Ephesians Chapter 2

Made Alive in Christ

 ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

 ¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— ¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

 ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

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The book of Ephesians is so beautiful! 

"For he himself is our peace" - how true that is. The more often I dig in to the word prayerfully, the more I begin to realize all my insecurities and doubts about life and direction are fading away. Before I knew Christ, my life was filled with uncertainty and a lack of identity. Fortunately this wonderful book regarding the bold instructions before leaving earth, has my job description, my therapist, my diet, and pretty much everything else wrapped up inside of it!

So who does this Bible say I am?

If we are fellow citizens with God's people, and members of his household, this means we are a part of the family business: Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)! When Christ came in to the world, he brought the means for hostility to end between all people. His means is justice and equality through Love. True love, not tolerance, not the kind of love that turns it's back when trouble shows up at the doorstep. A love that is confident, caring, concerned, honest; a love that stirs one on in compassion (which is followed with action) if presented with the opportunity to help a total stranger. With a love like this making it's way from neighborhood to neighborhood, how could anyone sustain it? This is worth trading your car for, emptying your savings account for, or trading your life for.

Jesus has brought peace in to the world, and he is going to let it run wild until every corner of the Earth has tasted it's sugar. How sweet that sugar is.