Jew and Gentile Divided

Eph. 2:11‑13

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

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

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Thus far in Ephesians 2 we have seen two divisions:

· Our Condition BEFORE Christ (vs. 1‑3)

· Our Position IN Christ (vs. 4‑10)

We now come to the third division:

· Our Unification WITH Christ (vs. 11‑22).

Here is a vitally important section of Ephesians; it is so for at least two closely related reasons.

First, as Ephesians deals much with the subject of unity in its practical section (4:1‑16), we discover here that unity is spoken of first in the doctrinal section. In other words, the unity of believers is a DOCTRINAL principle. As we pointed out at the outset of our study, DUTY (Eph. 4‑6) must be based on DOCTRINE.

Second, up to now Paul has been dealing with the salvation of all men in general, but now he purposely and particularly discusses the salvation of Gentiles. The reason he does this becomes evident as one studies this passage, but to put it simply, if God can bring unity between these two groups, He can bring unity to anything.

Verses 11‑22 are essentially divided into two sections: Jew and Gentile DIVIDED (vs. 11‑13); Jew and Gentile UNITED (vs. 14‑22). Let us now look at the first section by examining four principles.

I. The Division Between Jew and Gentile (v. 11a)

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,

As we said a moment ago, we shall deal with unity in great detail in 4:1‑16, but we should mention here that the disunity in the Ephesian church and the other churches in Asia Minor was primarily between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. So, it is extremely important that we understand the difference between Jew and Gentile.

God sovereignty chose the Jews to be His special people, and He chose Abraham to be the “father” of the Jewish race. He made the Jews distinct and separate for two reasons. First, God wanted the world to notice a people who did not live and act like all other people; He wanted a special people, a unique people. Second, God wanted them separate so they would never be amalgamated into other peoples. It was for this reason that God gave the Jews strict laws on diet, clothing, marriage, and ceremony; all this was given so they could not easily fit into any other society.

Now, because of all that, down through the ages the Jews have thought that God only chose them in order to give them special blessing. What kind of attitude did this produce?—an arrogant contempt for Gentiles. The Jews have always believed that God loves only Jews and hates Gentiles (non‑Jews). One example of this was Jonah; he didn’t want to go to Nineveh because of his racial prejudice. He knew God was merciful and would show mercy to the Ninevites, but he didn’t want God to show mercy and was then angry when the people there repented.

But a very vivid example is found in Peter; he would never have considered actively seeking Gentiles before his vision of the unclean animals in Acts 10:9‑16:

On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

There are five wonderful truths in Peter’s vision.[1]

First, “vessel” is the Greek othone, which speaks of “fine white linen used for women’s clothing.” How significant! This obviously speaks of the Church as a bride dressed in white as a chaste virgin. Second, “four corners” picture the four corners of the “earth,” that is, all the world. Third, the clean animals represent the Jews, and the unclean animals picture the Gentiles. Fourth, all these people, Jew and Gentile, are now acceptable in God’s sight; they are one in Christ. Fifth, notice that the linen “came down” from heaven and “went back up” into heaven. What a picture! This shows the heavenly origin of the Church when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and it shows the heavenly destiny of the Church as she goes back into heaven.

So, all this shows that even before Paul became the focal point in the ministry and outreach of the Church, Peter was shown the unity of the Church. There are those today who insist that only Paul received the revelation of the “mystery” of the Church, but clearly, as Ephesians 3:5 reveals, the “apostles and prophets” (plural) received this revelation; moreover, Peter was actually the first.

