is that circumcision appears to have been
a rite of passage, giving new identity to the one circumcised and
incorporating him into a particular group. Why was the sign of the
covenant something that marks only males? Two cultural issues offer an
explanation: patrilineal descent and identity in the community.
Circumcision wasnt focused on individual participation in the covenant,
but as a continuing communal participation. The community is structured
around patrilineal descent, so the sign on the males marks the corporate
commitment of the clan generation to generation. Thus the reasons for
having circumcision as part of the covenant was that it was a physical sign
to all Israelites, that if they were to have sexual intercourse, it was a
physical reminder of the covenant between God and Abraham, that the
reason the nation continues to exist [hence the Deuteronomy 32 song] was
because of Gods supernatural work in Sarah giving birth to Isaac. By the
1st century, gentiles were simply called the foreskin [hence the
uncircumcised in v. 11] by the Jews.

But the Romans considered circumcision to be a negative characteristic of

the Jews. The 1st century Latin poet Martial repeatedly addressed a Jewish
critic of his work as circumcised poet, and he did not intend the
description politely. According to Philo [1st century Jewish philosopher],
circumcision was turned into ridicule by people in general. It was so
frequently derided in the wider society that many Jews sought to have their
circumcision disguised by cosmetic surgery called epispasm [hence Paul
says that they should not try to change their circumcision in 1
Corinthians 7:18]. The reason for this is because Jews took part in gentile
communities, whether exercise areas or educational and cultural facilities.
If Jews wished to take part in civic institutions such as the gymnasium or
adopt the Roman cultural habit of taking hot baths, they would be easily
identified when stripped naked. In summary of this background
information, Paul is showcasing quite clearly the hostility between the two
groups, and this will become a dominant theme as we progress. Next in v.
12, the gentiles were deprived of five advantages that the Jews had:
1. They were without the Messiah. This is the most important item
in the list. If every spiritual blessing [recall Ephesians 1:412] is
available only to those in the Messiah [v. 3], and if rescue from
the grim plight [recall Ephesians 2:13] comes only to those in the
Messiah, then being without the Messiah poses an eternal
problem. Prior to the gospel, gentiles were separated from the hope
that the Jews already had in their expectation of their Messiah, a
hope that was eventually fulfilled in Jesus.
2. They were excluded from citizenship in Israel. This alludes to the
way of life that God requires, initially via the Mosaic law for all
Jews.
3. They were strangers to the covenants of promise, such as Gods
promises to Abraham in Genesis 13:1416; 15:5, 18; 17:8. Israels
possession of the covenants of promise was a significant
privilege because these covenants marked out the pathway of
Gods saving purposes. Gentiles, because of their position outside
Israel, had no access to Israels scriptures and therefore no clear
access to the saving purposes of God.

Though a small percentage of gentiles had access to Israels

scriptures in the 1st century through attendance at the synagogue
[Luke 7:25], Paul says that the Jews have been entrusted with the
utterances of God [Romans 3:2].
4. Thus they had no hope. Before the coming of the gospel to them,
the gentiles constantly existed in a state of hopelessness. This does
not mean that they felt despair all the time, but that from the
perspective of a Christian looking back on gentile existence outside
Israel, their future held only the wrath of God that comes upon
those who are disobedient [recall Ephesians 2:2].
5. Thus they were in the world without God. From their own
perspective, many gentiles would have claimed to be piously
devoted to the gods [recall Aion from the prior study]. The very
term Paul uses here atheos [from where we get our word atheist],
was used with disdain by gentiles to describe the Jews, who refused
to worship their gods, and in later times was a favourite slander
against Christians for the same reason. Pauls perspective here is
similar to that of the martyrdom of Polycarp [1st century Bishop of
Smyrna]: Now, as Polycarp was entering into the stadium, there
came to him a voice from heaven, saying, Be strong, and show
thyself a man, O Polycarp! No one saw who it was that spoke to
him; but those of our brethren who were present heard the voice.
And as he was brought forward, the tumult became great when they
heard that Polycarp was taken. And when he came near, the
proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On his confessing
that he was, the proconsul sought to persuade him to deny Christ,
saying, Have respect to thy old age, and other similar things,
according to their custom, such as, Swear by the fortune of
Caesar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists. But Polycarp,
gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude of the wicked
heathen then in the stadium, and waving his hand towards them,
while with groans he looked up to heaven, said, Away with the
Atheists. Then, the proconsul urging him, and saying, Swear, and
I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ, Polycarp declared, 86
years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then
can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?

Jerome [4th century] summarizes: When he says having no hope, without

God in the world, he does not deny that the Ephesians had many gods
before they believed in Christ. His point is that one who is without the true
God has no god worthy of the name. And the next phrase, without God in
the world, is significant: The Gentiles in a sense already had God indeed
in the form of anticipation, because God knew beforehand that he would
have them. In Gods foreknowledge they were never without God. But
entangled in the world they were without God.

This large paved area surrounding the temple and its inner courts was itself
enclosed by pillars standing 11 m high. The perimeter of this area
measured 1.2 km. The outer court was called the Court of the Gentiles.
Gentiles were not allowed access to the inner courts. A 5-foot high barrier
surrounding the inner courts served as a dividing wall.

Finally in v. 13, Paul uses Isaiah 57:19, Peace to the one who is far away
or near, and Ill heal him. Isaiah is looking forward to Gods future
blessings on Jews wherever they might be, but Isaiah also frequently
emphasizes the unification of Israel with all people groups in the worship
of God [Isaiah 56:68], and Paul understands this as a prophecy regarding
the inclusion of gentiles within Gods people through the gospel. This
eschatological inclusion of gentiles within the people of God has happened
by the blood of the Messiah. If the most fundamental problem facing
Pauls gentile readers, that their existence was without the Messiah [v.
12], then God has met this problem by placing them in union with the
Messiah Jesus.
3) Why did Paul describe Jesus as our peace to the Ephesians? (2:14-18)
answer: starting with v. 14, Jesus is not divided into competing groups,
and so those who are identified with Christ are also at peace with one
another [1 Corinthians 12:1213]. The peace Paul thinks of here is the
broad Hebraic concept of lm. One specific definition [though others are
prosperity, success, intactness, welfare, state of health,
friendliness, deliverance, and salvation] is opposite of war, and in
light of Pauls emphasis on the alienation of gentiles from Israel [vv. 11
12], this nuance is uppermost in his thinking here. Thus he says that Jesus
made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided
them. But note that Paul here uses two rare Greek words, one for wall
and the other for divided [as was the case with ain, the deep imagery of
these two words, meso toichon, are unfortunately missed in the English
translation]. First, Paul is speaking about the Jerusalem temple. Gentiles
were allowed to enter the temple enclosure in Jerusalem.

