Sermon Notes: Ephesians 2:19-22 – Being Built Together
These are the notes of a sermon preached by Andy Evans on the morning of the 2 May 2010 at Firwood Church. Click here to stream or download the sermon audio.
[Section 2b has been expanded significantly in order to deal with Ephesians 2:20 more fully.]
Ephesians 2:11–22
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
1. INTRODUCTION: THE CHURCH IS…
a. A New Kind of People
The movement in chapter two from Paul’s treatment of the gospel in effecting the salvation of dead, radically depraved sons of disobedience to the creation of ‘one new man in place of the two’ indicates that, in Paul’s mind, the formation of the church of Christ lies close to, if not at the very centre of, God’s purposes in the gospel.
We saw this last week in verses 14 and 15,
Ephesians 2:14-15
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace
Two astonishing things happen at the cross. Firstly, Jesus destroys the hostility and enmity which exists between men everywhere (although, here, Paul has the hostility between Jew and Gentile particularly in view). Secondly, we see that the cross is the means by which Christ creates a new kind of people, the church.
All of which is possible because of Christ. It is not simply that Jesus makes peace (although this is also true, verse 15); Jesus is our peace. Paul understands that to be a believer in Christ is to be in Christ and to be in Christ is to surrender our desires, priorities, perspectives and very lives to him. Suddenly the most important question in the world is, ‘How can I please Christ?’ This kind of thinking and this kind of living brings incredible unity and peace. Believers are called to be Christ-like and Christ-like men and women living humble, loving lives and actively pursue peace.
So too, the church is not simply created by Christ (although this is true, as we shall see), but rather the church is created in Christ Jesus. Paul writes that Jesus,
Ephesians 2:15
…create[s] in himself one new man in place of two…
Christ is the sphere in which the church is created and exists. This is why Paul later describes the church as the body of Christ,
Ephesians 4:11–12
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
This makes sense, to be a believer is to be in Christ and those who are in Christ are the church of Christ. As believers come together, loving, serving and building one another up, Christ is made visible. The church of Christ is the means by which Christ is made visible in this world.
b. The People of God
But this is just the beginning, Paul then goes on to show us what the church is by using a series of metaphors,
Ephesians 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Last week we considered the first two of these metaphors, Paul uses the language of citizenship and adoption.
i. We Are Citizens of the Kingdom of God
Paul writes, specifically with Gentiles in view, that we are,
Ephesians 2:19
… no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints
This reminds us of Paul’s earlier reality check in which he exhorted we Gentiles to remember our former state before Christ’s awesome intervention. He reminds us we were, at that time,
Ephesians 2:12
separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world
Paul would have us remember that we were firmly on the outside looking in. We were ignorant of the law, commands and promises of God. We were, quite literally, without hope in this world.
This is why, for the Gentile, full inclusion, citizenship and belonging is a most sweet and most glorious thing. We who were formerly far off are now made to be his people, his church. We who were atheists, ‘without God in the world’, are now made to be God’s chosen nation, his true Israel.[1] Indeed, the Apostle Peter reminds believers,
1 Peter 2:9–10
[…] you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The glory of Christ in the gospel is seen when the church of Christ is rightly understood. In Christ Jesus, God takes a disparate group of people and forms them into a nation which reflect his holiness and proclaim his excellencies.
This is what the church of Christ is made to be.
ii. We Are Adopted into the Household of God
Paul moves from the language of citizenship to the metaphor of adoption, consider,
Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God
Consider the metaphor of citizenship when applied to the UK as we approach a General Election on Thursday. If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom and over the age of 18, you will go into the polling station, take your card and enter the polling booth. You will then mark the ballot slip and your vote will be counted.
This is perhaps the chief benefit of being a citizen of the United Kingdom.
And yet, as we enter the polling station, we will be but one of tens of millions of people casting a vote. You might vote a new party into government and yet, in truth, you are but one person among millions of faceless voters.