But the most important point we need to make here is not only did God choose the Jews in order to bless them, God chose the Jews primarily to be a channel through which He could reach all other nations. This principle is pivotal to understanding the Jews and understanding God’s methods of dealing with man. God desired and chose a people through whom He could work. What a thought that is! Does God actually need us to reach others? Of course not. He didn’t need us to speak the universe into existence, so He certainly does not need us to “reach” others. Rather He chose to use us to reach others, which is far more amazing. How arrogant of the Jews (or we Christians) to think they were in some way “more special” than everyone else! God’s purpose was for them to be a light to the Gentiles (Is. 42:6; 49:6; 60:13; 62: 1‑2); God has always wanted the Jews to reach out to Gentiles and bring them to Jehovah God. In the same manner, the Church is now being used to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

II. The Definition of a Gentile (v. 11b)

who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

Our text uses the word Uncircumcision. Circumcision was the physical symbol that marked those who were inheritors of the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. Gentiles, however, did not have this mark and were, therefore, called Uncircumcision. This was actually a derogatory term and was pronounced as if it were being spit out of the mouth. But Paul here takes this spiritual arrogance to task. He emphasizes that circumcision is only physical; that is, as our text says, it is only in the flesh made by hands. This practice has absolutely nothing to do with the spiritual state and has never been a mark of personal relationship with God.

III. The Description of a Gentile (v. 12)

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

We see in verse 12 a fivefold description of the Gentile. It was very important for Paul to show this because it vividly portrayed the hatred and irreconcilable animosity between Jew and Gentile; it was important to show that these two groups could never be united if left to themselves. Note each of these descriptions.

First, the Gentiles were without Christ. The word without is the Greek choris and means “separate from or apart from.” The application is clear when taken in the Jewish sense; the Gentile is separate from Christ, that is, MESSIAH, and has no connection with Christ whatsoever. The Gentile is cut off from the Messianic hope unless he becomes a convert to Judaism. While even the Jews were in a fallen state and not truly united to Christ, the Gentiles’ position was even worse; their religion was totally pagan, and they didn’t have even the expectation of a Savior. Commentator William Barclay well sums up this point:

For the Jew, history was always going somewhere; no matter what the present was like, the future was glorious; the Jewish view of history was essentially optimistic. On the other hand, for the Gentile history was going nowhere. To the Stoics, history was cyclic. They believed that it went on for three thousand years; then came a conflagration in which the whole universe was consumed in flames; then the whole process began all over again, and the same events and the same people exactly repeated themselves. To the Gentile, history was a progress to nowhere; to the Jew, history was a march to God. To the Gentile, life was not worth living; to the Jew, it was the way to greater life.

May we add, that is true of every lost person. As he does in verse 1-3, Paul again paints a terrible picture of the sinner.

Second, the Gentiles were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. Here is a graphic picture. An alien is one who is totally different, having nothing in common with “natives.” So, the idea here is that Gentiles were strangers in contrast to being citizens.

The Greek for commonwealth is politeia (English, “politics”) and speaks of the rights of a citizen. The word is used in only one other place in the New Testament, Acts 22:28, where Roman citizenship is in view. Roman citizenship was a much coveted thing, much like American citizenship is coveted today. In Acts 22:28 a Roman commander tells Paul that he purchased his Roman citizenship. Paul, however, states that he was born a Roman citizen. At any rate, this citizenship meant much; it gave rights and privileges that were unobtainable in any other way. So, Paul says, Gentiles stood outside any citizenship, having no rights and privileges. Even proselytes to Judaism did not have this sense of alienation totally removed.

Third, the Gentiles were strangers from the covenants of promise. This thought continues the last one. A covenant—as used in Scripture—is an agreement made by God in which He binds Himself to redeem and bless His people. Sometimes a covenant was unconditional; that is, God would do something no matter what happened. Other covenants were conditional; that is, God would do something only if Israel would do as He commanded. The Abrahamic Covenant was the supreme, foundational covenant. Genesis 12:1‑3 records this covenant and even makes plain the fact that God was going to reach the Gentiles through the Jews. Furthermore, within this covenant were the other covenants—Mosaic, Palestinian, Davidic, etc. But the Gentiles had no direct part in any of this. God never made a covenant with the Gentiles, and there was no redemption for them outside Judaism. They truly were strangers.

