High-Stepping in Heavenly Places

Extreme Makeover-Home Edition

Lesson Five

In the opening verses of chapter two in the Book of Ephesians, Paul reminded us of the lostcondition of all humanity and God’s grace gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God

(Eph. 2:8). Having established the universality of the sinfulness of mankind and God’s plan of redemption in Christ, Paul turned his attention to God’s dwelling place with Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone.

I. Redemption-Ephesians 2:11-13

Most of God’s program in the Old Testament centered on the Jews. Beginning with Abram (later called Abraham), God called the Jews unto Himself. God intended for Israel to be a light untothe Gentile nations, revealing the one true God to the whole world.Gentiles were natural-born aliens and had no part in the great covenantal promises God hadmade to Abram and his descendants Gentiles were cut off from these covenantal blessings,

separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenantsof promise, having no hope and without God in the world

(Eph. 2:12). The only way a Gentilecould partake of the spiritual blessings and covenant benefits of Israel was to become a Jewish proselyte.Unfortunately, God’s favored relationship with Israel caused the Jews to develop prejudiceagainst the Gentiles. Rather than seeking to reconcile Gentiles with the God of Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob, the Jews cultivated spiritual prejudice. The Jews (called the

Circumcision

) held theGentiles (called the

Uncircumcision

) in contempt, regarding them as unclean scavenger dogs.The Gentiles despised the Jews and viewed them as pretentious religious hypocrites.Calvary and Pentecost brought a great dispensational change, abolishing the fundamentaldifference between Gentiles and Jews. Gentiles are brought into a covenant relationship with theGod of Israel, not by becoming proselytes to Judaism, but by putting their faith in Christ. Thesame is now true for all, Jew or Gentile-

whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved

(Rom. 10:13). In the church age there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. The onlydistinction now lies in LOST or SAVED.

Now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ

(Eph. 2:13). Christ redeemed us.