This, also, is what it means to be a citizen of the United Kingdom.
This is why it is so important that Paul develops his metaphor of the church further still. The church of Christ, the kingdom of God, is not like the United Kingdom. If you are a believer in Christ, you are not just one of the faceless millions of believers currently alive. You are not just another anonymous Christian in the great roll call of Christians stretching through the ages.
No. Paul reminds us that we are ‘members of the household of God’. We are adopted into the very family of God (1 John 3:1). We are counted as brothers in and brothers of Christ Jesus (Hebrews 2:11-12). We are made to be heirs and coheirs with Christ Jesus (Romans 8:16-17).
This is what it means to be a believer in Christ Jesus and this is what the church of Christ is: the very household of God.
2. A HOLY TEMPLE
But Paul then shifts and develops a third analogy and it is this that I now want to concentrate upon,
Ephesians 19-22
So then you […] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Paul begins by explaining that this new man (verse 15), the church, is a nation, a kingdom of believers, in whom Gentiles receive full citizenship. Paul then adds that this church is also like a family in which believers, Jew and Gentile alike, have access to the Father (verse 18).
Now Paul moves to describe this ‘new man’, the church, as being like a kingdom, which is like a household, which is also like a temple. This structure, ‘grows into a holy temple in the Lord’.
Here, it seems, we are on familiar territory.
All of us, understand what Paul means when he refers to the church as a temple. Irrespective of whether we are of Jewish or Gentile descent, or from a churched or unchurched background, all of us will have experienced (or at least been aware of) places of worship, whether it be the cathedral, church, mosque or synagogue.
Similarly, this reference would have been incredibly meaningful to both Jew and Gentile worshipping in Ephesus in the First Century.
For the Jew, in all likelihood, this reference would have led them to think of Herod’s temple in Jerusalem (we thought about this last week). The Gentile in Ephesus, however, would most likely be ignorant of the significance and architecture of a Jewish Temple. They would, however, have been incredibly familiar with the notion of the temple. The Temple of Artemus, some 120 years in the building, overshadowed the city, religious life and economy of Ephesus.[2] Indeed, such was the grandeur of this temple, that it is considered to be one of the Great Wonders of the World.
a. We are the temple
This is the great danger when we approach passages which deal with the church. This danger is thus amplified when Paul then draws an analogy between the church and a building.
Our culture primarily thinks of church in geographical terms. We speak of going to church, meaning that we are travelling to a specific location. We talk about maintaining the church, in reference to repairing the roof. Or we might talk of a church being beautiful, in admiration of the architectural skill displayed in the building. This is the way in which the world primarily understands the church. We must guard ourselves against such unbiblical thinking.
When Paul talks of the church, which is like a holy temple, he is talking about us. We are the temple.
This is why the, ‘So you’ (verse 19), with which Paul leads into these three metaphors is so important. Paul wants us to understand that we are God’s temple in precisely the same way that we are citizens of his kingdom and members of his household.
Moreover, the temple of which Paul speaks is a different kind of temple, certainly to that of the Temple of Artemis. This temple, the church, is a ‘holy temple’, a temple set apart for God, a temple which reflects the character and purity of a holy God.
Paul will now proceed to described the nature of this temple and, in so doing, he is describing the church.
b. Foundations
Paul writes that this kingdom, this household, this temple, the very church of Jesus Christ, is,
Ephesians 2:20
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets
Two things are clear with regards to this passage.
The first thing to note is that Paul writes that the apostles and prophets are, themselves, the foundation of the church. It is not merely that they are laying the foundation as Paul suggests elsewhere.[3] Secondly, all commentators agree that the designation, apostles, refers to the twelve and Paul himself.[4] Those who were commissioned by Christ Jesus to be witnesses and ambassadors of the gospel.
Paul’s intention in using the designation ‘prophets’ is, however, disputed with three exegetical possibilities.
i. Apostles and Old Testament Prophets[5]
The first possibility is that Paul is referencing the Old Testament Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the like.