Josephus [1st century Jewish historian] mentions that stone slabs written in
Greek stood at intervals on the barrier, warning gentiles not to enter. They
read: No gentile is to enter within the forecourt and the balustrade
around the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his
subsequent death.

Paul had already experienced trouble in Jerusalem for taking an Ephesian

gentile, Trophimus, into the temple [Acts 21:26-36]. This was the reason
for his initial imprisonment in Jerusalem. Thus Pauls allusion to this
barrier highlights v. 12, where the gentiles: were without the Messiah,
excluded from citizenship in Israel, and strangers to the covenants of
promise. You had no hope and were in the world without God.
Marius Victorinus [3rd century] succinctly puts it this way: Christ, he
says, is our peace. Elsewhere Paul calls him mediator. He interposed
himself of his own accord between divided realms. Souls born of Gods
fountain of goodness were being detained in the world. There was a wall
in their midst, a sort of fence, a partition made by the deceits of the flesh
and worldly lusts. Christ by his own mystery, his cross, his passion and his
way of life destroyed this wall. He overcame sin and taught that it could be
overcome. He destroyed the lusts of the world and taught that they ought
to be destroyed. He took away the wall in the midst. It was in his own flesh
that he overcame the enmity. The work is not ours. We are not called to set
ourselves free. Faith in Christ is our only salvation.
Second, Paul is speaking about the curtain that separated us from the
Holiest of Holies inside the temple. As we see in Mark 15:38, in the hour
of Jesus death on the cross, the curtain was torn from top to bottom. Thus
Paul says elsewhere, my brothers, since we have confidence to enter the
sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, the new and living way that he opened for
us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a
great high priest over the household of God, let us continue to come near
with sincere hearts in the full assurance that faith provides, because our
hearts have been sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience, and our bodies
have been washed with pure water. [Hebrews 10:19-22].
While the fence and wall prevented the access of the gentiles to the inner
courts of the temple and thus signified the separation of the gentiles from
both Israel and God, the curtain marked the separation between all men
and God! Theodore [4th century Bishop of Mopsuestia] concludes: Christ,
conferring immortality on us through his resurrection, has put an end to
this division between Jew and Gentile, for there can be no circumcision of
an immortal nature.

Third, in the Letter of Aristeas [2nd century b.c. Hellenistic work], we read:
In his wisdom the legislator, in a comprehensive survey of each
particular part, and being endowed by God for the knowledge of universal
truths, surrounded us with unbroken palisades and iron walls to prevent
our mixing with any of the other peoples in any matter, being thus kept
pure in body and soul, preserved from false beliefs, and worshiping the
only God omnipotent over all creation.
Thus Paul is speaking about a spiritual fence consisting either of detailed
biblical commandments [as seen in v. 11 with respect to the foreskin
nickname given by the Jews], or the additions made by scribes in their oral
interpretations [the reason for Jesus rebuke in Matthew 15:1-20].
Finally, Paul is speaking about a cosmic barrier, deriving from ancient
cosmological ideas that the sky is a sea of glass mixed with fire
[Revelation 15:2] that is now torn down, so that God is able to raise us up
with him, and seat us with him in the heavenly realm [recall Ephesians
2:6]. In order to bring about unity and to achieve reconciliation in the
cosmos, Christ had to break down the wall dividing the two realms
[recall Ephesians 1:10], and overcome the hostility between them [the
cosmic battle that started in Genesis 3].

Theodoret [5th century Bishop of Cyr] summarises: Christ dispelled the

enmity between us and God. He gave his own flesh as a ransom for us.
Once this was done, he put an end to the things that separated you and
them [gentiles and Jews]. For this is what he means by the law of
ordinances. He has not annulled the Decalogue. For Christ the Lord
himself held these up to the one who wanted to know the way to eternal life
[Luke 18:18-23]. But by doctrines he meant the gospel teaching, since the
realizing of full maturity lies in the responsive choices of the will. Yet these
gospel teachings are not laid down as laws. They are a matter of free
choice. What he does lay down as law is what he inscribed on nature when
he created it in the beginning [Jeremiah 31:31-34].
In this way, Christ has now brought gentiles near and has overcome the
barrier that had existed between them and Israel [again, recall the deep
implications of the imagery in Deuteronomy 32:7-9 where all these themes
have an ultimate focal point]. Now the church is the final cosmic unity of
Christ [highlighted in Revelation 21:1-4]! Next in v. 15, Paul does not say
that Jesus has set aside the need for commandments within Christianity,
nor does he say that the Mosaic law is no longer useful for believers. In
Pauls thinking, the Mosaic law governed Israel for a specific period of
time [Galatians 3:19]. Although it was glorious in its day [2 Corinthians
3:711], it had now served its purpose and come to its divinely appointed
end [2 Corinthians 3:12-18]. God has now established a new people,
comprised of both Jews and gentiles, and the law governing their [and our]
conduct is called the law of the Messiah [Galatians 6:2]. The Mosaic law
is still authoritative within the new people of God, but in a different way
than it had been for Israel. For Christians, it reveals the character of God,
the nature of humanity, and the centrality of faith to a right relationship
with God, but its commandments no longer govern the behaviour of Gods
people without first passing through the filter of the gospel. Thus Paul says
that when Christ set aside the Mosaic law by his death, he removed the
hostile purposes of human sinfulness, which often put the laws good [but
temporary] commands, about separating from the gentiles. This toxic
mixture of the law and human sinfulness [Romans 5:20; 7:5; 1 Corinthians
15:56] leads Paul to speak of the law here in negative terms. The sinful use
of the law produced a hostility that deprived gentiles of access to God
through the scriptures [hence v. 12].

