Ephesians 2:19-22
Paul brings his discussion on the grace of God in bringing the Gentiles “near” to a close in stating that the Gentiles are no longer “strangers and aliens” (2:19). The use of “strangers” should move the reader back to the beginning of Paul’s venture into this area of the Gentile in 2:12, speaking of them as being xenos “to the covenants of promise.” By faith, the never-before creation of “one new man” changes their status forever in Christ. Robertson translates this as “sojourners,” which he says is an “old word for dweller by (near by, but not in). Dwellers just outside the house or family of God.” “Aliens” is used rarely in the New Testament (Acts 7:6, 29; 1 Peter 2:11), speaking of “someone who had taken up residence in a place but who had never become a naturalized citizen; such people paid a tax for the privilege of existing in a land which was not their own.” We can only understand the seriousness of this exposition when we compare it against the revelation that God had graciously given to Israel (Acts 7:2-38; Rom 9:3-5). However, we see that it is their failure to serve as a beacon to the nations that has brought about the ministry of Christ in reconciling the world unto Himself (Lev 19:12; 22:32; Jer 34:16; Ezek 36:20-23; 2 Cor 5:19). In communicating through the prophet Moses, God had made the mission of Israel clear:
See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? (Deut 4:5-8).
Israel’s culture was designed intentionally for the purpose of attracting the nations to the righteous character of YHWH Elohim. In doing so, they would serve as God’s mouthpiece; His megaphone to the nations announcing His goodness and His grace. The Gentiles were just right outside of the camp in every direction, in desperate need of the Creator God of the universe. Israel’s failure in chasing after idols rendered the completion of their mission ineffective, despite the bright spots of obedience and faithfulness peppered throughout the biblical record. Thus, the blood of Christ has spoken to them, being the effectual, transportive agent (Eph 2:13c), inviting all who will to come and receive the free gift of eternal life (John 6:47; Heb 2:9; Rev 22:17).
In believing in Christ, Gentiles were now granted a considerable contrast, with the apostle using two designations to speak of their acceptance in Christ. First, he describes them as “fellow citizens” which is “sympoliteai.” This is the only occurrence of this word in the New Testament. Concerning the interpretation, Louw and Nida note that this word, “may also be rendered as ‘you join with God’s people as fellow citizens together with them’ or ‘you and God’s people are all persons who belong to the same place’ or as in some languages, ‘… people of God’s country.’” While Robertson believes that this is the Gentile’s inclusion into Israel (see his notes on 2:19), this would obviously thwart Paul’s entire point of the Father establishing the two (Jew and Gentile) into “one new man” in Ephesians 2:15b. Paul understands that God is not seeking to pour the “new man” into the old wineskin of Israel. God’s intention, and the very power of the shed blood of Jesus is to create a new community in the Son. As Hoehner notes, “In the context Paul was discussing the ‘one new man’ (v. 15), the ‘one body’ (v. 16). This does not mean that Gentiles are incorporated into Israel but that believing Jews and Gentiles are incorporated into one new ‘humanity.’” Paul is clear. The Gentiles have been brought into a “fellow citizenship” with the “saints and members of the household of God” (2:19), a citizenship that is brand-new in all aspects: the Ecclesia of God.
It is concerning that the text of Scripture has not been allowed to speak for itself on this matter of the “one new man” (Eph 2:15c) and believing Gentiles now being “fellow citizens” alongside believing Jews in Christ. For instance, Merkle writes, “Paul is declaring that believers who were once considered foreigners are now, along with other believers (“the saints”), citizens in God’s kingdom (cf. Phil 3:20). Gentile believers now have a homeland and are therefore fellow citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom” (emphasis added). This should cause us to pause and consider the context. When the apostle speaks of the “one new man” for Jew and Gentile, is he speaking about “God’s kingdom?” Is this what Paul meant when he penned this epistle? While many have confused the Church and the Kingdom, it is plain to see that this is not Paul’s understanding of the matter. As will be unfolded in chapter 3 of Ephesians, the Church was not previously revealed in Old Testament times, but is designated as a “mystery” (Eph 3:2-7), meaning that it was in God’s plan all along, but was held from our knowledge until the time of His perfect choosing, being the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 (See also Acts 15:10-12). The “kingdom” is something that the Church will have a share in, but from Paul’s only use of the word in Ephesians occurring at 5:5, we can confidently conclude that this is something that is out-ahead and not a subject that is presently under consideration, either in Ephesians 2:19, or in the Church Dispensation.
