(uplifting music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're delighted to have you
back with us again this week
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as we continue our journey
through the book of Ephesians,
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Paul's letter to
the church in Ephesus.
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And this week, we are
looking at lesson number five,
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which is "Horizontal Atonement:
The Cross and the Church."
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We are making our way
through the book of Ephesians
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and looking at a very, very
significant passage this week.
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But before we delve into
it, let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we want to thank You
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for blessing us
with another opportunity
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to learn more about You
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through Paul's letter
to the church in Ephesus.
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We ask that You'll help us
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to better
understand the atonement
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and where we fall in
this grand scheme of things.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, our guest again
this week is the author
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of this quarter's Sabbath
school lesson, Dr. John McVay.
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He is the president of
Walla Walla University.
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John, welcome back once again.
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>>Good to be
back with you, Eric.
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>>So an
interesting study this week,
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"Horizontal Atonement:
The Cross and the Church."
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There's a passage of Paul's
writings in the book of Ephesus
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that we're looking at this week.
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It's in Ephesus,
chapter 2, verses 11-22.
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Give us a little idea of why
we're looking at this passage,
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what some of
its significance is,
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and then we're gonna
kind of pull it apart
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and look at
different aspects of it.
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>>Sure, we are moving to
the heart of the epistle,
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to the Ephesians now.
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Some identify Ephesians,
chapter 2, verses 11-22
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as the heart of the theological
message of the letter.
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It is a rich, rich passage.
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So the way I
would try to encapsulate
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the importance of this
passage might go like this:
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when we think of the cross and
what Jesus does on the cross,
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we tend to think vertically,
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that Christ does something
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to help my individual
relationship with God.
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That's what I mean by
vertical atonement, if you will.
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And Ephesians 2, verses 11-22
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has wonderful things to say
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about that feature of
Christ's work on the cross.
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But where it has
come to truly bless me
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is to realize that Christ's
atoning sacrifice on the cross
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accomplishes more than
my individual salvation.
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It does things,
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and part of what it does is
to bring people groups together.
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And for me that
adds some richness
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to the atoning
sacrifice of Christ
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that I might have missed outside
of this important passage.
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>>We look at the world today,
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and there are a
lot of people groups
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who are not
mingling well together.
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They're finding reasons,
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ways to be
separated one from another,
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rather than coming together.
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So it sounds like this passage
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may have something
to do to help that.
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>>There's a lot of, as
we know in the popular press
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and in scholarly circles today,
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a lot of writing and
thought about race relations,
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the relations between
and among people groups,
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and that's an important theme
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that we should attend
to as Christian believers.
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A good place to begin
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is Ephesians,
chapter 2, verses 11-22,
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which might be the most
important passage in Scripture
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on the theme of race relations,
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how people
groups should get along
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in the gospel order of things.
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>>So let's begin to
dig into this passage.
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In verses 11 and 12,
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what is this
reconciling work of Christ?
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Why was it necessary?
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What do we learn
about His reconciling work
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in these passages?
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>>Paul addresses it here
at the outside of our passage,
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in those first couple of verses,
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and there's some language here
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that might be a little bit
hard for us to connect with.
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But he says, "[Remember
therefore] that at one time
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you Gentiles in the flesh,"
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so he puts us on notice
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that he's principally addressing
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Gentile believers, right?
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"[Remember that you who were]
called 'the uncircumcision'
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"by what is
called the circumcision,
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which is made in
the flesh by hands."
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So, he's actually
reflecting some name calling
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that would go on
between two groups,
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Jews on the one hand
and Gentiles on the other.
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And he is touching
on this deep division
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that existed in
the first century world
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between Jews and Gentiles.
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This was as deep as any divide
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that we experience between
racial groups or cultural groups
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in our world today.
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And so, he then
talks about what--
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why the reconciling
work of Jesus is necessary,
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and the reason is
this total division
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between these two groups,
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with one of them, Gentiles,
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not only being
separated from other people
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but being separated from
access to God and to the gospel.
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That's why Christ needs to die.
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That's why Christ does--
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performs His
reconciling work on the cross,
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is to redeem humankind and
to bring people groups together.
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>>So you've hit
on verse 11 there,
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unpack verse 12
just a little bit.
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It's the same theme, but
maybe a little more deep.
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>>Yeah, he's using the
categories of near and far,
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and separated and together
to talk about Jews and Gentiles,
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and he actually details the ways
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that Gentiles are separated;
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they're "separated from Christ."
