Group Guide: Ephesians 2:11-22

The book of Ephesians is written to Gentile believers (non-Jews). In the passage before us Paul once again calls their attention to their reality before God placed them in Christ. He once again wants them to understand the great reversal of facts and the miraculous transformation that God has rendered in their lives. The passage can be broken down into three categories; their alienation, their reconciliation, and their unification.

First, Paul commands them to remember their former alienation in verses 11-12. He does this by noting five things that were true of them before God placed them in Christ.

1. They were separate from Christ.

2. They were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel.

3. They were strangers to the covenant of promise.

4. They were without hope.

5. They were without God in the world.

In other words, they were alienated from all of the benefits that were part of the Jewish community of faith.

Second, Paul calls their attention to their new status because of what God has done (verse 13). And what God did, was he reconciled them to himself and to believing Jews through the work of Jesus on the cross. Reconciliation is accomplished by Christ’s death on the cross. On the cross Jesus accomplished three things;

1. He abolished in his flesh the enmity which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances. No longer was there a need to seek to fulfill the ceremonial and civil laws of the Old Testament.

2. He created a new race of people (verses 14-15). He took believing Jews and believing Gentiles, two groups, and made them one.

3. Then he reconciled these two groups, these new people, to both God and to one another. In so doing, all of the things that had not been true of these gentiles were now true. Jesus completely reversed everything true of them formerly in their alienation.

Now that they were in Christ, they joined believing Jews in making up the chosen people of God. They were now part of God’s household (verse 19) and part of His holy temple (verses 20-21). This new race of people are the called-out ones, they are the church, the bride of Christ, the children of God.

Because of this unity, there should not be any division between these people who have been united together as one in Christ. On the cross, Jesus destroyed those things that separate people. He tore down the dividing wall.