Thus, now that Jesus has set aside the Mosaic law, he is creating in
himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace between
believers from among Jews and gentiles. Paul uses the verb ktiz, [create]
to refer to the individual believer as Gods new creation no longer living
under the sway of the world, the devil, and the flesh but in the way God
originally created human beings to live [recall Ephesians 2:10]. Paul has
the new creation in mind, but now conceived as a corporate event, making
peace between the two estranged groups. By their union with and in Christ,
believers become united with one another across the social barriers that
formerly divided them, and so, like Christ himself, become a new nature
[Colossians 3:911]. When Christ set aside the Mosaic law, he reconciled
all humanity, of whatever ethnic origin, to God!
Chrysostom [4th century Bishop of Constantinople] says: Dont you see?
The Greek does not have to become a Jew. Rather both enter into a new
condition. His aim is not to bring Greek believers into being as different
kinds of Jews but rather to create both anew. Rightly he uses the term
create rather than change to point out the great effect of what God has
done. This produced one wonderful result. He himself was the first
instance of this reconciliation, a result greater than all the previous
creation. For that is what in himself means: Having assumed dominion
over the Jew and then of the Greek, he himself became their mediator. He
brought them together, doing away with all that estranged them. He
became a Jew when he was circumcised. Then, being cursed, he became a
Greek outside the law and one more excellent than either Greek or Jew.

This reconciliation with God was able to take place through the cross, on
which he eliminated the hostility. The Mosaic law was as tightly bound to
the enmity between God and all humanity as it was to the enmity between
Jews and gentiles. When its holy, righteous, and good decrees encountered
a humanity under the power of the world, the devil, and the flesh, they
served only to reveal the depth of humanitys rebellion against God and
the gravity of the penalty for that rebellion. When Christ died on the cross,
he set the law aside, and in so doing, he not only created a new people
unified across ethnic barriers but also removed the case against all
humanity codified in the Mosaic law. When Christ set aside the law
through his death on the cross, therefore, he reconciled to God all who
believed the gospel, whether Jew or gentile. This culminated in his utter
destruction of the cosmic forces that started this hostility. Now in Psalm
22:12-13 we read that: the vicious bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
Their mouths are opened wide toward me, like roaring and attacking
lions. The name Bashan literally means, the place of the serpent.
Bashan was conceived as the location of the bottomless pit. This is
precisely the same region [Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 16:13], where
Jesus declares: it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the
powers of hell will not withstand it [Matthew 16:18]. It is on the cross
where Jesus refers to Psalm 22 as a messianic fulfilment of his death
[Matthew 27:46]. These bulls are metaphorical descriptions of demons
[Amos 4:1-3], and the image of Christs death is more striking than a
surface level idea of what happened visually. Those who surrounded
Christ at the cross werent just the Jews and gentiles, but the locusts and
their king opening their mouths toward Christ like lions [imagery
from Revelation 9] on the very location referred to as the bottomless pit.
They are not winning, but rather, Christ is defeating them. Hence Paul
states: Even when you were dead because of your offenses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with him when he
forgave us all of our offenses, having erased the charges that were brought
against us, along with their obligations that were hostile to us. He took
those charges away when he nailed them to the cross. And when he had
disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of
them, triumphing over them in the cross. [Colossians 2:13-15].
Thus Chrysostom expresses this beautifully in his own words: No
expression could be more authoritative or more emphatic.

His death, he says, killed the enmity, wounded and destroyed it. He did not
give the task to another. And he not only did the work but suffered for it.
He did not say that he dissolved it; he did not say that he put an end to it,
but he used the much more forceful expression: He killed! This shows that
it need not ever rise again.
Samuel Gandys hymn His be the Victor's Name [1837]:
1

His be the victors name,

Who fought our fight alone;
Triumphant saints no honour claim;
His conquest was His own.
2

He hell in hell laid low;

Made sin, He sin oerthrew:
Bowd to the grave, destroyd it so,
And death, by dying, slew.
3

What though the accuser roar

Of ills that we have done;
We know them well, and thousands more;
Jehovah findeth none.
4

Sin, Satan, Death appear

To harass and appal;
Yet since the gracious Lord is near,
Backward they go, and fall.
5

We meet them face to face,

Through Jesus conquest blest;
March in the triumph of His grace,
Right onward to our rest.
6

Bless, bless the Conqueror slain;

Slain in His victory!
Who lived, who died, who lives again,
For thee, His church, for thee!

Finally in v. 18, Paul now provides further evidence of the peace that both
Jews and gentiles [who are in Christ] have with God. Through Jesus, both
of us have access to the Father by one Spirit. Here too the unity of Jews
and gentiles are one just as the Spirit is one, and in this Spirit-effected
unity they come to God, an approach made possible by the death of Christ.
4) Why is it significant that the gentiles have an integral part in Gods
household? (2:19-22)
answer: starting with v. 19, since access to the Father has been achieved
through the death of Christ for a group united in the Spirit across ethnic
lines, and since Pauls gentile readers belong to this group [v. 18], they are
neither strangers nor foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of Gods household. Paul paints in broad brush strokes,
intending to contrast the former status of his gentile readers as outside the
people of God, with their present status as members of Gods household.
Therefore the gentiles are no longer completely without a homeland; they
are no longer 2nd class citizens in someone elses homeland. They now
have citizenship in Israel [v. 12] with the saints. Recall that the Greek
means holy ones, therefore as we see in the Qumran writings, the holy
ones are also the angels in heaven with whom the elect community on
earth is joined: to those whom God has selected he has given them as
everlasting possession; and he has given them an inheritance in the lot of
the holy ones. He unites their assembly to the sons of the heavens in order
to form the council of the Community and a foundation of the building of
holiness to be an everlasting plantation throughout all future ages.
Three things should be noted:
1. Paul makes use of this concept, of our attachment to a heavenly
citizenship in Philippians 3:20-21.
2. Paul makes use of this concept, of our relationship to heavenly
Jerusalem in Galatians 4:26.
3. Paul makes use of this concept, of our fellowship with Gods
assembly in Hebrews 12:22-24.