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And here we should think of this
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as the title for the
Messiah, the Anointed One.
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They're
separated from the Messiah
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because the Messiah is
the Jewish Messiah, right?
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They are "alienated from
the commonwealth of Israel,"
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so they're alienated
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from the whole
governmental system of Israel.
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They're "strangers to
the covenants of promise,"
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so they don't have
access to the promises.
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And then this
poignant next line,
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"Having no hope and
without God in the world."
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So their alienation from Jews
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is coupled with their alienation
from promises, covenants,
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God, gospel, Christ.
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Not an enviable place to
be from Paul's point of view.
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>>No, certainly not.
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And there are a
lot of, as you said,
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divisions in the world today
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where one group
looks at the other group
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as being second
class citizens, as it were,
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and sometimes the
views are reciprocated.
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And yet it looks like
what Paul is trying to do here
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is to bring people
together in this passage
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and do away with
some of those separations.
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So, speak a little bit more
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on the reconciling
work of Christ on the cross,
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and what it accomplishes,
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and what do we see
here in this passage
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that helps us to
understand that better?
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>>Well, verses 13 through 18,
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Paul gives a very detailed sense
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of what Christ
accomplishes on the cross,
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and the detail
is wonderful here.
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"Once [you] were far off
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[you] have been
brought near [in the cross]."
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So the cross
somehow makes it possible
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for Gentiles to be
brought near to God,
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grace, Christ, covenant,
promise, gospel, all of that.
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"For He Himself is our peace."
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So Christ on the cross,
in His atoning sacrifice,
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declares peace, gives an
armistice, a peace treaty.
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that's a peace treaty.
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All the battles that have
been so important to us can end
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because Christ is our peace.
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"[He] has made us both one."
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"Both one."
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If you skip down in verse 15,
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on the cross Christ "create[s]
in Himself [one new human,
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one new humanity] one new
man in [the] place of the two."
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So you have these two
very separate types of people,
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Jews and Gentiles,
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and what Christ
does on the cross
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is He redoes the creation story
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and He creates of
those two, one new humanity.
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That's fairly
sweeping, isn't it?
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>>Oh, it's huge.
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>>Yeah, it's huge.
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And it goes on,
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it says that in the cross,
Christ kills the hostility.
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He reconciles us both
into one body, verse 16.
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He came and He preached,
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through the cross, Christ
becomes the preacher of peace.
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"He...preache[s] peace
to you who were far off
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...[He preaches]...to
those who were near."
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In his summary statement here,
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his culminating statement,
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"For through Him"
--through Christ on the cross--
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"we both have access in
one Spirit to the Father."
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Isn't that grand news?
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But notice it's not as
separate people groups,
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it's not as individuals,
per se, it's together.
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"For through Him we
both" --Jew and Gentile--
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"have access in one
Spirit to the Father."
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>>So he's tearing
down walls of separation.
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>>Yes, he is.
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>>And helping us to find that
we are indeed one in Christ.
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Can you imagine what an impact
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that would make
on the world today
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if we could all grasp that idea?
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I mean, it would be enormous.
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>>Yes, and I think
what Paul is saying here
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is this is a done deal.
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This has happened.
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You are one in Jesus.
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And now, with all of our
strife and all of our divisions,
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we feel the gospel call
to live into this reality
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of God's grace, in
Christ, through the Spirit.
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>>Fantastic.
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But we're not quite
through this segment yet,
00:10:08.07\00:10:10.54
there's still more here.
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How does Paul celebrate
the work of Christ in this?
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We may not be able
to unpack all of this
00:10:16.81\00:10:18.51
in the short time we
have left before our break,
00:10:18.51\00:10:20.82
but let's dig
into it a little bit
00:10:20.82\00:10:22.85
and look at the work of Christ.
00:10:22.85\00:10:25.09
>>So in verses 19 through 22,
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Paul shifts tone
a little bit here,
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to simply celebrate
this incredible work of Jesus
00:10:31.23\00:10:34.46
as the reconciler,
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the One who brings
people groups together,
00:10:35.73\00:10:38.43
the One who cements
our relationship with God,
00:10:38.43\00:10:41.40
the One who preaches peace.
00:10:41.40\00:10:43.47
And now he's gonna visualize
this with a set of images,
00:10:43.47\00:10:47.28
a set of metaphors.
00:10:47.28\00:10:48.81
Some people have called this
a set of telescoped metaphors,
00:10:48.81\00:10:52.61
kind of, one feeds into
the next, feeds into the next.