It is important to think about the concept of one being a “fellow citizen.” Just as one who is a citizen of the United States has the right to vote, secure a driver’s license, take part in Social Security, etc., so also those who are believers in the one true God through Christ Jesus our Lord are afforded rights and benefits that come with that citizenship. We know from Ephesians 1:3-14 that there are a wide array of benefits that come from simply being “in Christ” that were not possible when we were separated from Him. But now, in Christ, every spiritual blessing is presently and forever ours. In fact, John the Apostle has written of this “right” of the citizen in his Gospel. He writes:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13, emphasis added).
Notice that it is only those who receive Him. To receive Christ is to believe on His Name, just as John tells us in the verse. In believing, we are now given “the right” to become children of God, which can also be understood as the “authority” or “power” to be God’s children. Our citizenship, stamped in Christ’s precious blood, has conferred “full rights” upon us in Christ Jesus.
The designation “with the saints” (Eph 2:19b) could be considered as a designation that Paul is giving to these Gentile believers, but this is not his direct point, even though it is true. Paul is noting that these Gentiles are “fellow citizens with the saints” just as the saints are fellow citizens with believing Gentiles. As discussed previously regarding Ephesians 1:1, 4, 13, 15, and 18, this term speaks of “holy ones,” being those whom God has set aside specifically because of the blood of Christ. Once again, a plain, literal understanding of the word meets opposition at the hands of its interpreters. Arnold explains:
There has been much discussion about whom Paul intends to refer to when he uses the word “saints” in this context. Some have suggested that he is referring to the Jewish people (Israel), others that he is referring to the redeemed of all ages, others to Jewish Christians, and still others that he is speaking of angels, or even angels in addition to the redeemed of all ages. Because Paul consistently uses “saints” to refer to both Jewish and Gentile Christians throughout this letter (see on 1:1), it is best to take it as a reference to Christians.
Since the text states “with the saints,” a subsection of people could be under consideration, but Paul’s point is being driven home about the lack of inferiority regarding the Gentiles in the “one new man.” Arnold’s assessment is the best way to think about this verse.
Second, the phrase “the household of God” should also be considered, being Paul’s third designation for the Gentiles being brought into the “one new man” in Christ. This word is oikeios being a familial term. BDAG understands “household” as “persons who are related by kinship or circumstances and form a closely knit group, members of a household.” Gentiles and Jews are now in a united, familial community with God the Father presiding over it, and Christ Jesus, our brother, serving as its Head (Col 1:18). The close-knit nature found in Paul’s use of “household” can be seen in 1 Timothy 5:8 where Paul writes, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Here, the word is used to speak of a believer’s genetic family, having been entrusted to his care. This further enhances the use of such terms as “brothers and sisters” when we speak of those whom we fellowship with and worship alongside. We are a unified, family unit of believers in Christ, with believing Gentiles now holding the same rights, relations, and privileges as those of the believing Jews.
This equal and glorious status for the believer in Christ is truly by grace. Whereas the Jew could boast in their fleshly markings (Eph 2:11b), their promised Deliverer, their rich heritage of blessing, the contractual commitment given them by YHWH Himself, their guaranteed future, and their blessing of YHWH’s never-moving hand upon them (Eph 2:12), all such blessings are earthly in nature. Chafer notes that being a fellow citizen in God’s household is “a blessing which, it should be observed, is as much higher than the commonwealth and covenant privileges of Israel as heaven is higher than the earth. Though once excluded from the earthly Jerusalem, the Gentiles are now come with a gracious welcome to the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22–24), in which city, the unregenerate Jew, with all his national preference and title to earthly Jerusalem, is an alien.” As a brand-new community, the calling and status of believers is higher. The Law of Christ is greater (Gal 6:2). The Spirit indwelling is superior! In Christ, the veil is torn and access to the Father is full and final (Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45; Heb 4:16).