Next in v. 20, thus we have Paul shifting to the world of architecture. The
gentiles are part of Gods family because God has incorporated them into a
foundation he has begun to construct, on a solid foundation of two
elements: apostles and prophets, on one hand, and the Messiah Jesus
himself being the cornerstone. The temple as a building appeared firm
and unmovable in the Jewish world. Such a structure provided a picture of
security to the persecuted Christians. The Qumran community thought of
their council as a precious cornerstone, whose foundations shall neither
rock nor sway in their place. However, as Paul notes here [alluding to
Isaiah 28:16], God as master mason selects a cornerstone, Jesus, and
uses him for his building project. Paul uses the metaphor positively to
encourage his gentile readers that the foundation on which their inclusion
stands is firm. But note that the word cornerstone [akrogniaos] can
also mean keystone, that is used to top an arch. Recall that Jesus is
earlier called the head of everything [Ephesians 1:22]. Jesus is
paradoxically, the keystone and the cornerstone! Chrysostom summarises
beautifully: See how he joins himself to us. Sometimes it is as if holding
together and unifying the whole body from above. Sometimes it is as if
joining the edifice from below, as if supporting the building with
underpinnings and being its root. Whether you speak of the roof, or of the
walls, or of any other part [every church], he supports the whole.

Next in v. 21, the building Paul is describing a holy sanctuary that is

presently under construction. Paul wants his readers to imagine themselves
as part of a building in the process of growing, by being tightly fitted
together in union with him and with other believers across ethnic
boundary lines. Thus the church rises into a holy sanctuary. Isaiah 56:3
7 specifically refers to the inclusion of the nations in temple worship
during the period of Israels restoration. This is a multiethnic temple, the
fulfilment of Jewish eschatological expectations, and it is not a physical
building: it exists for the Lord in the heavenly realm [recall Ephesians
1:3, 20; 2:6].
Jerome summarises saying that: the whole edifice built on the foundation
of the apostles and prophets comprises not only human souls but also
angelic powers, so that all equally will become the abode of God. For in
this is a building, put together harmoniously, that is growing into a holy
temple of God to be an abode of God in the Spirit.
This is important especially in its 1st century context. The Jerusalem
temple of Pauls day was a long time in the making [John 2:18-22]. In
other words, work is still continuing as Paul writes this letter. Thus Paul
wants his readers to understand that God is replacing it with a holy
sanctuary comprised of people filled with his Spirit. This temple is also
still under construction! People are being added to it, and they are being
crafted and refashioned by God to reflect his holiness and purity. The
completion of this holy sanctuary can only take place in the new
creation. John reveals that the new creation exists in dimensions entirely
independent of the ones we now experience [Revelation 21:1-5]. Gods
brand new creation will be completely different from our universe. This
proclamation that the old order of things will pass away and that
everything will be made new suggests that no physical entities will be
carried over from the old creation into the new creation. The word physical
will have a new meaning. All the forces and laws of physics will be
changed. This newness seems consistent with Gods pattern of creative
work. Just as Gods first creation week begins with let there be light
[Genesis 1:5], where something entirely new begins [a universe of matter,
energy, and dimensions for their distribution and operation], so God begins
his second creation by introducing a brand new realm denoting the
dwelling place of God and of humans.

Electromagnetism and gravity operate on material objects in 3D of space.

Stable atom structure and stable planetary and star orbits are impossible in
anything other than 3D of space. Evidence that gravity will be different or
nonexistent in the new creation comes from the biblical description of the
New Jerusalem. According to John, the city was square: its length was
the same as its width. He measured the city with his rod, and it was about
1,374 miles long. Its length, width, and height were the same. He also
measured its wall. According to the human measurement that the angel
was using, it was 252 feet. [Revelation 21:16-17]. If gravity were in
operation, this cube would collapse into a spherical shape, for in our
universe, any material object with dimensions exceeding 300 miles across
would be pulled by gravity into a spherical shape. Thus Paul tells us that
thermodynamics is temporary, limited to the present cosmos: For I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory that will be revealed to us. For the creation is eagerly
awaiting the revelation of Gods children, because the creation has
become subject to futility, though not by anything it did. The one who
subjected it did so in the certainty that the creation itself would also be set
free from corrupting bondage in order to share the glorious freedom of
Gods children. For we know that all the rest of creation has been
groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time. However, not
only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan
inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
[Romans 8:18-23].
Thermodynamics states the existence of processes that bring increasing
disorder, a necessary operation of the cosmos we know. And yet, the new
creation indicates that we will possess the capacity to perform what could
technically be defined as work. The possibility of work without
thermodynamics means that a dimensionality totally different from ours
must exist there. Imagine what our lives would be like if the time and
energy we now expend on maintenance and upkeep could be devoted
wholly to creative pursuits! Not only is the new creation free of
deterioration, but it is also free of natural and manmade disasters and
crime, all the things that so seriously drain our wealth in this world. In our
world, wealth of all kinds, material and relational, must be protected, and
the costs of such protection increase with the value of what needs
protecting. In the new creation, our wealth will not burden us.

God can and will bless each of us with an inheritance [recall Ephesians
1:14, 18] beyond what we can possibly dream. The absence of pain in the
new creation implies that the risks of injury and illness will be gone.
Though in Eden pain was reduced, it was still present, for Adam and Eve
did not possess indestructible bodies and thus needed some pain sensation
to warn them of impending injury [hence the reason for the Tree of Life
and the increased nature of their pain after leaving the garden]. We who
choose life in the new creation will all receive indestructible bodies [1
Corinthians 15:42-56]. Our bodies will experience no injury, no sickness,
no pain, and no weakness. Hunger and thirst will also be things of the past.
No longer will our bodies need food, rest, exercise, repair, or other
maintenance. Never again will our bodies let us down. Experiencing no
more hunger, thirst, and weakness refers to much more than physical
matters. We will be completely and continuously full and satisfied:
physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. While our lives
today bring us moments of satisfaction, the perfect and sustained
satisfaction for which we yearn will finally be ours to possess forever in
the new creation. The characteristic of the new creation most frequently
emphasized is the absence of darkness [Revelation 21:2325]. The light of
Gods glory illuminates everything, and everything radiates or reflects
Gods light. Just as the sun casts no shadow, nothing in the new creation
casts shadows. Even shades of darkness cannot be found! Not just in a
physical sense but in an emotional, intellectual, and spiritual sense as well.
As dramatic as the alterations in our environment may seem, the relational
changes will be more profound. In the new creation no one will fear, hide,
or deceive. No one will experience envy or doubt. No one will demean or
in any way violate the sanctity of another creature, and no one will exalt
anything or anyone above God. Every barrier that prevents or limits
intimacy between us will be removed for all eternity. Instead, everyone in
the new creation will consistently exhibit the character and love of Jesus in
all circumstances and for all time [1 John 3:1-3]. Each of us in the new
creation will be given an assignment for which we are perfectly suited. We
will have some kind of roles to fulfil as we rule angels [1 Corinthians
6:2-3] and over whatever God creates in the new kingdom [1 Peter 2:9].
We will work together in perfect peace and harmony for all of eternity. All
of us in the new creation will be one as God is one [John 17]. For us to
experience the same kind of oneness we, too, would need to be in
continuous communication and fellowship with one another.