00:10:52.61\00:10:56.42
And so he starts
off with a category
00:10:56.42\00:10:58.89
of strangers and aliens.
00:10:58.89\00:11:00.49
So this is
immigration status, right?
00:11:00.49\00:11:03.02
"So...you [Gentiles] are no
longer strangers and aliens,
00:11:03.02\00:11:05.89
[instead] you are...citizens
with the saints"--
00:11:05.89\00:11:09.10
better yet you are
actually household members--
00:11:09.10\00:11:11.73
"[you are] members of
the household of God."
00:11:11.73\00:11:14.67
So you see how he's celebrating
00:11:14.67\00:11:15.94
this great change
that has happened.
00:11:15.94\00:11:18.77
And then he moves into
architectural image here,
00:11:18.77\00:11:23.58
where he talks about what
happens between these groups
00:11:23.58\00:11:28.55
as them being combined
00:11:28.55\00:11:31.02
into one holy
temple, building/temple,
00:11:31.02\00:11:35.22
concluding the segment here
00:11:35.22\00:11:37.43
with celebrating
that they together
00:11:37.43\00:11:39.63
form a holy temple in the Lord.
00:11:39.63\00:11:42.30
They grow together,
they are built together
00:11:42.30\00:11:44.97
into a dwelling place
for God by the Spirit.
00:11:44.97\00:11:48.47
And that's his way of saying,
00:11:48.47\00:11:49.87
"You are really together.
00:11:49.87\00:11:51.97
"You have become
a place together.
00:11:51.97\00:11:54.18
"You form a place
where God is worshiped
00:11:54.18\00:11:56.98
and the Spirit reigns."
00:11:56.98\00:11:59.18
>>So they go from
being strangers and aliens,
00:11:59.18\00:12:02.58
to citizens, to
household members,
00:12:02.58\00:12:06.12
and then even closer with
this metaphor of the temple,
00:12:06.12\00:12:09.29
which we're gonna
explore in greater detail
00:12:09.29\00:12:11.86
in just a few moments.
00:12:11.86\00:12:14.20
But I wanna encourage you,
00:12:14.20\00:12:15.23
if you have not yet done so,
00:12:15.23\00:12:17.57
please do pick up
the companion book
00:12:17.57\00:12:20.17
to this quarter's
Sabbath school lesson.
00:12:20.17\00:12:22.64
It is called
"Ephesians" by John McVay.
00:12:22.64\00:12:26.74
Where can you find this?
00:12:26.74\00:12:28.14
You can find it very
easily at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:28.14\00:12:31.81
Again, that's at
itiswritten.shop.
00:12:31.81\00:12:34.68
And when you pick
up this companion book
00:12:34.68\00:12:36.79
to this quarter's
Sabbath school lesson,
00:12:36.79\00:12:38.89
you are going to
gain deeper insights,
00:12:38.89\00:12:41.32
you're going to be
able to take a journey
00:12:41.32\00:12:44.03
in a story-like format
through the book of Ephesians,
00:12:44.03\00:12:48.40
and gain a greater understanding
of these incredible themes
00:12:48.40\00:12:53.27
that Paul weaves
through the book.
00:12:53.27\00:12:56.44
Not just a--
00:12:56.44\00:12:57.34
Authors have just about
this much space to put thoughts
00:12:58.81\00:13:02.58
into the quarter's
Sabbath school lesson itself,
00:13:02.58\00:13:05.65
but that
companion book allows them
00:13:05.65\00:13:07.78
to give more
insight, greater depth,
00:13:07.78\00:13:10.59
and that's something
that you absolutely wanna find
00:13:10.59\00:13:13.15
as you're studying
the book of Ephesians.
00:13:13.15\00:13:15.49
We're going to be
back in just a moment
00:13:15.49\00:13:17.56
as we continue taking a
look at this incredible passage
00:13:17.56\00:13:20.80
in the heart of
Ephesians, Ephesians, chapter 2.
00:13:20.80\00:13:23.67
We'll be back in just a moment.
00:13:23.67\00:13:25.30
(uplifting music)
00:13:25.30\00:13:28.20
>>There's something
I wanna tell you about
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or the children at church.
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There are the My Place
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00:14:04.81\00:14:07.21
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00:14:07.21\00:14:10.11
As well, take your children
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00:14:22.26\00:14:24.36
So don't forget,
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00:14:24.36\00:14:29.40
Written. (uplifting music)
00:14:30.07\00:14:32.37
>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:34.44\00:14:35.70
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:35.70\00:14:37.64
We are looking at
lesson number five,
00:14:37.64\00:14:40.24
"Horizontal Atonement:
The Cross and the Church."