As with any house, and equally as with any household, there needs to be a foundation that is laid in order to stabilize the structure. One’s house is only as strong as its foundation, just as one’s family is only as strong as its foundation. Hoehner notes that the grammar here may point to a cause, “namely, the reason we are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household is because we have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. The passive emphasizes that we who are in one body are recipients of the action.” This shouldn’t be surprising to us because up to this point, the Apostle Paul has not asked anything of his readers in the truths that he has communicated to them. Instance after instance of blessing after blessing has been communicated, which has all been secured by the perfect, all-sufficient work of Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection, and has been freely given to all who simply believe in Him. Every believer who reads the Epistle to the Ephesians finds themselves in the act of receiving a thorough knowledge of the blessings that have already been in place since the moment that they first believed in Christ! Ephesians 1-3 find us observing carefully, and understanding more thoroughly, all that is already ours in Christ.
While we are told in 1 Corinthians 3:11 that the foundation for sound doctrine is Christ Jesus (see 1 Cor 3:1-2 for the context), Ephesians tells us that the foundation of the household of God (the Church) is the apostles and the prophets. The phrase “apostles and prophets” is used three times in Ephesians (2:20; 3:5; 4:11), with 3:5 echoing the same sentiments as 2:20, and 4:11 being understood in the same manner, but it is found alongside the other gifts of officers in the church of “evangelists, pastors, and teachers.” When combined with their corresponding contexts, it is clear that Paul’s use of this phrase speaks to the current dispensation, though this should not be understood as prophets of “the new Israel” as Wood concludes. Whereas we may automatically consider the idea of “prophets” as a subject residing predominately (or even strictly) in the Old Testament, this would not be compatible with the New Testament. As Simpson notes, “both nouns are governed by one article and joined together with kai. Since both nouns are plural the groups are either distinct or overlapping (i.e., apostles, prophets, and some who are both), with is the likely case.”
Adams agrees with the context promoting a current constituency that Paul intends in using this phrase, writing “the founding of the Church’s congregations and its divine revelation came from apostles and prophets (men like Mark and Luke who, though not apostles, nevertheless were recipients of revelation—see 3:5).” Those that we would understand as New Testament prophets would be those who have the spiritual gift of prophecy (Acts 21:9-10; 1 Cor 14:1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 24, 29, 31, 32, 37, 39). When the apostle speaks of the Lord’s first century appointments for the health of the Church, he lists “apostles” as first and “prophets” as second (1 Cor 12:28). While it will be discussed in the comments regarding Ephesians 4:11, and while “apostles and prophets” are also found in other various forms and groupings throughout the New Testament (2 Pet 3:2; Rev 18:20, for instance), it would suffice to say that these two offices have passed off the scene, seeing that the foundation for sound teaching has already been laid and one dare not lay it again and so collapse the superstructure. Beal and Radmacher state that, “The gift was essential at a time when the revelation of the New Testament was far from complete. The gift of prophecy often includes foretelling (Acts 11:28; 21:10-11), but not necessarily.” I believe that these New Testament occurrences are due to the unfinished nature of the New Testament canon in the midst of the first century. Now that we have a completed revelation from God as found in His Word, the office of prophet is no longer necessary. All that God would want us to know is found in His truth.
In the Old Testament, the prophets were given for the express purpose of revealing God’s truth in general, and for calling the nation of Israel back into the requirements of their covenant relationship with YHWH in particular. Having general revelation but little to no written revelation, these heralds served in the high capacity as the mouthpiece of YHWH’s choosing. When we look at the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28:1-29:68 much of what the prophets were dealing with consisted of the repercussions of cursing that had come upon Israel as God had promised due to their disobedience in regard to their covenant relationship with Him. The prophets announced that He would bring about judgment for their continual disobedience and called them to repentance. The same type of ministry is seen in the New Testament, with God revealing His will to this “one new man.”