Fourth, the Gentiles had no hope. As we’ve mentioned before, the word hope today usually carries the idea of uncertainty, but this word means “certainty” in the Scriptures. For the most part, ancient pagan philosophy believed that death brought nothingness. We really have the same basic philosophy today in the words, “You only go around once in life so you better grab for all you can get.” But the focus here is that there is no definite article (“the”) before the word hope. This shows that not only are Gentiles without the hope (the Messianic hope—without Christ), but they are without any hope whatsoever. How vivid this is! There is no hope whatsoever without Jesus Christ.

This fact is vividly apparent in the past and present. It’s amazing that Greek philosophy is glorified in the minds of many people when in truth it displayed the depths of despair. In the Homeric Hymns of the 8^th Century B.C., for example, the assembly of Olympus is charmed by the Muses who sing “of the deathless gifts of the gods and the sorrows of men, even all that they endure by the will of the immortals, living heedless and helpless, nor can they find a cure for death, nor a defence against old age.” Five hundred years before Christ, the Athenian playwright Sophocles wrote some of the loveliest but saddest lines in all history:

“Youth’s beauty fades, and manhood’s glory fades.

Faith dies and unfaith blossoms as a flower;

Nor ever wilt thou find upon the open streets of men.

Or secret places of the heart’s own love,

One wind blows true for ever.”[2]

Two millennia later man still wallows in despair. In his so-called “masterpiece,” Thus Spake Zarathustra, the notorious 19^th Century critic of Christianity, Frederick Nietzsche, offered the concept of the death of God and introduced the concept of the “superman,” a great-souled hero who transcends the slavish morality of Christianity. In it he wrote:

For the old Gods came to an end long ago. And verily it was good and joyful end of Gods! . . . they once upon a time laughed themselves to death . . . Dead are all Gods; now we will that superman lives.[3]

In a sense, that sums up all man’s philosophy. It ends up nowhere.

Ironically, Nietzsche had a difficult time getting his work published. The first part was delayed because the publisher’s presses were busy with an order for 500,000 hymnbooks, and then the publisher refused to print the last part because he thought it was worthless. Nietzsche finally paid for it himself, at which time 40 copies were sold, seven were given away, one person acknowledged it, and no one praised it.[4] And as we’ve noted before (Chapter 5), Nietzsche could not live with the implications of his philosophy and spent the last 11 years of his life in total mental darkness. As we also noted there, 19^th Century Scottish historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle was correct when he wrote, “The fine arts once divorcing themselves from truth are quite certain to fall mad, if they do not die.”[5] This has been true of not only of philosophers, but also painters, poets, and even composers, because they had no hope.

Fifth, the Gentiles were without God in the world. The Greek for without God is atheoi, from which is derived the English “atheist.” The word does not mean “denying God” as is commonly thought today. In fact, there is no such thing as an “atheist” in today’s definition. God has placed the knowledge of Himself within man (Rom. 1:19‑20), so man cannot deny God’s existence in the true sense. He can say he doesn’t believe, but he is merely suppressing the Truth and is only lying to himself and fooling himself. He knows in his heart that God is.

Rather, the Greek here means “no knowledge of God.” The Gentiles, therefore, could not really know God, could not have a personal relationship with Him or understand Who He is.

The Gentiles were then destined to live in the world, to live according to the things of the world without the knowledge of God to help them. Now, this does not mean God forsook the Gentiles. Rather, He gave the Jews so that through them the Gentiles could know God, even though the Gentiles usually rejected Him.

Again, God has done the same thing with the Church. He has saved us and sanctified us so that the world can look at us and see something different. Without us, man is without God in the world. God has chosen to use men to reach other men.

What we see in verses 11 and 12 (like verses 1-3) is a bleak picture, indeed. As commentator William Hendrickson summarizes Paul’s fivefold description, the Gentiles were Christless, stateless, friendless, hopeless, and Godless.[6] But as verse 13 goes on to declare, “the blood of Christ” changes all that.