It is not unusual for New Testament writers to reference the Old Testament by referring to the Law and the Prophets (e.g. Matthew 11:13, 22:40; 26:56; Luke 16:16, 29, 31; John 6:45; Acts 10:43, 13:15; Romans 1:2, 3:21). If this is Paul’s meaning, then his intention would be to state that the New Testament church is built upon the foundation of the Old and New Testaments.
Now, this is true, but I suspect this is not Paul’s meaning. The difficulty with this interpretation is threefold.
Firstly, Paul does not precede ‘prophets’ with the definite article (‘the apostles and the prophets’) which is unusual and would make this the exception among New Testament references to the Old Testament writings of the Prophets.
Secondly, the word order should concern us. If Paul is referencing the Old Testament Prophets, why then would he begin by referencing the apostles? Would it not make more sense to retain the chronology and write, ‘the prophets and the apostles’?
The third, and most compelling reason against this interpretation is found later in Chapter 3 where Paul more clearly defines the group designated as ‘apostles and prophets’,
Ephesians 3:4–5
When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
Here it is clear that Paul cannot be referencing the Old Testament Prophets. Indeed, Paul intentionally stresses the disjunction between the Old Testament Prophets, who are among ‘the sons of men in other generations’, and this new group designated ‘holy apostles and prophets’ to whom, now, the mystery has been revealed.
Given the proximity and the similarity in phrase,[6] most commentators agree that this group (in Chapter 3 verses 5) is the same group Paul references earlier in Chapter 2 verse 20. Clearly, if this is the case, then our prophets (in verse 20) cannot be the Old Testament Prophets.
ii. Those with the New Testament gift of prophecy
In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul unpacks the way in which the Holy Spirit equips the church for service and ministry by bestowing various spiritual gifts upon the church, including the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Paul then goes on to set out a hierarchy for these gifts, suggesting that the gift of prophecy should be considered chief among the spiritual gifts,
1 Corinthians 14:1
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
We can be confident, therefore, that there were those within the New Testament church with the gift of prophecy. Indeed, Luke, in the book of Acts, cites the four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9) and Agabus (Acts 11:2 and 21:10) as examples of believers who had received this gift of prophecy. It seems likely also that there were those in the church in Ephesus who had received the gift of prophecy and this is why Paul reminds the church that spiritual gifts are intended for the edification of the church,
Ephesians 4:11–12
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
The second exegetical position purports that, in addressing the apostles and prophets, Paul is referring to those who have received the spiritual gift of prophecy.
Although this position is not without merit and strong advocates (most modern commentators adopt this position)[7] there are serious and, in my view, decisive weaknesses here.
We have already addressed the first problem in relation to Ephesians 3:3-4 above. It seems from this passage that those Paul has in view are a narrow group. It is to this narrow group of ‘holy apostles and prophets’ that the mystery hidden to other generations (specifically the inclusion of the Gentiles) has now been revealed.
It does not make sense, in my view, to juxtapose the narrow group of apostle alongside the wider (perhaps much wider) community gifted with the spiritual gift of prophecy in such a way as to imply that there is a close correlation. Even if we accept that there is evidence in the New Testament for the continuation of the office of prophet (and I remain resolutely unpersuaded), it is surely stretching matters beyond credibility to suggest that this office shares parity with the office of apostle. This position demands a close correlation, after all, Paul writes that a revelation hidden from other generations has now been revealed to both the apostles and those who had received the gift of prophecy. Paul further insists that the foundation of the church is grounded upon both groups. This seems somewhat unconvincing.
The second difficulty is that the revelation of Ephesians 3:4-5 is wound tightly into the message and revelation of the gospel. The full inclusion of the Gentiles is at the heart of the gospel message delivered to Ephesus and Corinth. The ‘now’ of verse 5, therefore, necessarily precedes the evangelization, the planting and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the respective churches at Corinth and Ephesus. It makes no sense, therefore, to include those gifted with prophecy in Ephesus and Corinth (or anywhere else, for that matter) with the apostles who were the initial and foundational witnesses to the gospel.