00:14:40.24\00:14:43.61
Now, John, when we left
off just a moment or two ago,
00:14:43.61\00:14:46.51
we were looking at the
significance of the temple--
00:14:46.51\00:14:48.78
>>Yes. >>...and why Paul talks
00:14:48.78\00:14:50.49
about the temple,
00:14:50.49\00:14:51.65
and how he's
bringing people together.
00:14:51.65\00:14:54.26
His desire is to
help people understand
00:14:54.26\00:14:57.53
that we are together,
00:14:57.53\00:14:58.73
we could be together-- >>Sure.
00:14:58.73\00:15:00.06
>>...we should be together.
00:15:00.06\00:15:01.16
We don't always feel that way.
00:15:01.16\00:15:03.13
But he uses this
imagery of the temple
00:15:03.13\00:15:05.27
to help illustrate that.
00:15:05.27\00:15:06.53
What's the significance of that?
00:15:06.53\00:15:08.17
>>Well, toward the
beginning of the passage,
00:15:08.17\00:15:10.84
Paul talks about Christ
as the great wall basher.
00:15:12.44\00:15:17.08
He destroys the
dividing wall of hostility.
00:15:17.08\00:15:22.05
So Christ is removing walls
00:15:22.05\00:15:24.45
that are
separating Gentiles from Jews.
00:15:24.45\00:15:28.79
So it's fascinating that
he's already using the language
00:15:28.79\00:15:31.69
of construction or
destruction, demolition, right?
00:15:31.69\00:15:35.20
So he begins talking about
kind of an architectural image
00:15:35.20\00:15:39.07
by talking about demolishing
something, demolishing walls.
00:15:39.07\00:15:43.20
But then at the
end of the passage,
00:15:43.20\00:15:44.71
he comes back by talking
about building something,
00:15:44.71\00:15:48.01
building a new temple.
00:15:48.01\00:15:50.21
It's interesting
to watch that develop.
00:15:50.21\00:15:53.55
And this temple that is built,
00:15:53.55\00:15:55.68
he gives a fairly
complex metaphor here.
00:15:55.68\00:15:59.42
So, he says, verse 19,
00:15:59.42\00:16:03.53
"So then you are no
longer strangers and aliens"--
00:16:03.53\00:16:06.06
so he's working with immigration
status, as we mentioned--
00:16:06.06\00:16:08.83
"but you are fellow
citizens with the saints
00:16:08.83\00:16:11.10
and members of
the household of God."
00:16:11.10\00:16:12.90
A beautiful
family kind of image.
00:16:12.90\00:16:14.97
God has drawn you so close
00:16:14.97\00:16:17.54
that you may be
thought of as a member
00:16:17.54\00:16:19.37
of God's immediate family.
00:16:19.37\00:16:21.74
Hallelujah. That's a
wonderful thing, isn't it?
00:16:21.74\00:16:24.71
And then comes the
image of building/temple,
00:16:24.71\00:16:29.08
"built on the foundation
of the apostles and prophets."
00:16:29.08\00:16:33.42
So he's thinking
kind of historically here,
00:16:33.42\00:16:36.09
and these apostles and prophets
00:16:36.09\00:16:38.03
are probably
Christian apostles and prophets,
00:16:38.03\00:16:40.43
not Old Testament prophets.
00:16:40.43\00:16:43.20
So, "Built on the foundation
of apostles and prophets."
00:16:43.20\00:16:46.10
And, "Christ
Jesus Himself"--is what?
00:16:46.10\00:16:48.87
>>He's "the
[chief] cornerstone."
00:16:48.87\00:16:50.04
>>He's "the
[chief] cornerstone."
00:16:50.04\00:16:51.67
So you have the
foundation identified,
00:16:51.67\00:16:54.24
you have Christ
as chief cornerstone,
00:16:54.24\00:16:56.68
"in whom"--speaking of
Christ--"the whole structure,
00:16:56.68\00:16:59.28
"being joined together,
00:16:59.28\00:17:00.58
grows into a holy
temple in the Lord."