IV. The Development Of Unity Between Jew And Gentile (v.13)

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Let us examine this verse in two emphases: the words of the contrast and then the results of the contrast.

The Words of the Contrast

But now

Very much like the “But God” of verse 4, Paul begins this verse with another marvelous term of contrast—But now. How we love the way the Apostle presents his contrasts! As Martyn Lloyd-Jones puts it, “These ‘buts,’ these blessed ‘buts’, cannot be repeated too frequently.”[7] How right he is. We simply cannot say “But God” and But now too often, for it is in these contrasts that our salvation lies.

As I examined these words, in fact, I was struck with the thought of how they might coincide with the “But God” of verse 4 (Chapter 11). There we examined eight contrasts that we find in Scripture, each of which is introduced with the words “But God.” Comparing those with the words But now, we actually find the same contrasts in Scripture.

First, we see the contrast of Revelation. As we have noted several times in our study of this Epistle, man looks to many things in the hope of discovering Truth, including, science, philosophy, and religion. But we read this contrast in Paul’s closing words to the Romans (16:25-27):

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

As one writer points out, it’s interesting to note that in his Epistle to the Romans alone, Paul quotes from the Old Testament, either directly or indirectly, at least fifty times to support his arguments and expositions.[8] What was Paul’s authority? God’s Word and that alone. God has revealed Truth to man through His Word alone, and it is upon that alone that we should stand.

Second, we see the contrast of Deliverance. Man looks to his own devices to deliver him from trouble, but it is God who is the source of true deliverance. As Paul again declared to the Romans (7:5-6):

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Modern translators criticize the obsolete word “motions,” but it is a graphic old English word that speaks of “an inward prompting or impulse; an instigation or incitement from within; [and] a desire or inclination.”[9] Indeed, the impulses and inclinations of sin were characteristics of our dead state, but we were delivered from all that through Christ.

I was reminded also of the Israelites when, because of their sin God sold them into the hands of pagans, they cried, “We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee” (I Sam. 12:10).

There were several reasons why the so-called “Moral Majority” movement of the 1980s failed miserably, not the least of which was the fact that there has never been such a thing as a majority that was moral. In fact, paganism is rampant in our society. Worse is the fact that Christianity itself becomes more tolerant of pagan practices every day. But God can deliver us from this if we but cry out to Him in repentance.

After the infamous terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, there was a resurgence of the motto, “God bless America.” But that begs the question: can God bless America? In our immorality and rebellion against God and His Word, can we honestly expect God to bless this nation any longer? The only way that can happen is through repentance and submission.

Third, we see the contrast of Protection. Again, God not only delivers His own, but He protects them as well. While the world looks for protection and security in wealth, position, and power, only God assures us of protection, and one way He does so is by keeping us holy.

According to I Corinthians 5:9, Paul wrote a previous letter to those believers that instructed them not keep close company with fornicators or other sinful people. His readers apparently misunderstood what he meant, for he adds in verse 10: “Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.” The church had stopped having any contact with unbelievers, but Paul points out that that is impossible unless one leaves the planet. Rather he is talking about sin within the church. Sin inside the church is far more dangerous than sin outside the church. It simply cannot be tolerated, so Paul clarifies by writing about church discipline in verse 11: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” Church discipline is a vitally important means of protecting individual Christians and the Church as a whole. How does God protect us? By keeping us, both as individuals and as a church body, holy.

Fourth, there is the contrast of Direction. Not only does God deliver and protect, He also directs. In contrast to the world, which is directed by fashion, fancy, and philosophy, God’s people are to be directed by faith. In Hebrews 11, that great “Hall of Faith” chapter, we read a list of individuals who believed what God said. That is the key—just believing what God said. Faith is a verb and must always have an object, and that object is simply what God says. It’s not in circumstances, feelings, or putting out a fleece; rather we simply put our faith in the promises of God. Of these great saints verses 13-16 declare:

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly.