The apostles (Luke 6:13) served as Christ’s messengers of truth, both to Israel in regards to the offer of the Kingdom (Matt 10:1-42), and in communicating the gospel of God’s grace as seen in the death of Christ for sin (1 Cor 15:2-4), which they were commissioned to preach in Acts 1:8. An apostle is “a group of highly honored believers with a special function as God’s envoys,” with its secular meaning having to do with ships that were ready to leave a port, having been sent out on a mission. There would be little question regarding the divine nature of the commissioning of an apostle as found in the Scriptures.
An apostle is one who is ‘sent’ by Jesus Christ. The word is used to refer especially to the inner circle of Christ’s twelve disciples, but is also used specifically to refer to Paul, who was commissioned as an apostle by the risen Christ. The term is also applied more loosely to certain other leading Christians in the NT period.”
The New Testament evidence points to an apostle as being commissioned by the resurrected Lord Jesus with the specific task of serving as His witnesses locally, nationally, and internationally. When appointing Matthias to fill the vacated place of Judas Iscariot, Peter states that “it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22). This means that an “apostle,” from a biblical standpoint, must be one who was present between Jesus’ baptism and His ascension. No one today meets this absolute. With the commissioning of Matthias quickly came the power of the Holy Spirit that was working mightily in them to authenticate the message being presented (Acts 2:3-4; 3:6-8; 4:33; 5:5, 10, 12). As with the prophets, we see that a completion of New Testament truth renders the office of an apostle as unnecessary, having served out its purpose.
The cornerstone of this grand superstructure is the Lord Jesus Christ! Larry Moyer relates that the cornerstone is “the most important foundational stone in [the] building. Placed at the intersection of two walls, it aligns the building and holds it together.” With cornerstones being used in structures that we see in today’s world, we can observe that they serve as the starting point of a building, being dated to commemorate its erection, and singled out due to its indispensable nature in relation to the whole. Christ, being the cornerstone of this new building (Eph 2:21a), is certainly “essential, indispensable, and basic” to all that the Church does. Apart from Christ, the Church not only loses its identity, but its power. It is the resurrecting power of God as demonstrated in Christ that raises the Church spiritually and serves the Church in calling the unregenerate to believe in Jesus.
All that the Church does should have its starting place in the Corner stone. If the ministry that you are involved in has nothing to do with Christ, it doesn’t need a reassessment. It needs a funeral. Without Jesus as our centerpiece, there will be no eternal impact in the lives of people and God will receive no glory at all. Our motivations for ministry are connected and find their beginning in the Person of Jesus Christ our Lord. If we were to remove the Cornerstone from your Church, would it stand?
The superstructure of God being founded upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and especially with Jesus Christ serving as the Cornerstone finds further explanation in 2:21a where Paul states that the “whole building” is “fitted together” in Christ (He is the “in whom” in Eph 2:21a). This serves as essential imagery to our understanding of Christ’s importance. Wood writes, “The function of the cornerstone (v. 20) is precisely defined by the verb ‘joined together’ (synarmologoumenē), found only here and in Ephesians 4:16 in the NT. It embraces the complicated process of masonry by which stones are fitted together.” The idea of being “fit” together is conveyed and demonstrates that the Church as a whole (universally) is cemented and fastened into the Cornerstone which is our Lord. This connection is obviously essential, but it is also equally permanent. Should the superstructure operate as though the Cornerstone were not present, it would not change the reality that it is there. Though the Church be entrenched in fantasy, the Lord Jesus remains a constant reality. Radmacher writes that:
Christ Himself was the Chief Cornerstone, from which all the lines of the building would be aligned and squared. He would be the focal point that would give direction to the building. So He shaped those foundational stones, the apostles and prophets (see Ephesians 2:20). Then he left it to the evangelists, pastors, and teachers to lead in the program of upbuilding, of shaping the living stones until the completion of the Body. Then this body would be presented without fault, without distortion, a holy temple unto the Lord.