We might gain the capacity to communicate and relate intimately with

billions of others all at once: and agree perfectly with each one! Our
present dimensionality makes such simultaneous communication and
fellowship impossible. But with one extra dimension of time, we could
acquire this capacity.

As God can listen and respond to any number of prayers simultaneously in

2D of time, so we may be able to give our full attention to countless other
believers simultaneously, and receive theirs. With this new capacity for
being known and being loved by all others in the new creation, our need
for marriage is fully met. We no longer will need to focus our relationship
resources on one spouse, our own children, our other family members, and
our selected friends. We will continuously enjoy with all other members of
the heavenly family something far superior to the pleasures of the very
best of times in our earthly relationships, including marriage. We will all
personally commune with those individuals of all ages whom we have
admired most and longed to know. We who are married now will be
married in the new creation, not just to our current marriage partner, but to
Christ as well.

Right now we are engaged to Christ [vv. 15-16], and our engagement gives
us the potential to experience a wonderful, growing personal relationship
with him. The new creation is a place where none of us will ever need to
say goodbye to anyone. We will all be together forever. But our desire for
privacy will be taken care of as well. Given that we may possess
something like the equivalent of 2D of time, we would have a near infinite
number of time lines for maintaining relationships. After we subtract 10
billion to accommodate all the people in the new creation, another 100
million for the angels [Revelation 5:11], billions more for whatever new
creatures God may create [the principle of plenitude], we will still have a
near infinite number of time lines for solitary reflection, projects, hobbies,
and pastimes if we want them. Finally in v. 22, this brings Pauls imagery
in vv. 19-21 full circle. The household of God [v. 19], into which Pauls
gentile readers have now been fully integrated, is also the place for Gods
Spirit to dwell, with his people.
5) What is Pauls role in his administration of the secret? (3:17)
answer: starting with v. 1, Paul describes himself as the prisoner of the
Messiah Jesus for the sake of you gentiles. Chrysostom says: This is a
very emphatic statement: Not only do we not hate you, we are even
imprisoned on your account! Pauls imprisonment was integral to his
special apostolic ministry of proclaiming the gospel to the gentiles. Next in
v. 2, after Pauls absence from the city for over 7 years, in various forms of
imprisonment, many of these intended readers would have had only a
loose connection to him [for the chronology, see 1 Corinthians 16:8; Acts
20:3, 6, 16; 24:27; 27:9; 28:11, 30]. Paul was given the responsibility of
administering Gods grace to the gentiles. God did not simply give him
the gospel message of grace to take to the gentiles. The assignment to do
this is in itself Gods grace given to Paul. Gods willingness to use Paul to
preach the gospel among the gentiles was a signal demonstration of his
grace [1 Corinthians 15:910]. Next in v. 3, Paul defines the administrative
responsibility God has given him, that: this secret was made known to me
through a revelation. No amount of exegetical study of the scriptures
would have yielded this insight: God had to make it known to Paul
personally. Recall that this secret revealed to the saints is: Gods love for
us before the creation [recall Ephesians 1:3-6]. God loves us despite our
sins and death, destroying the former division of Jews and gentiles.

Humans did not know this love, nor did the spiritual powers. But God did.
It was Gods secret because it was hidden in his heart, identified with his
own being, his whole self. Now it has been laid bare. God is no longer
hidden and unknown. He has revealed himself [John 17:6]. Next in v. 4,
Paul again emphasises this and wants us to have his understanding of the
secret about the Messiah. Next in v. 5, this secret Paul says, in
previous generations was not made known to human beings. Now that
this secret has been revealed, our eyes can see an abundance of
scriptures showing gentile inclusion in the worship of God at the time of
Israels restoration [Psalm 22:27; 86:9; 96:3, 710; Isaiah 2:24; 11:10;
19:2425; 45:14, 22; 51:45; 52:10; 55:5; 56:67; 60:11; 66:1823;
Jeremiah 3:17; Micah 4:14; Amos 9:12; Zechariah 8:2023; 9:10].
This highlights why Jesus says: How blessed are the eyes that see what
you see! Because I tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see the
things you see but didnt see them, and to hear the things you hear but
didnt hear them. [Luke 10:23-24]
Thus the inclusion of the gentiles was known theoretically, but now has
become a reality. Next in v. 6, we now get the amazing insight that Paul
[by Gods grace] had in regards to this secret, that the gentiles are:
heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body. This is
Deuteronomy 32:8-9 fulfilled! Jerome highlights the significance of this:
The gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel. Put more precisely, they are
fellow heirs with Christ. It is not that some possession is divided among us
but that God himself in his fullness is our inheritance and possession.
Our inheritance [recall Ephesians 1:14, 18] would not be a geographical
region at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, but as was made clear
earlier, a glorious existence within a renewed creation as Gods adopted
and beloved children. But, during the 2nd Temple period, Jewish
interpreters of the scriptures found [in their inheritance language] a
justification for the violent overthrow and subjugation of the gentiles:
Undergird him with the strength to destroy the unrighteous rulers, to
purge Jerusalem from gentiles who trample her to destruction; in wisdom
and in righteousness to drive out the sinners from the inheritance; to
smash the arrogance of sinners like a potters jar. [Psalm of Solomon
17:2223]. But, Paul has now shown that this isnt Gods plan all along!