Indeed, if they would have thought this thing through, thought about what they had left behind, thought about the uncertainty of where they were headed, they might very well have turned around and gone back home. But they believed what God said. Likewise, God directs us as we walk by faith, as we simply believe his promises.

Fifth, flowing from deliverance, protection, and direction, we also see the contrast of Strength. Again, the world looks for strength in its own resources, but real strength is found only in God. As Solomon observed, “Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side” (I Kings 5:3). Because he had shed so much blood, God forbid David to build the temple. Verse 4 then declares, “But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil [occurrence].” It is God alone who gives rest and strength in time of need.

Sixth, we see the contrast of Judgment. As noted back in verse 4, all is not positive in this study of contrasts. In contrast to man’s idea that he can do as he wishes with impunity, the Scriptures declare the judgment of God. Acts 17:30-31 proclaim: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at [i.e., overlooked]; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.” The words “winked at” translate hupereido, which is found only here in the New Testament and means “to overlook, to act as if one did not see, to bear with.”[10] The attitude of many today is that they can sin at their leisure and think they will get away with it. But there will come a time when God will no longer “bear with” man’s sin but will pour out His judgment.

Seventh, there is the contrast of Ministry. Once again we are reminded of how ministry today has been redefined as “meeting needs” instead of proclaiming Truth. The Corinthians had perverted everything they touched and Church Ministry was no exception. Among the worst perversions was the abuse of “spiritual gifts,” which had a become a major issue. They were misusing them, elevating some over others, and coveting ones they didn’t have. In response, Paul declared, “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body” (I Cor. 12:18-20). God defines ministry in His Word and outlines how that ministry is to be carried out. I am more convinced of this principle every day. We don’t need some “church guru” to tell us how to carry on ministry or some new book to outline how to institute a new program. Such things are destructive because they ultimately deny Scripture as the sufficient authority to dictate doctrine and practice.

Eighth and finally, we come back to the contrast of Salvation. In a similar way as he wrote to the Ephesians, Paul declared to the Romans:

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe (3:20-22).

Salvation truly is wrapped up in that little word But. It’s not in what we can do, what works we might accomplish, what laws we might keep, what religion we might practice, but only in what God alone has done through Christ. This brings us back to our text and the second emphasis of verse 13.

The Result of the Contrast

in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

As we vividly recall, back in verses 1-3 Paul paints a bleak picture of man, but then writes in verse 4, “But God.” He does the same thing in verses 11-12. He paints another bleak picture—a picture of the Gentiles by position and the whole world by extension—but then says, But now. Once far off, the Gentiles, not to mention the whole world, is now made nigh by the blood of Christ.

To put it simply: The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has changed everything. The words far off comprise an old term in Rabbinical writings that was used to describe Gentiles. But Gentiles are now made nigh, that is brought near, by the blood of Christ. The words made nigh (or “to come near”) also comprised a “technical expression in Rabbinical Judaism” that referred to “the recruiting of a proselyte.”[11] The Jewish Rabbinic writers, for example, tell how a Gentile woman came to Rabbi Eliezer. She confessed that she was a sinner and asked to be admitted to the Jewish faith. “Rabbi,” she said, “bring me near.” The Rabbi refused and shut door in her face.[12] But now the door is open. Those who had been far from God were brought near; the door was shut to no one. We each have, indeed, been “made a proselyte,” not by religion or works, but by the Savior’s blood. Where once there was this great division between Jew and Gentile, there is now unity in Christ.

As I meditated on this verse, another verse came to mind, James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” Let’s ponder a moment what it means to be near to God.

In the Old Testament the term “drawing near to God” was a general expression for one who sincerely approached God in humility and repentance. Hebrews 10:22, also written in the light of the Old Testament, is a verse we should examine closely:

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

We find here four principles of what it means Biblically to draw near to God.