God’s building “growing into” a “holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:21b). This is purposeful language. All of the ministry, teaching, prayer, and activity of the Church is to be connected to the Cornerstone, but the walls of this temple are to grow. The Church is not to be a stagnant, ancient, run down ruin that serves in reminiscing, or a “marvelous structure” that is only useful for taking pictures. It is to expand and grow into the direction of a holy temple in the Lord. With the membership of the early Church being Jewish up until the conversion of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-45) and the missionary efforts of those from Cyprus and Cyrene who preached Jesus to the Gentiles in Antioch (Acts 11:19-21), the use of the word “temple” would be something that connected with the Jewish mind due to the precise nature of the word utilized (Eph 2:21b). The significance of this usage may not be readily apparent when read in an English translation. David Spurbeck writes:
In the Greek New Testament there are two words that are translated “temple.” Each has its own significance. One, hieron, describes the whole temple complex with its courts, walls, barns, quarters and auxiliary rooms as well as the actual temple structure itself with the holy place and the holy of holies. The second term, naos, describes the focal point of all religious activity, the holy of holies. This term was used to describe the place where God’s presence was manifested. It is the second term that is found here.
The “holy of holies” is also known as the “most holy place” where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and where the Shekinah Glory of God dwelled above it. It was the innermost room in the Temple and was separated from the other areas by a thick curtain (Heb 9:1-12 shows the importance of Christ in this situation). Paul’s imagery here shows us that the Temple is no longer regulated to a building, but to a people: the Church. God is pleased to dwell in the midst of the saints and to be glorified in their worship. Gone are the days of limited access and ritualistic requirements for approaching the Most High because all has been satisfied in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the Church, we are joined together (one new man, one Body) and we are to grow into a holy (set apart) temple in the Lord!
Paul states in Ephesians 2:22 that in Christ, the saints “are being built together” into a place where God will dwell in the Spirit. The use of “in whom” points again to Jesus, our Corner stone. The verb form of “are being built” in Ephesians 2:22 is passive, present tense meaning that this is something that is being done now by God and is not something that we must enact, conjure, create, or do. God, through the Holy Spirit, is doing a great work in the Church! He is actively working. In fact, He is doing a perfect work for He can do no less. Knowing this truth, why would we not want to join Him in His work? Joining Him in what He is doing is how we properly respond to His work. I believe that this is the ultimate reason for the passive form of the verb in 2:22. Paul’s readers must first understand the fact that the Lord is doing something supernaturally astounding, which should persuade us to fall in line with God’s perfect working. In doing so, the Source of our strength and direction is clear, leading us to maturity (Eph 4:11-16).
If the notion of 2:21 shows that the one new man is “growing into a holy temple in the Lord,” this explanation is further enhanced moving beyond the Jewish imagery. Believing Jews and Gentiles are being built together into a “dwelling of God.” The word “dwelling” is katoiketerion meaning a place of habitation, which should not seem unusual. John uses this word in Revelation 18:2 to speak of the demons and unclean spirits that will inhabit Babylon at the end of the Tribulation. The idea is that the assembly of the saints is a sanctuary, being not a building with a name, but a conglomerate people who have the Spirit indwelling. May this lofty call strike us with the beauty of divine grace, with our Father graciously growing His children into grand structure that would topple the Parthenons of the world. May we rethink our alliances as the assembly of our Lord. May we take into account the pieces of the world that have become welcome staples in the worship and message of the Church. Has the holy temple, the “dwelling of God in the Spirit” entangled itself with alliances that are slowly poisoning the purity of Christ’s Body? May we recognize any departures into Bible-less customs and may we return again to the feet of our Christ and King.