The third difficulty is that this view depends upon a high view of prophecy which seems to me to be lacking in the New Testament. Professor Wayne Grudem, in The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today, persuasively argues that the office of apostle is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament office of Prophet.[8]
In order to understand the importance of this observation to the matter in hand, we must remind ourselves of the nature of the office of the Old Testament Prophet. The Old Testament Prophet was one who spoke the very word of God on behalf of God. This is why the Old Testament Prophet is able to declare ‘The Lord says…’ or ‘Thus says the Lord…’ without fear of committing blasphemy (e.g. Exodus 4:22; 1 Samuel 10:18; 2 Kings 20:1; Isaiah 7:7, 43:1, 14, 16; Jeremiah 2:2, 6:6, 6, 16, 21, 22, etc.).[9]
The differences between the Old Testament and New Testament prophet are significant.
There is a difference in respect of authority. The authority of the Old Testament Prophet is absolute, the word of God mediated through the Prophet retains the authority of God (Deuteronomy 18:19). This is not the case in the New Testament where Paul, for example, disregards the exhortation of prophets and Agabus to cancel his plans to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4, 10-11). There is no suggestion that Paul is committing a sin in thus disregarding a prophetic word , rather, the implication is that Paul must weigh, interpret and apply the prophetic word as he himself is guided by the Spirit.
In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul goes further and encourages believes to treat all prophecy with similar rigor,
1 Thessalonians 5:20–21
Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
The Greek word dokimazete, here translated ‘test’, means to make a critical examination in order to determine genuineness.[10] Paul’s intention is clear, when presented with a prophetic word, believers must subject the prophecy to serious and sober scrutiny without tipping into cynicism.
Furthermore, Paul here implies a further shift in the nature of New Testament prophecy. The authority of the Old Testament Prophet is considerable (they were, after all, declaring the very word of God). Consequently, the sanction imposed upon a false Prophet was severe,
Deuteronomy 18:20
…the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.
Similarly, the consequence for the Prophet in error was final,
Deuteronomy 18:21–22
And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.
The expectations placed upon the Prophet in the Old Testament is high because their authority is absolute (in declaring, ‘Thus says the Lord…’, their authority is grounded upon His authority). The Old Testament, therefore, prescribes that the false prophet must die whereas he who speaks presumptuously should be not be regarded a Prophet (implied in the statement, ‘You need not be afraid of him.’).[11]
We see here, in Paul’s instruction to the church in Thessalonica, that the expectations placed upon New Testament prophecy are less severe. Paul implies, therefore, that a prophecy may contain both good and bad information and that the believer should test the prophecy, discern and receive what is good and disregard what is bad.[12]
It is not credible, therefore, that Paul should intend we conclude from chapter 2 verse 20 that the apostles and New Testament prophets should be consider to be of equal weight and authority. Having understood this, it is difficult to see why Paul would include those with the gift of prophecy alongside those who held apostolic office as being foundational to the establishment of the church; which leads me to the third and preferred option.
iii. The Apostles who are the Prophets
As I have already mentioned, the New Testament office of apostle replaces the Old Testament office of Prophet. In the New Testament church, it is the apostle who has authority to declare the word of God inerrant. It is the Apostle who is now charged with writing and recording the very word of God (the Holy Scriptures).
Practically speaking, this is why we can approach the New Testament with confidence, assured that we are reading the very word of God. Furthermore, we must understand and accept that the word of God as mediated through the apostles carries the same absolute authority which we find in the Old Testament in relation to the office of Prophet.
We find that the Apostle Paul outlines this dynamic in his first letter to the church in Corinth (a church, incidentally, who, in their over-realised eschatology, believed that they were super-spiritual because they spoke in tongues, and struggled against apostolic authority),
1 Corinthians 14:37
If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.