So now, lets see Gods magnificent plan unfold! Pentecost is an event

remembered by all Christians each year. However, what Acts 2:1-13
describes as happening on that day, at first sounds strange:
When the day of Pentecost was being celebrated, all of them were
together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the roar of a mighty
windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were
sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated, and one rested
on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them that ability. Now devout
Jews from every nation were living in Jerusalem. When that sound came, a
crowd quickly gathered, startled because each one heard the disciples
speaking in his own language. Stunned and amazed, they asked, All of
these people who are speaking are Galileans, arent they? So how is it that
each one of us hears them speaking in his own native language: Parthians,
Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus,
Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the district of Libya near Cyrene, Jewish
and proselyte visitors from Rome, Cretans, and Arabs, listening to them
talk in our own languages about the great deeds of God? All of them
continued to be stunned and puzzled, and they kept asking one another,
What can this mean? But others kept saying in derision, Theyre drunk
on sweet wine!
This description of the events of Pentecost is sprinkled with divine council
imagery and has [here it is again!] secure connections to Deuteronomy
32:8-9. Revealing those features is central to understanding whats
happening in Acts 2 and the role it plays in Gods plan to reclaim the
nations. The first two points of the description that deserve attention are
the mighty windstorm and the tongues like flames of fire that
separated. Both are images in the Old Testament associated with Gods
presence: the disciples are being commissioned by God in his council like
the prophets of old. For example, Ezekiels divine commissioning has the
enthroned Yahweh appearing as a massive cloud and fire that was
flashing back and forth, surrounded by bright light. [Ezekiel 1:4]. Fire in
the Old Testament was an identifier of the presence of God, a visible
manifestation of his glory and essence [Genesis 15:17]. It was also a way
of describing divine beings in Gods service [Psalm 104:4].

Acts 2 signifies to readers a divine council scene where the gathered

followers of Jesus were being commissioned by a divine encounter, to
preach the gospel. Now, there are two key terms in Acts 2 that connect
back to the Babel event. The first is the tongues like flames described as
separated [the Greek is diamerizomenai], and the second are the Jews
from every nation, are said to have been puzzled [the Greek is
sygche]. First, the word sygche is in the Babel story: Come on! Lets go
down there and confuse [sygche] their language, so that they wont
understand each others speech [Genesis 11:7]. The multiplicity of
nations represented at Pentecost is a link to Babel, where each nation had a
national language, and all those nations referred to in Acts 2:911 had
been disinherited by God when they were divided. Second, the other word
of importance [diamerizomenai] is also used, but not in Genesis 11. It is
found here: When the Most High gave nations as their inheritance, when
he separated [diamerizomenai] the human race, he set boundaries for the
people according to the number of the children of God. [Deuteronomy
32:8]. The last phrase can literally be read as: by the number of the gods.
At Pentecost, the tongues are separated among the disciples as they are
commissioned to preach the gospel. Thus, Jews who embraced Jesus as
their messiah would carry that message back to their home countries: the
nations. Babels disinheritance was going to be rectified by the message of
Jesus, the 2nd Yahweh incarnate. The nations would again be his! The
really amazing thing about Acts 2 is: the list of nations. To understand
what Luke is communicating, heres a map of the nations listed in Genesis
10 that were later divided in Genesis 11 [the number of nations = 70]:

The key idea to grasp is that the nations in Genesis 10 represent the known
world at the time it was written. The Old Testament is a product of the
ancient Near Eastern environment in which the biblical writers lived.
There are no references to locations like China, South America, North
America, or Australia. What this means is that the Old Testament
description of the disinheriting of the nations [in Genesis 11 and
Deuteronomy 32:89] is based on the nations known in biblical times.
Moses lists nations east to west, from eastern Mesopotamia to Tarshish
[Genesis 10:4], the most remote western point. What lay beyond Tarshish
was a complete mystery to the biblical writers. The list of nations in Acts 2
is not merely a rehashing of all the names in Genesis 10. Many names are
different. A few observations about the list reveal that it nevertheless
correlates with Genesis 10 and its significance for cosmic geography. The
entire book of Acts is about the spread of the gospel to the known world at
the time. Note what Jesus says: you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. [Acts 1:8]. The ends
of the earth in the days of Paul was the extent of the Roman Empire:

In terms of geographical coverage, the reach of the gospel chronicled in

Acts constitutes an east-to-west sweep through the known world.
Establishing that requires a closer inspection of the nations listed in the
Pentecost event as seen on this map:

The list begins with the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of

Mesopotamia [Acts 2:9]. The Jewish population in Parthia [or Persia]
were those who had migrated after choosing not to return to Jerusalem
after the end of the Babylonian exile. The Medes are known from the Old
Testament in connection with where the Northern Tribes of Israel had been
deported by the Assyrians [2 Kings 17:6]. Thus the Parthians and Medes
are mentioned together in the Old Testament [Daniel 6:15], and the kings
of Media are mentioned with the Elamites [Jeremiah 25:25]. The list in
Acts begins at the farthest points east, then progresses westward. After
moving westward through Mesopotamia, the list naturally splits into
southern and northern directions, following the land as it forks at the
Mediterranean Sea. The southern fork extends through Judea and Arabia.
Pauls missionary journeys followed the north fork through Asia Minor
and Greece. Notice that the island Crete is mentioned, since Paul took
the gospel there [Titus 1:5]. But there were people at Pentecost from the
nations of the south fork. We know that the gospel followed the Nile down
into Ethiopia [Acts 8:2640] and bore fruit in Cyrene [Acts 11:20].

But the list keeps moving westward to Rome. Thus the list confirms Gods
secret strategy articulated by Paul, who said that the gospel was for the
Jew first and of the Greek as well [Romans 1:16]. Notice also that 3,000
people were added to their number, as a result of the events at Pentecost
[Acts 2:41; a reversal of the loss in Exodus 32:28], and those 3,000 Jewish
converts went back to their homelands after the Pentecost pilgrimage.
These new disciples were the seeds of Gods plan to reclaim the nations.
Acts ends with Rome, the destination of the imprisoned Paul on his way to
appeal to Caesar as seen on this map:

Lukes account therefore has Rome as its westernmost progression. But

reversing the disinheritance of the nations required going farther than
Rome! The most westerly point was Tarshish. Does the pattern of reversal
initiated at Pentecost include Tarshish? Yes! Paul was released from his
bondage and went farther west before being taken into custody by the
Romans for a second and final time [2 Timothy 4:67]. In fact, Paul told
people that he fully expected to go to Spain after the Roman imprisonment
mentioned in Acts. In his letter to the Romans, Paul told them twice that he
intended to go to Spain: This is why I have so often been hindered from
coming to you. But now, having no further opportunities in these regions, I
want to come to you, as Ive desired to do for many years. Now that I am
on my way to Spain, I hope to see you when I come your way and, after I
have enjoyed your company for a while, to be sent on by you.