First, and foremost, drawing near to God means having a sincere desire for Truth. The words “true heart” are alēthinēs kardias. As we have previous studied in 1:13 (Chapter 5), both the English word “truth” and the Greek behind it speak of that which is absolute, that which is incontrovertible, irrefutable, incontestable, unarguable, and unchanging. If something is true, it is always true and can never be untrue, no matter what the circumstances. The specific form of the Greek used here also refers to “sincerity.” Kardia (“heart”) refers not just to the emotional nature, but also to the reason and to the faculty of intelligence.

In syrupy sentimentality and with a sweet little lilt in their voice, many today say such things as, “I want to be near God” or “I want to get close to God,” but when confronted with the absolutes of God’s Word, they rebel. That is a staggering contradiction. They don’t want to draw near to God at all. They are like the Israelites, of whom Isaiah wrote, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (29:13). Yes, they say the words but when it comes down to real Truth, they reject it and live according to their own ways. The most important thing that drawing near to God means is that we sincerely want to hear, receive, and obey His Truth.

Second, drawing near to God means having absolute confidence in God. The words “full assurance” translate the Greek plerophoria, which means “entire confidence, full assurance.” To be near to God, then, means that we have total confidence in His promises, absolute assurance of His provision, and full trust in His sovereignty. The more we doubt Him, the more we question Him, the further away from Him we drift.

Third, drawing near to God means having a desire for holiness. The imagery in the words “having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience” is distinctly Old Testament, referring to the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice for the cleansing of sin. But not only are we saved by this blood, but we are constantly brought back to it for daily cleansing. As the Apostle John declares, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I Jn. 1:9). We are forever coming back to the Cross, for it is there that our sin was dealt with and our conscience cleared.

Fourth, drawing near to God means having a desire for His Word. The first principle was one of attitude, while what we see here is the action. Some interpreters view the words “our bodies washed with pure water” as a reference to baptism. But this is clearly incorrect because baptism is not a washing away of sin, rather a symbol of identification, a public testimony of what has occurred in the heart.. What this phrase means is that God’s Word is the commodity that is going to keep us clean by our constant “bathing” in it. Paul meant this when he wrote to the Ephesians: “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (5:25-26). Drawing near to God means that we are constantly involved with His Word, to be constantly “immersed” in It.

So, Jews and Gentiles are on the same ground in this age. As Paul goes into more detail in the passage that follows, there is no distinction. Jews in the early church had a problem with this and Jews today still do; they believe man can come to God only through Judaism. But any division or distinction that exists is man-made. God has made all of us near in Christ. All men now come to God on exactly the same basis—the blood of Christ.

The story is told of a preacher who was one day approached by a man who had heard him preach. The man said, “I don’t like your theology at all—it’s too bloody. It’s all blood, blood, blood. I like a pleasanter gospel.” The preacher replied, “My theology is bloody, I allow; it recognizes as its foundation a very sanguinary scene—the death of Christ, with bleeding hands and feet and side. And I am quite content that it should be bloody, for God hath said, ‘that without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins’ [Heb. 9:22].”[13] The same is true today. Most people want a sentimental gospel or a feel-good gospel, something that appeals to their “felt needs.” While they don’t like “a bloody Gospel,” that is, indeed, the only Gospel, the only good news. As Paul writes in Galatians 1, any other “gospel” is not a gospel (good news) at all and must be cursed. The only good news is the blood of Christ. As one poet puts it:

So near, so very near to God

Nearer I cannot be;

For in the Person of His Son

I am as near as He.[14]

This sets the stage for verses 14-18. How can a person come near to God? Can he come through philosophy or logic? Can he came through apologetics or argumentation? Can he come through works, religion, or sacraments? Can he come by mysticism? No, and he can’t even come by Judaism or even the teachings of Christ. The only way to God is through the blood of Christ. Augustus Toplady, the author of the old hymn “Rock of Ages,” realized this the day he was converted while listening to a message on Ephesians 2:13.[15] And as Paul proclaimed back in 1:7: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

* * * * *

A Note on Acts 10:9‑16

While the following was not presented from the pulpit, I felt it worthy of being included in this printed exposition. I know that some expositors, commentators, and theologians disagree with this, but I urge the reader to consider it carefully in the light of Biblical authority and sufficiency.

