The death of Jesus on the cross broke down the dividing wall between the Jews and the Gentiles. The preaching of Jesus brought about peace between these same two groups, along with peace between mankind and God (Ephesians 2:17-22). Using a passage from Isaiah, Paul illustrates his point by making an application of this passage to Jesus preaching “peace to [those] we were far away, and preach to those who were near.” Based upon the context, the “far away” were the Gentiles, and the “near” were the Jews. Both of these groups are now one and have “access in one Spirit to the Father.” The preaching of Jesus brought unity. It also allowed people to be “no longer strangers and aliens, but…fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.” The Gentiles would be extremely glad and thankful to now be in a relationship with God. When Paul uses the word “we” when he is talking about “our access in one Spirit to the Father,” he is including himself, a Jew. So, with this information, the conclusion one should reach is that the things described in verses 19 through 22 apply both to the Jewish people and the Gentile people. The final result is that followers of the teachings of Christ, Christians, are building a structure Paul calls “a holy temple in the Lord…a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” The religious people in the days of Paul believed “their god” lived in a temple. Paul uses this language to describe the place where God now dwells among Christians. Paul is not talking about a literal temple but a spiritual temple, which is probably a reference to the assembly of all people from all times into one “place.” With this shift in his focus, Paul is describing what the church is like. He is not talking exclusively about a “brick and mortar” church with a GPS location, although it would be included, but he is also talking about the church that is a “gathering of all disciples from all over the world,” referred to as “the universal church.” Paul explains within this context how this “temple” is going to be built. While focusing on Christians being the temple or household of God, let us not forget the importance of Jesus preaching the message He was given by God. This information is just as important as the death of Jesus on the cross. Without this preaching and the preaching of the apostles, people would not know about the cross. They would not know how to live after becoming a Christian. It would be impossible for them to be living God’s way. Carlton G. McPeak (carlton_mc@msn.com) is an evangelist working in the Florida Gateway region. Scriptural quotations from the NASB.