Right now, however, Im going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints,

because the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have been eager to share
their resources with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they
were eager to do this, and in fact they are obligated to help them, for if the
gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to be
of service to them in material things. So when I have completed this task
and have put my seal on this contribution of theirs, I will visit you on my
way to Spain. [Romans 15:2228]. Why did Paul want to go to Spain?
Spain was once Tarshish, a Phoenician colony that later became Spain.
Here is Christianity by 65 a.d., near the end of Pauls life:

The point is profound: Paul was convinced that his lifes mission as
apostle to the gentiles [the disinherited nations] would only be finished
when he got to Spain. Paul was conscious that his mission for Jesus
actually involved spreading the gospel to the westernmost part of the
known world, so that the disinheritance at Babel would be reversed! Paul
highlights this belief here: For I want to let you know about this secret,
brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness
has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to
faith. In this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written, The Deliverer
will come from Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is my
covenant with them when I take away their sins. [Romans 11:2527].

Whats the secret? That Gods own portion [Deuteronomy 32:9]

rebelled until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith. Thus, the
inclusion of the gentiles results in all Israel will be saved. Paul includes
people from the disinherited nations to Israel, Gods family. This family
reunion will only happen when the Deliverer will come from Zion. Paul
links the full number of the gentiles with Spain [Tarshish] because of
Isaiah 66:1523. This passage has a number of correlations with Acts 2!
Isaiah 66:15-23
Take notice! The Lord will come
with fire, and his chariot will be
like a whirlwind, to pay back his
angeryes, his anger!in fury,
and his menacing rebukes in flames
of fire. For with fire and with his
sword the Lord will proceed to
judgment on all humanity, and
those slain by the Lord will be
many. [vv. 15-16]
Come and gather all nations and
languages, and they will come and
see my glory. [v. 18]

Notes
Recall Acts 2:2-3

Jerusalem was the place where the

glory of God resided in Israel.
Recall Acts 2:5-7

I will put up signs among them,

and from them I will send survivors
to the nationsto Tarshish, Lybia,
and Lydia, (who draw the bow), to
Tubal and Greece, to the far off
coastlands that have not heard of
my fame or seen my glory. Then
they will proclaim my glory among
the nations. [v. 19]

Paul sees this as fulfilled at

Pentecost, since the 3,000 Jews that
embrace Jesus go back to their
nations to declare the gospel.
Recall Acts 2:8-11

They will bring allyes, all!of

your kindred from all the nations
to my holy mountain Jerusalem as
an offering to the Lordon horses,
in chariots, in wagons, and on
mulesyes, even on mules!and
on camels, says the Lord, just as
the Israelis bring a grain offering in
a clean vessel to the Lords house.
Then I will also select some of them
for myself as priests and as Levites,
says the Lord. For as the new
heavens and the new earth that I
am about to make will endure
before me, says the Lord, so will
your descendants and your name
endure. And from New Moon to
New Moon, and from Sabbath to
Sabbath, all humanity will come to
worship before me, says the Lord.
[vv. 20-23]

Jews like Paul who became

Christian, will bring the gentiles
[called kindred here!] as an
offering to God. This fulfils the
original covenant with Abraham,
and all Israel as a kingdom of
priests: to bless the nations [Genesis
12:1-3].
Thus Paul is an apostle to the
gentiles [Romans 11:13], since
Jesus told him: You will help them
understand and turn them from
darkness to light and from Satan's
control to God, so that their sins
will be forgiven and they will
receive a share among those who
are sanctified by faith in me.
[Acts 26:18]

Notice what Paul says to the Galatians: You see, then, that those who
have faith are Abrahams real descendants. Because the Scripture saw
ahead of time that God would justify the gentiles by faith, it announced
the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, Through you all nations
will be blessed. Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with
Abraham, the one who believed ... For all of you are Gods children
through faith in the Messiah Jesus. Indeed, all of you who were baptized
into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah. Because all of
you are one in the Messiah Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek,
a slave or a free person, a male or a female. And if you belong to the
Messiah, then you are Abrahams descendants indeed, and heirs
according to the promise. [Galatians 3:7-9, 27-29].

Pentecost marked the beginning of an unstoppable march across the known

world [and our world, a world they didnt know] that would culminate in a
global Eden. Here is Christianity in 325 a.d:

Thats why Paul breaks out in a doxology: O how deep are Gods riches,
and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and
unexplainable are his ways! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who
has become his adviser? Or who has given him something only to have
him pay it back? For all things are from him, by him, and for him.
Glory belongs to him forever! Amen. [Romans 16:33-36]
6) How does Paul fulfil his task? (3:813)
answer: starting with v. 8, after all that we have looked at thus far, it is
natural to see Paul placing himself as the very least of all the saints. Paul
repeats this description in 1 Corinthian 15:810. Thus Paul describes the
gospel as the immeasurable wealth of the Messiah, because Gods plan
to include gentiles and Jews on equal terms among his people in Jesus
would be utterly unknown apart from the special revelation of it to Paul,
the apostles, and the prophets [vv. 3, 56]. No one would have been able to
trace out the logic of the scriptures to this conclusion: God had to reveal
it. Next in v. 9, God has commissioned Paul to help everyone see how this
secret that has been at work was hidden for ages by God. Paul is called to
explain to everyone, whether Jew or gentile, the secret [we have seen
unfold earlier] revealed to him, about the full partnership of gentile
believers with Jewish believers [v. 6 and compare with Romans 1:14].
Notice here that Paul describes the secret in three ways:

Thus we are reminded of Gamaliels wise instruction: Fellow Israelis,

consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For in the recent
past Theudas appeared, claiming that he was important, and about 400
men joined him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and
disappeared. After that man, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean
appeared and got people to follow him. He, too, died, and all his followers
were scattered. Im telling you to keep away from these men for now.
Leave them alone, because if this plan or movement is of human origin, it
will fail. However, if it is from God, you wont be able to stop them, and
you may even discover that you are fighting against God! [Acts 5:35-39]
Finally in v. 7, the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead [recall
Ephesians 1:19-20], is at work in Paul. Thus the conversion of the gentiles
can also be traced back through Pauls apostleship, to the power of God.