Three things are clear.
Firstly, Paul equates the authority of the apostle with that of the Old Testament Prophet, Paul’s assertion that his instruction is ‘a command of the Lord’ is akin to the Old Testament declaration, ‘Thus says the Lord…’.
Secondly, the apostolic writings take precedence over any extra-biblical revelation.
It is particularly important that we remember this in our day, given that we are so easily enticed by spiritual experience and the spectacular. Yes, God still speaks and works miraculous wonders in the midst of his people, but, as the Apostle Peter reminds us,
2 Peter 1:19–21
…we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, true maturity and true spirituality is evident in submission to apostolic authority and obedience to the Scriptures. Paul continues,
1 Corinthians 14:37–38
If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
Those who have been begraced with the gift of prophecy must come under authority and exercise their gifts in accordance with the word of God, under the authority of those whom God has appointed to shepherd the church of Christ and for the benefit and edification of the church. Those who do not recognise apostolic authority are not recognised.
It is this dynamic, the New Testament prophet exercising his or her spiritual gift under the authority and in accordance with the Scriptures, which leads me to the third, and preferred, exegetical option.
Paul reminds the church in Ephesus (and believers everywhere),
Ephesians 2:19-20
So then you […]built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone
We have already discussed that the phrase, ‘the apostles and prophets’ lacks the definite article. This then opens up the possibility that Paul is, in fact, referring to one group of people, the apostle-prophets. Wayne Grudem argues convincingly that this passage can be translated thus,[13]
Ephesians 2:19-20
So then you […]built on the foundation of the apostles who are the prophets…
This, then, makes sense of all that we have considered. Paul is in effect arguing that the church is constructed upon the foundation of the apostles to whom Christ has revealed the mystery of the full inclusion of the Gentiles, a mystery which was hidden in previous generations. This helps us understand that the apostles are the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament Prophets.
Practically speaking, therefore, Paul is showing us that the Scriptures are the result of divine and supernatural revelation which is authoritive and inerrant in a way in which the New Testament gift of prophecy given generally cannot claim to be. Furthermore, Paul writes that the church of Christ is established upon this solid foundation.
The application for us, in Westwood, Oldham, is clear.
Paul wants us to see that, yes, there is privilege, yes, there is citizenship and, yes, there is even kinship; we have become sons and daughters of the living God. And yet, in all of this there is a demand to submit to the Scriptures.
In our day, in the wake of post-modernism, relativism and pluralism and the emergence radical and unorthodox expressions of church, we must remind ourselves that the true church, the only church, is that which is founded and grounded upon the teachings of Scripture.
This is why, at Firwood Church, we take Scripture incredibly seriously. This is why we endeavour preach carefully out of the text to ensure that we remain closely tethered to the Scriptures. This is why we value bible studies. This is why we encourage you to study and think deeply about the truths of God. This is why we seek to model and foster obedience to the word of God.
This is not abstract intellectualism.
As we thus think, study, pray and then live, we are laying deep foundations for our lives and the church of Christ.
Paul intends that the church, and this church, be built upon the Word of God.
c. The Cornerstone
Paul, however, develops this thought further.
The teachings and the gospel proclaimed by the apostles-prophets is the foundation upon which the church is built. However, the most crucial of all the foundation stones is Christ himself,
Ephesians 2:19-20
So then you […]built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone
It is important that we think clearly here. Paul is not placing the ministry of the apostles-prophets alongside Christ Jesus as if they are somehow of equal standing in the foundation of the church. This is why it is important that we understand the importance of the imagery which Paul employs here.
In referring to Christ as the cornerstone, he is referencing the Old Testament and, more specifically, the Prophet Isaiah,
Isaiah 28:16
[…]
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
There is a clue here as to the importance of the cornerstone in first century architecture.[14] The cornerstone was the stone by which the rest of the structure was tested in order to determine whether it met the architects’ specifications. The cornerstone was the first stone to be laid and determined the size and orientation of the remaining foundation and, indeed, the very building itself.