00:17:00.58\00:17:04.25
Now, if we think
about these Gentiles
00:17:04.25\00:17:06.72
and think about
their experience,
00:17:06.72\00:17:08.92
if they went to
the temple to worship,
00:17:08.92\00:17:12.16
they would eventually,
00:17:12.16\00:17:13.63
as they moved through
the whole temple complex,
00:17:13.63\00:17:15.26
come to a balustrade, a fence,
00:17:15.26\00:17:17.63
it was about four feet tall,
00:17:17.63\00:17:20.00
and every so
often along this fence
00:17:20.00\00:17:22.07
was a cheerful
message written, all right?
00:17:22.07\00:17:26.17
The message went
something like this:
00:17:26.17\00:17:29.24
"No foreigner may
enter within the barrier
00:17:29.24\00:17:32.61
"and the
enclosure around the temple.
00:17:32.61\00:17:34.78
"Anyone who is caught doing so
00:17:34.78\00:17:37.12
will have himself to
blame for his ensuing death."
00:17:37.12\00:17:40.82
>>Sounds encouraging.
00:17:40.82\00:17:41.89
>>That'd be a cheerful message
00:17:41.89\00:17:43.39
to put on the outside of
your church, wouldn't it?
00:17:43.39\00:17:45.36
So there was this division
between Jews and Gentiles,
00:17:45.36\00:17:49.46
had been actualized in the
architecture of the temple,
00:17:49.46\00:17:53.13
and the existence of
this balustrade or fence.
00:17:53.13\00:17:56.64
And most who study
this passage conclude
00:17:56.64\00:17:58.61
that Paul has some reference
to that piece of architecture
00:17:58.61\00:18:02.81
when he talks about Christ
00:18:02.81\00:18:04.95
as removing or destroying
00:18:04.95\00:18:07.95
this wall between the two.
00:18:07.95\00:18:10.59
So, as a Gentile Christian,
00:18:10.59\00:18:14.26
you can't actually enter
into the court of Israel,
00:18:14.26\00:18:17.49
you can't access the
worship of the one true God.
00:18:17.49\00:18:21.03
But now we come to
the end of the passage,
00:18:21.03\00:18:23.43
and through Christ,
00:18:23.43\00:18:24.70
and through His
atoning sacrifice on the cross,
00:18:24.70\00:18:27.34
not only do they
have access to worship,
00:18:27.34\00:18:29.74
they have become parts,
themselves, of the new temple,
00:18:29.74\00:18:34.44
the church that God is building.
00:18:34.44\00:18:37.05
>>So Paul is
tearing down separations,
00:18:37.05\00:18:40.02
he's bringing people together.
00:18:40.02\00:18:42.22
Well, Paul's not doing it,
00:18:42.22\00:18:43.62
he's helping them to understand
that Jesus is doing it,
00:18:43.62\00:18:45.59
helping us to understand
that Jesus is doing that,
00:18:45.59\00:18:49.36
and using this
beautiful picture of the temple
00:18:49.36\00:18:52.99
in order to illustrate that.
00:18:52.99\00:18:54.83
And I can imagine how
difficult that would be,
00:18:54.83\00:18:58.43
how unpleasant that
would be to be a Gentile
00:18:58.43\00:19:00.84
and see that
very pleasant message
00:19:00.84\00:19:03.51
addressed to me
there. >>Yes. Yes.
00:19:03.51\00:19:06.24
>>But understanding
this to realize that,
00:19:06.24\00:19:09.94
now I don't have to
worry about that anymore,
00:19:09.94\00:19:12.68
now I can come to Christ
00:19:12.68\00:19:14.38
and feel like I'm
part of the family.
00:19:14.38\00:19:17.02
That's powerful.
00:19:17.02\00:19:18.22
>>And as we've
been talking about--
00:19:18.22\00:19:19.72
as we've moved
through the lessons,
00:19:19.72\00:19:21.02
Paul's purpose here
is to raise fresh energy
00:19:21.02\00:19:25.13
in their hearts and minds
00:19:25.13\00:19:26.49
about what it
means to be a Christian.
00:19:26.49\00:19:28.33
And so, "Yes,
I'm shut out of this,
00:19:28.33\00:19:30.90
"but wow, look at what it means.
00:19:30.90\00:19:33.77
"I am part of a holy temple.
00:19:33.77\00:19:37.11
"I am part of a place
where God is worshiped
00:19:37.11\00:19:40.24
through the Spirit."
00:19:40.24\00:19:41.68
>>Very powerful.