1. It was hidden. Gods plan to place Jews and gentiles on an equal

footing within his newly constituted people was known only to
God prior to his revelation of it to Paul and other apostles and
prophets [vv. 25, 78]. It was untraceable.
2. It was untraceable to the ages. Ah! Here we have ainn again!
This means either that it was hidden from the Aeons [the evil
spiritual forces that Paul referred to earlier in Ephesians 1:21; 2:2
3], or that it was hidden from ages past. Thus it makes sense that
this secret was contained in God and known to no one. Why?
Because if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory [1 Corinthians 2:8].

3. It was a plan for the ultimate creation, because God created all
things. God chose a people for himself prior to the worlds
creation [recall Ephesians 1:45, 911; 2:10], and this people is
itself a new humanity [recall Ephesians 2:15]. God has graciously
given Paul a strategic administrative role [v. 2] in the plan [v. 9]
according to which this secret that has been at work. He is to
preach the gospel to the gentiles [v. 8] and to enlighten everyone
about the ethnically inclusive nature of this new creation.
Next in v. 10, we have a beautiful summary of why this new creation [the
church] exists: so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all
its variety might be made known. The Greek word for variety is
polypokilos, and it only appears here in the New Testament. It literally
means beautifully-complex. Hence Jesus is called the: logos. Jesus is,
the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world
[John 1:9], and Gods power and Gods wisdom. [1 Corinthians 1:24].

Thus we continually behold and learn [through science and theology] the
complex facets of Gods wisdom! Even though the rulers and authorities
in the heavenly realm have played a role in leading all humanity into
transgression, sin, and death, God in his wisdom will make known the
glorious nature of his salvation in the new creation. The evil rulers and
authorities had tried to thwart Gods plan of redemption by inspiring
human rulers to put Jesus to death. They profoundly underestimated the
incredible wisdom of God because it was by Jesus sacrificial death on the
cross that God can now forgive the sins of humanity and thereby take
away the power of Satan to justly accuse. Jews and gentiles, who were
formerly slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe [Galatians 4:3],
have now been redeemed. The very existence of the church provides a
constant witness of Christ toward the evil angelic realm, highlighting
Gods extraordinary wisdom. God has not only created the universe with
its endless variety [the principle of plenitude], but in a wholly surprising
way he has also begun to restore the crowning achievement of his creation
[humanity], to its original unity. Thus these powers are conquered and
beneath Christs feet [recall Ephesians 1:2022], and since the church is
one with the risen and enthroned Christ [recall Ephesians 2:6], the powers
are also conquered and beneath the churchs feet [hence Romans 16:20]! Is
it ever a wonder why Jesus appointed 70 other disciples and was about to
send them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place that he intended
to go? [Luke 10:1]. The number 70 is not accidental. Its deliberate.
We have already seen earlier from Genesis 10, that the nations numbered a
total of 70, disposed at Babel in Genesis 11, and began to be reclaimed
again in Acts 2, fulfilling Deuteronomy 32:8-9. After their evangelising,
the 70 disciples came back and joyously reported, Lord, even the
demons are submitting to us in your name! He told them, I watched
Satan falling from heaven like lightning. Look! I have given you the
authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to destroy all the
enemys power, and nothing will ever hurt you. However, stop rejoicing
because the spirits are submitting to you. Rather, rejoice because your
names are written in heaven.
It couldnt be any clearer. Jesus was the beginning of the end for Satan and
the gods of the nations. The church can now testify and showcase the
utter failure of these powers. Finally in v. 13, Paul asks his readers not to
become discouraged by his troubles.

It makes sense that at first the Christians in Ephesus would wonder if their
commitment to Jesus was a mistake. With their refusal to participate in the
imperial cult or to sacrifice to the local deities, had they only succeeded in
angering the gods who had placed Rome in power? Were Pauls troubles
a result of Christs demand for exclusive loyalty to the God of the Jews?
Everything we have read thus far, in this letter, is to urge these
discouraged Christians to remember that they worship the creator of the
universe, who is now through Christ and the church, putting the universe
back together after the ravages of sin. Thus Paul concentrates on his own
role, and specifically on the role of his troubles in this grand design. His
troubles are for us, because they work toward your glory. Pauls
suffering for his readers, is their glory, because his faithful proclamation
of the gospel, in spite of the suffering that this faithfulness entails, has led
to our salvation [recall Ephesians 1:13], and to an experience of the
glory that one day will be ours in full. Thus, the suffering of Christians
will eventually give way to glory for those who suffer [2 Corinthians
4:16-18]. How much more should we yearn to suffer, so that we may lead
others to glory?

There, through one bright, eternal age,

Thy praises they prolong.
3

Lord, may our union form a part

Of that thrice happy whole,
Derive its pulse from Thee, the heart,
Its life from Thee, the soul.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
2

Before our Fathers throne

We pour our ardent prayers:
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
Our comforts and our cares.
3

Summing Up
Christ has not only overcome the divisions separating Jews from Gentiles,
but also every barrier that separates people from one another today. This
includes race, social status, denominations, and every other dividing wall
that we may choose to erect. Our churches should showcase to the world
the unifying power of the gospel. How is your church doing? Do you
harbor any pride, bitterness, or animosity toward other believers in your
heart? The gospel demands that we work toward unity, because we are
Gods poem [Ephesians 2:10]. James Montgomerys hymn Saints on Earth
and in Heaven [1825], and John Fawcetts Love to the Brethren [1782]:
1

In one fraternal bond of love,

One fellowship of mind,
The saints below and saints above
Their bliss and glory find.
2

Here, in their house of pilgrimage,

Thy statutes are their song;

We share our mutual woes,

Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.
4

When we asunder part,

It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joind in heart,
And hope to meet again.
5

This glorious hope revives

Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.
6

From sorrow, toil, and pain,

And sin we shall be free:
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.