It was thus possible, from the dimensions of the cornerstone, to extrapolate and calculate the dimensions of the entire building.
The cornerstone was the first stone to be laid and the stone which defined the shape, size and orientation of the rest of the building.
The application here is threefold,
i. Jesus defines the church
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, the defining point within the foundation which determines the solidity and shape of the resulting structure.
Practically speaking then, this changes the way in which we understand the Scriptures. Yes, the church is grounded upon the foundation of the Apostolic teachings, but these teaching must be understood correctly and in such a way that they maintain the centrality and supremacy of the Son of God.
Moreover, Christ Jesus defines what the church is. He is the stone upon which we stand and he is the pattern upon which our lives are shaped and modelled.
If we consider then the application of this in our lives and in the life of Firwood Church, we must ask ourselves the following searching questions,
Are we grounded upon Christ Jesus?
Is he the foundation upon which this church stands?
Are we living like Christ Jesus, taking up our cross daily and following in his footsteps?
Are we ministering like Christ Jesus, are his priorities our priority?
Are we shining forth the glorious light of the glory of God like a city upon a hill (Matthew 5:14)?
Christ is the cornerstone on which the church is grounded and Christ Jesus sets the pattern for what the church is made to be.
If we truly are the church, if Firwood Church truly is his church, then we are patterned in his image.
ii. Jesus is the means by which the whole church holds together
Furthermore, this cornerstone, has a dynamic effect upon the whole structure,
Ephesians 19-22
So then you […] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Earlier in this series we considered the way in which Christ Jesus formed a new people out of two opposed groups of people and the way in which Christ destroys hostility between races and becomes peace for those who believe.
Consider, this morning, Firwood Church. We are a group of believers from different backgrounds, different social groups, different geographical areas and altogether different educational experiences and yet the Scriptures, and indeed Paul, assures us that we are one body. How can this be so?
Part of the answer is found in verse 15 in which Paul reminds believers that, in the cross, Christ,
Ephesians 2:15
…create[d] in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace…
If you are a believer this morning, this has already happened. Christ has, through the cross, united all who believe in him and in this, formed an entirely ‘new man’, the church.
However, this is a dynamic process. The cornerstone of the church, Christ Jesus, continues to join us together.
Practically speaking, this means as we grow closer to Christ, come to resemble him more and grow in our walk with him, our relationships with one another will grow deeper. We walk deeply with Christ and the consequence of this is that we walk more deeply with one another. We come to love Christ in increasing measure. The consequence of this is that we come to love one another more deeply.
We are being joined together in him. This is happening. Even now.
iii. Jesus is the means by which the church grows
There is a second dynamic aspect to the cornerstone, which is Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 19-22
So then you […]built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Jesus causes the church to ‘grow into a holy temple in the Lord’. There are two aspects to this.
Firstly, that any numerical growth that we experience as a church is a direct result of Christ Jesus, the cornerstone, working in our midst and advancing the gospel in this place. Jesus adds to his church.
Secondly, Jesus is at work growing us in maturity and holiness. There is a great hope in this.
The truth is, as I have been delivering this message many of us will have felt a huge disjunction between where we are and who he has called us to be. All of us still struggle with sin, some of us still feel the alienation of our former state and some of us feel far off from all God has called us, in Christ, to be.
The great hope of the gospel is that Christ Jesus continues to work in his people and in his church. The great hope of the gospel is that Christ Jesus continues to save us, continues to transform us and continues to make us holy.
We must never forget that Jesus builds his church,
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
3. CONCLUSION – A DWELLING PLACE FOR GOD
The outcome of all of this is glorious. Consider all the church is made to be,
Ephesians 2:22
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
In conclusion, there are three final thoughts that I want to draw out,
i. The Gospel is For You
As Paul concludes this passage of thought, he reminds his readers, Gentiles, formally far off from the things of God, that the promise of the gospel, the hope that is the church, includes them,
Ephesians 2:22
in him you also…
The truth is, if you are in Christ Jesus, then all of this applies to you.