00:19:41.68\00:19:42.74
Now, in this section
of the book of Ephesians,
00:19:43.85\00:19:46.45
there is an interesting
couple of verses here
00:19:46.45\00:19:51.15
that we would be remiss
if we did not take a look at,
00:19:51.15\00:19:53.82
and those are verses 14 and 15
00:19:53.82\00:19:57.49
here in Ephesians, chapter 2.
00:19:57.49\00:19:59.93
I'm gonna go ahead
00:19:59.93\00:20:00.80
and read those-- >>Sure.
00:20:00.80\00:20:02.06
>>...and then let
you kind of unpack them--
00:20:02.06\00:20:04.07
>>Sure. >>..and
help us understand
00:20:04.07\00:20:05.43
what they are talking about
00:20:05.43\00:20:06.97
and what they're
not talking about,
00:20:06.97\00:20:08.47
because there could be
some misconceptions here
00:20:08.47\00:20:10.81
in fact, there are
00:20:10.81\00:20:11.87
some misconceptions. >>Sure.
00:20:11.87\00:20:13.24
>>In verses 14
and 15, Paul says,
00:20:13.24\00:20:15.94
"For He Himself is our peace,
00:20:15.94\00:20:17.98
"who has made both one,
00:20:17.98\00:20:19.75
"and has broken down the
middle wall of separation,
00:20:19.75\00:20:22.25
"having abolished in
His flesh the enmity,
00:20:22.25\00:20:25.22
"that is, the law of
commandments contained in
00:20:25.22\00:20:28.42
ordinances, "so as to create
in Himself one new man from the
00:20:28.42\00:20:32.36
two, thus making peace."
00:20:32.36\00:20:33.86
Now, there are many,
I'll say, sincere Christians,
00:20:33.86\00:20:37.20
who look at those verses
and misunderstand what's there.
00:20:37.20\00:20:42.17
What's the misunderstanding
00:20:43.07\00:20:45.74
and what's the
proper understanding?
00:20:45.74\00:20:47.74
>>Sure, well, a
misunderstanding of this passage
00:20:47.74\00:20:51.61
is that Christ,
here, is portrayed by Paul
00:20:51.61\00:20:56.18
as abolishing the
Ten Commandments, okay?
00:20:56.18\00:20:59.25
That would be a
misunderstanding.
00:20:59.25\00:21:01.66
And you could ask me,
"How do you know that?
00:21:01.66\00:21:04.43
Why do you know that?"
00:21:04.43\00:21:05.66
Well, there's
really an interesting way
00:21:05.66\00:21:07.83
to test that thought,
00:21:07.83\00:21:09.20
and that's to read
Ephesians from start to finish
00:21:09.20\00:21:12.60
and ask yourself,
00:21:12.60\00:21:15.04
"Does Paul say anything
about the Ten Commandments here?
00:21:15.04\00:21:19.24
"What is his
attitude in the wider letter
00:21:19.24\00:21:22.08
"to the Ten Commandments?
00:21:22.08\00:21:23.31
"How does he
approach the Ten Commandments
00:21:23.31\00:21:24.98
elsewhere in the letter?"
00:21:24.98\00:21:26.28
So if that
interpretation is correct,
00:21:26.28\00:21:28.75
that Christ on the
cross is abolishing
00:21:28.75\00:21:31.85
the Ten
Commandment moral law of God,
00:21:31.85\00:21:35.39
then we would expect to
find in the pages of Ephesians
00:21:35.39\00:21:38.96
that idea
reflected, wouldn't we?
00:21:38.96\00:21:41.16
That's not what we find.
00:21:41.16\00:21:43.16
Perhaps most notably,
when we get to Paul's rules
00:21:43.16\00:21:46.74
for the Christian household,
00:21:46.74\00:21:48.20
you know, where he
talks about relationships
00:21:48.20\00:21:50.54
between wives and
husbands, children and parents,
00:21:50.54\00:21:53.91
and, gulp, slaves
and slave masters, right?
00:21:53.91\00:21:57.55
He, at the start of his counsel
to children in chapter six,
00:21:57.55\00:22:00.88
he says, "Children, obey
your parents in the Lord,
00:22:00.88\00:22:03.35
for this is right."
00:22:03.35\00:22:04.55
And then in most
modern translations
00:22:04.55\00:22:06.32
you'd have quote marks, right?
00:22:06.32\00:22:07.59
Quote, he's quoting,
00:22:07.59\00:22:09.46
"'Honor your
father and mother'"--
00:22:09.46\00:22:11.49
and then he gives a
parenthetical statement--
00:22:11.49\00:22:13.90
"(this is the first
commandment with a promise),
00:22:13.90\00:22:16.73
"'that it may go well with you
00:22:16.73\00:22:18.50
and that you may
live long in the land.'"