I have been amazed for many years at how this passage is misunderstood and misapplied. Many maintain that this means that God lifted the ban on certain guidelines for diet, even though it most clearly does not say that. That view is obviously wrong for three reasons. First, Peter did not at first understand the vision; if it simply meant a lift on the ban, then Peter would surely have understood that. Second, later on Peter understood that the vision had to do with people, not animals, as verses 34‑35 specifically state. Third, and most significant of all, God said in the vision that He “cleansed” the subject of the vision; that is, He made them acceptable. I read a note in one Study Bible, for example, that made the incredibly silly and absurd statement, “God has now cleansed all animals for food.” The unclean animals described in the diet regulations (Lev. 11) are just as filthy and unacceptable for human consumption now as they were at any time in history. To argue further that this refers to “ceremonial cleansing,” as some interpreters do, instead of literal cleansing, makes the passage meaningless because God’s action doesn’t actually accomplish anything real.

J. Sidlow Baxter sums it up well when he writes in the third book of his wonderful trilogy on the New Testament doctrine of sanctification, Our High Calling:

To argue from Acts 10 that the Gospel now makes unclean beasts and birds and creeping things clean, or that the regeneration of our souls alters the digestive organs of our bodies, or that the glad tidings of salvation by grace annul the divine diet-code of good health through clean eating, is to grab at the wind.[16]

Let us clarify this for a moment. We in this Dispensation most certainly do NOT live by the Old Testament Law; let that be absolutely clear, as we have mentioned several times in this exposition. But as Paul also made clear to the Corinthians, who were using their liberty in Christ and freedom from the Law as a theological excuse to sin, “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient” (I Cor. 6:12; 10:23). “Expedient” is the Greek sumpherō, which means “to be to advantage, to be profitable.” What Paul is saying is that while believers are certainly free from the Law and no longer under its penalty, and that therefore “all things are lawful” for them, it is equally true that the price for doing some things is terribly high, terribly unprofitable. Why? Because the diet regulations were not given for some arbitrary, symbolic, or just ceremonial reason; rather they were given primarily for health reasons. Without exception, every single forbidden animal is either a scavenger animal or one that has a very primitive digestive system that does not filter out harmful substances on their way into the meat of the animal. A pig, for example, will eat literally anything, and whatever it eats will be in the meat of that animal within four hours, which means you’ll eat it, too. And contrary to popular opinion, cooking does not necessarily remove such impurities, such as trichinella spiralis, just one of the some eighteen worms found in hogs. These facts, and many others, are clearly and quite easily demonstrated scientifically and medically. To argue otherwise is simply foolish.

May we ask, does not God know our bodies better than we? Doesn’t He know what is good for them and what is harmful to them? If we believe in Biblical authority and sufficiency, our answer must be yes. We say again, the Law has nothing to do with our salvation and we are free from it. But just as the moral principles of the Law have never been replaced—as Romans 2:15 makes clear that the Moral Law is “written in [men’s] hearts” and that all of the Ten Commandments (except the keeping of the Sabbath) is restated in the New Testament Epistles (e.g., Romans 13:8‑10)—neither have the diet principles of the Law been replaced. So what is the New Testament principle? I Corinthians 6:19‑20 commands us to not damage our physical bodies because they are the temples of the Holy Spirit. All the unclean animals spoken of in the Diet Law are just as filthy now and just as damaging to the human body as they were then. In fact, many of the physical diseases and other problems we face today result from impure foods. There is no escaping the fact that impure meat is “unprofitable.”