You are citizens of the kingdom of God.
You are members of the household of God.
You are being built, transformed and made to be his holy temple.
There is a great encouragement in this.
In this church, Firwood Church, we have first generation Christians sitting alongside third and fourth generation Christians and I can imagine the sense of disjunction and distance may feel considerable.
Know this, if you are in Christ, Paul intends you to receive this truth; yes, you also are his and joined together with the saints being built up into a holy temple.
ii. God Dwells in You
Ephesians 2:22
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
This is a glorious truth and is impossible to unpack fully here.
Consider the glorious complexity of God’s interaction with the church.
In Christ, God saves Jew and Gentile alike that he might form a people for himself. The church of God is rescued by Christ and for Christ. We belong to him.
In Christ, God reconciles people groups who were formally hostile towards one another that his peace might be experienced and that he might form a new kind of people. The church of God is created (anew) by Christ and for Christ.
In Christ, this new man, finds existence in such a way that we become the physical embodiment of his character, power and purposes. The church of God is created to be a new kind of person that we might be his body on this earth; that we might be his hands and feet in Westwood.
In Christ, God takes men and women lacking substance and stability and unites us and builds us up that we might become a holy temple. The church of God is the holy temple of God grounded upon the Son of God.
And now we find that the temple we are made to be is the dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Feel the magnitude of this: yes, if you are a believer, God dwells within you by his Spirit. You are filled with the Spirit who testifies that you are indeed a child of God (Romans 8:15). Paul goes further, however, and shows us that the church, the united body of believers, becomes the dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Consider the Theophanies described in the Old Testament.
The shaking of Mount Sinai as Moses goes up to meet with God and to receive the law (Exodus 24:15-18).
The consecration of the tabernacle confirmed by the visible and awesome manifestation of the glory of God in the shape of the dwelling cloud (Exodus 40:34-38).
The dedication of the temple in which the glory of God falls with such glory that the priests are overwhelmed and abandon their duties (1 Kings 8:10-11).
All of this, no doubt, weighs heavily upon Paul’s mind as he stretches the analogy of the temple and we see that this imagery accurately depicts the reality of who we are.
The church is the place in which God’s presence is made most clearly manifest.
We are the locus of the present day Theophany.
We are his dwelling place.
iii. God Displays His Glory in the Church
We will return to this as we reach chapter three, verse ten,
Ephesians 3:8-10
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
But know for now that, as in chapter 1, we see the fullness of the glory of the Godhead displayed in the formation and growth of the church,
Ephesians 2:22
In him [Christ Jesus] you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
It is God’s intention that his glory, his manifold wisdom and glory, be displayed in the church. It is God’s intention that his glory be seen in and through Firwood Church. It is God’s intention that his glory be seen in our lives when we are scattered and when we are gathered.
This is why we must pray as Paul prayed,
Ephesians 3:20–21
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
To him be glory in Firwood Church.
To him be glory in the church in Oldham.
To him be glory in his Church.
Forever. Amen.
[1] The Greek word, atheos, here translated, ‘without God’, is the word from which ‘atheist’ derives. In one sense it is strange to refer to the Gentiles in Ephesus as ‘atheists’ because, we know from Acts 19 that the people of Ephesus were ‘spiritual’ and, most likely, polytheists engaged in the worship of other gods. Indeed, the riot described in verses 21 through to 41 began because Paul was converting people from the local religion and this was impacting upon the idol making business. In using the word atheos of this particular group of people, Paul is making the point that to worship any god other than the true God, Christ Jesus, is to be an atheist and to be ‘without God’. See D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994). Eph 2:11–22.
[2] Martin, Hubert M.. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1996. Vol. I, 465 & Aune, David E. Eds. Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers and Astrid B. Beck. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000. 415.
