Jul 18, 2018
Nobody who has experienced a positive transformation in their life likes to think about how by they used to be. Dwelling on the negative seems like a non-productive pursuit. But in Ephesians 2:11-18, Paul is going to remind the believers in Ephesus to remember what they were like before they came to faith in Christ. He is particularly addressing the Gentiles in the church and encouraging them to recall their pre-salvation condition. This little exercise seems counter-productive, but Paul knew that a healthy awareness of our condition before Christ is essential to grasping the incredible nature of the gift we have received. Paul describes them as having been uncircumcised, separated from Christ, alienated from the people of God, without hope and without God. Not exactly a description that brings a smile to your face – unless you consider that, in spite of all those things, God saved you. He brought those who were far off near. He did for the Jews and the Gentiles what they could not do for themselves. And he formed from both groups one single body – the body of Christ. God created something remarkable and completely unattainable without His love, power, grace, and mercy. The Church.