A few final thoughts are in order. Primarily, as we saw a flash of the Trinity in Ephesians 2:18, so again does He appear in 2:22. In Christ, believers are being built together into a habitation of the Father in (“through”) the Spirit. Christ’s deliverance into a new location takes first place, with the dwelling being with the Father and this is only possible by the new life that is imparted by the Spirit unto believing subjects of which He then indwells them until the Rapture (2 Thess 2:7).
Second, the language of Paul’s pummeling of the benefits and blessings that are freely bestowed to those who are in Christ has not let up one bit since Ephesians 1:3. Every verse invokes high thoughts. Every passage adds another precious layer. Each turn holds a new landscape to embrace. The depths of the Body of Christ are staggering. While many have made the mistake of personalizing the promises of Ephesians and stopping there, Paul is overlooking all individual believers in favor of the whole! “Believers are integrated into the body of Christ, made a living part of something far larger than themselves. No individual Christian can fulfill God’s purposes in his or her life without contributing to the life and ministry of that body.” May we come to our senses regarding the corporate nature of the Church as being God’s plan and habitation for reaching a dying world and forsake individualized Christianity.
Chapter 2 is a sweeping landscape of heavenly truths! Beginning with the low estate of being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1) changing tracks completely by God’s doing in making us alive by His grace (Eph 2:4-5), granting us not just resurrection, but ascension and royal placement in the heavenlies (Eph 2:6), with the future aion (“age”) awaiting our display unto the seen and unseen as objects who have “the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness” (Eph 2:7) all due to the selfless Son of God laying down His divine life for the world (John 1:29). This chapter ends with the extent of God’s grace being shown in His reaching out for a people who had previously no preliminary pathways to this eternal rescue (Eph 2:11-12). But Jesus has bridged the gap, destroyed the hindrance of the Law, and paved a pathway by His blood, making peace and giving us access to God by the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:13-18). Believing Jews and Gentiles now have equal footing, acceptance, and glorious habitation with God because of the Son (Eph 2:19-22).
Though great in length, Darby’s thoughts on the heavenly position of the Church are a welcome addition to the blessed discourse of the Apostle Paul. He writes:
As to us, it is in the "heavenly places" that we shall find our abode. The spiritual blessings in heavenly places which we enjoy even now in hope, though hindered in many ways, will be for us, in that day, things natural to our physical and normal state, so to speak; but the earth will not fail to feel the effects of it. "Wicked spirits in heavenly places" (see margin, Eph 6:12), whose place will be then filled by Christ and His church, will cease to be the continual and prolific causes of the misery of a world subjected to their power by sin. The church, on the contrary, with Christ, reflecting the glory in which she participates, and enjoying the presence of Him who is at once to her its source and fulness, will beam upon the earth in blessing; and the nations will walk by her light - "help meet for him" (Gen 2:18) in His glory, full of thoughts of her beloved, and enjoying His love, she will be the worthy and happy instrument of His blessings; whilst, in her condition, she will be the living demonstration of their success. For God has done these things, "that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus," Eph 2:7. The earth will enjoy the fruits of the victory and of the faithfulness of the last Adam, and will be the magnificent testimony of it in the sight of principalities and powers, as it is at present, in the chaos made by sin, of the ruin and of the iniquity of the first Adam. Without doubt, the crowning joy - the joy of joys - will be the communion of the Father and of the Bridegroom; but to be witness of His goodness, to have part in it, and to be an instrument of it towards a fallen world, will certainly be to taste of divine joys, for "God is love."
May our minds be directed away from buildings and steeples, and instead take joy in the understanding that people matter to God, both for His glory and to fulfill His purposes. His desire is to dwell with us in constant fellowship, both now and in the heavenlies after the Rapture. He desires us to fully experience His grace. This certainly shows His tremendous love for the Church. Ask yourself, are we hindering the experience of total joy within the Body of Christ that Paul illustrates in this chapter? Are we weak bricks in the walls of His household due to ongoing, unconfessed sin? Have we lost sight of the Cornerstone? Have we forsaken the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets? All of these things are a reality that God has designed, initiated, and will see through to the final victory. To live apart from them is to live in the shadows of His determined plan.