00:22:18.50\00:22:20.34
So he's quoting one of
the Ten Commandments here,
00:22:20.34\00:22:24.01
the fifth commandment, right?
00:22:24.01\00:22:25.57
He's quoting the commandment.
00:22:25.57\00:22:27.78
It would be really
quite odd, wouldn't it,
00:22:27.78\00:22:29.54
to say the law is abolished,
00:22:29.54\00:22:32.01
but here, you need
this word from the Lord
00:22:32.01\00:22:34.85
to help guide you
00:22:34.85\00:22:36.05
as you live out your
Christian discipleship.
00:22:36.05\00:22:39.35
And it's very fascinating,
00:22:39.35\00:22:41.42
as we go through
the rest of the letter,
00:22:41.42\00:22:43.53
particularly the last half,
00:22:43.53\00:22:45.59
we can find almost all of
the Ten Commandments alluded to.
00:22:45.59\00:22:49.36
In fact, one blogger
thinks he can identify
00:22:49.36\00:22:52.93
all 10 of the
commandments in Ephesians.
00:22:52.93\00:22:56.27
But certainly some of
them are quite, quite clear.
00:22:56.27\00:23:00.44
The seventh commandment seems
referred to in chapter five,
00:23:00.44\00:23:04.61
the first part of
chapter five, verse 31,
00:23:04.61\00:23:08.18
and the early part of chapter
four, chapter four, verse two,
00:23:08.18\00:23:11.75
and at the end of chapter
five, verses 21 through 33,
00:23:11.75\00:23:16.39
that seems to
refer to the commandment,
00:23:16.39\00:23:19.83
"Thou shalt not
commit adultery."
00:23:19.83\00:23:21.50
Stealing,
chapter four, verse 28.
00:23:21.50\00:23:24.17
The ninth commandment
00:23:24.17\00:23:26.43
in chapter four,
verses 25 through 32.
00:23:26.43\00:23:30.11
And then the tenth commandment,
"Thou shalt not covet,"
00:23:30.11\00:23:32.54
in chapter five, verse five.
00:23:32.54\00:23:33.88
Those seem fairly secure.
00:23:33.88\00:23:35.88
So Paul actually,
00:23:35.88\00:23:37.28
in the last half of his letter,
00:23:37.28\00:23:39.08
as he thinks
about how you live out
00:23:39.08\00:23:41.42
all this wonderful
doctrine that he's been sharing
00:23:41.42\00:23:43.85
in the first half,
00:23:43.85\00:23:45.32
he alludes again
and again and again
00:23:45.32\00:23:47.89
to the Ten Commandments,
00:23:47.89\00:23:49.26
and that leads
us to the conclusion
00:23:49.26\00:23:51.96
that Paul believes
the Ten Commandments
00:23:51.96\00:23:53.43
are important for Christians
00:23:53.43\00:23:54.83
and should be a guide
to Christian discipleship.
00:23:54.83\00:23:58.13
>>So if the Ten Commandments
are still applicable--
00:23:58.13\00:24:00.37
>>Yes. >>...in Paul's day
00:24:00.37\00:24:01.64
and by extension in our day,
00:24:01.64\00:24:03.61
what was Paul
talking about there?
00:24:03.61\00:24:05.64
>>Very good question.
00:24:05.64\00:24:06.88
And I would start by
noticing the parallel
00:24:06.88\00:24:09.38
between, in verse 14, the
dividing wall of hostility
00:24:09.38\00:24:13.48
and the law of commandments
expressed in ordinances.
00:24:13.48\00:24:17.09
So there's some parallel there,
00:24:17.09\00:24:18.35
when you get rid of the one,
00:24:18.35\00:24:19.95
you facilitate these
two groups becoming one,
00:24:21.02\00:24:25.56
and that leads to one of
two potential conclusions,
00:24:25.56\00:24:29.23
and it's a little hard
perhaps to choose between them.
00:24:29.23\00:24:32.17
What is abolished
00:24:32.17\00:24:33.80
may be the ceremonial
requirements of the law,
00:24:33.80\00:24:37.74
including later
additions to those, right?
00:24:37.74\00:24:40.94
So it might be
the ceremonial pieces
00:24:40.94\00:24:43.75
plus the augmentation of those.