[3] In 1 Corinthians 3:9-17 Paul shapes the metaphor of the building of God’s temple differently. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul is the master builder laying the foundation. Here, Paul (among the apostles and prophets) is the foundation. O’Brien, Peter Thomas. The Letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999. 213.
[4] I discuss this at length in the teaching series, The Holy Spirit. The office of Apostle was held by a specific and narrow group of individuals which included the Twelve (Matthius was selected to replace Judas Iscariot, Acts 1:26), Paul and James the brother of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7-10). There is an argument that there may have been others outside of this group who were, in some sense, considered to be Apostles. It is argued that this wider group may have included Barnabas, (Acts 14:4, 14), possibly Adronicus and Junias (Romans 16:7) and possibly Silas (1 Thessalonians 2:6). I remain unconvinced that this wider group were considered Apostles in the same sense as the narrower groups because the qualification of the apostle were prescriptive, specifically, that they must be male, a witness to the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:21-22), specifically commissioned by Jesus (Acts 24-25) and supernaturally gifted with respect to signs, wonders and mighty works (2 Corinthians 12:12). See Betz, Hans Dieter. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. Vol. I, 310-311; Walls, A.F. New Bible Dictionary. Ed. Wood, D. R. W. and I. Howard Marshall. 3rd ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996. 59; Moser, Paul K. Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers and Astrid B. Beck. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000. 78-79. & Osborne, Grant R. Elwell, Walter A. and Barry J. Beitzel. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1988. Vol. 1, 231-233.
[5] Grudem, Wayne. The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2000. 329-346. Grudem helpfully summarises these three positions (to which he adds a forth).
[6] Ephesians 2:20 reads, ‘ton apostolon kai propheton‘, ‘the apostles and prophets’ and Ephesians 3:5 reads, ‘autos hagiois tois apostolois kai prophetais‘, ‘his holy apostles and prophets’.
[7] O’Brien, Peter Thomas. The Letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999 & Hoehner, Harold. Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2007.
[8] Grudem, Wayne. 2000. 33-43. Grudem argues that the designation, ‘prophet’, had taken on a broad currency in the New Testament period and was used broadly to refer to the pagan ‘prophet’ through to the secular poet. Grudem suggests, therefore, that the New Testament writes instead took the narrow title, ‘apostle’, precisely because it was free from this kind of cultural baggage.
[9] For reference, and by way of example, the phrase, ‘Thus says the Lord…’ appears 69 times in Isaiah and 300 times in Jeremiah.
[10] Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
[11] Merrill, Eugene H. Deuteronomy. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001. 274.
[12] Agabus’ prophetic word to the Apostle Paul illustrates the different weight of New Testament prophecy. Agabus prophesies that the Jews will arrest Paul and hand him over to the Gentiles whereas, in reality, Paul is initially rescued by Gentiles from the Jews (although this later develops into house arrest). It is clear, however, that Paul is not bound by the Jews and is not handed over to Rome by the Jews (Acts 21:10-11). Significantly, Paul again ignores the warning and instead determines that he is ‘ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ (Acts 21:13).
[13] Grudem, Wayne. 2000. 329-346.
[14] As this is the only occurrence of the word akrogoniaious in the New Testament (the same word used in Isaiah 28:16 in the Septuagint). There is some debate among scholars as to whether this should be translated ‘cornerstone’, as per the ESV, or capstone (placed over the entrance to the temple). If we accept the arguments for ‘capstone’ this would mean that Christ is the key crowning stone to the entire structure. I side with all the major translations (including the NKJV, RSV, NRSV, ASV, etc.) in preferring ‘cornerstone’ as the arguments for translating akrogoniaious as ‘capstone’ depend upon the Testament of Solomon which is a late text (see BDAG and O’Brien, Peter Thomas. 1999. 216-217). There is a useful summary of the etymology of akrogoniaious in Colin Brown, New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986). 389.