00:24:43.75\00:24:47.32
And those things
we can understand
00:24:47.32\00:24:49.22
because they would
very much have separated
00:24:49.22\00:24:51.79
Jew from Gentile.
00:24:51.79\00:24:53.52
Or you could go at it
a little different way
00:24:53.52\00:24:55.89
and you could say that
Paul's focus is on the misuse
00:24:55.89\00:25:00.33
of the whole Old
Testament system of law,
00:25:00.33\00:25:03.53
to separate Jew and Gentile.
00:25:03.53\00:25:05.67
It's clear as we read Ephesians,
00:25:05.67\00:25:07.74
it's clear as we read Romans,
00:25:07.74\00:25:09.14
particularly Romans 9-11,
00:25:09.14\00:25:10.74
that for Paul, the
Torah bears witness
00:25:10.74\00:25:14.44
to what he believes
God is doing in the church:
00:25:14.44\00:25:17.18
bringing Jew and
Gentile together.
00:25:17.18\00:25:19.11
For Paul, the correct
interpretation of the law
00:25:19.11\00:25:23.05
does not divide, but
unites, Jew and Gentile
00:25:23.05\00:25:26.72
in the worship of
Christ as Savior and Lord.
00:25:26.72\00:25:31.29
So one of those two,
they're kind of related,
00:25:31.29\00:25:35.70
but what seems
very clear is that Paul
00:25:35.70\00:25:39.83
is not discussing
here the abolishment
00:25:39.83\00:25:41.67
of the Ten Commandment law.
00:25:41.67\00:25:42.94
>>Yeah, the moral
law is still the same
00:25:42.94\00:25:45.17
yesterday, today, and forever
00:25:45.17\00:25:46.88
because, of course,
God doesn't change either.
00:25:46.88\00:25:49.08
Very, very clear here.
00:25:49.08\00:25:52.28
So what does all this mean
in practical terms for us today?
00:25:52.28\00:25:56.95
Here we are
living in 2023. >>Sure.
00:25:56.95\00:25:59.79
>>It's
interesting, but... >>Sure.
00:25:59.79\00:26:01.66
>>What's the but?
00:26:01.66\00:26:03.12
>>Well, one way is to
just rejoice in the gospel,
00:26:03.12\00:26:05.46
but another way is
to go back to thinking
00:26:05.46\00:26:07.56
about this
horizontal reconciliation
00:26:07.56\00:26:10.03
that Christ brings
people groups together.
00:26:10.03\00:26:12.50
And I would
encourage our listeners
00:26:12.50\00:26:14.90
to work through, in
prayer, verses 13 through 18,
00:26:14.90\00:26:19.71
and let it cue some questions.
00:26:19.71\00:26:22.44
To give you one
example, verse 13,
00:26:22.44\00:26:25.61
am I in company with
Christ, bringing the far near,
00:26:25.61\00:26:30.69
or am I keeping people who
are not like me at a distance?
00:26:32.02\00:26:34.19
And that's a tough
question, isn't it?
00:26:34.19\00:26:36.26
But really, through
the Spirit's work with us
00:26:36.26\00:26:39.39
as we study verses 13-18,
00:26:39.39\00:26:41.36
there's some good
searching questions like that.
00:26:41.36\00:26:44.37
Are we active and engaged
00:26:44.37\00:26:47.87
in the reconciling work
00:26:47.87\00:26:49.57
that Jesus
accomplished on the cross?
00:26:49.57\00:26:52.71
>>Fantastic questions.
00:26:52.71\00:26:53.81
And by the grace of God,
00:26:53.81\00:26:55.48
we'll find some good
answers to those questions.
00:26:55.48\00:26:59.05
I trust and pray that you're
gonna dig through those verses
00:26:59.05\00:27:01.62
and let them generate
some questions in your mind,
00:27:01.62\00:27:05.22
because as those
questions are generated,
00:27:05.22\00:27:07.52
then we get to go
back and find answers.
00:27:07.52\00:27:10.43
And the book of
Ephesians is a fantastic place
00:27:10.43\00:27:12.89
to find some of those answers.
00:27:12.89\00:27:15.20
We are on an incredible journey
00:27:15.20\00:27:16.87
through the book of Ephesians,
00:27:16.87\00:27:19.17
Paul's letter to
the church in Ephesus,
00:27:19.17\00:27:21.37
as we seek to understand better
00:27:21.37\00:27:23.81
our relationship with Jesus
and, by extension, with others.
00:27:23.81\00:27:28.88
In this week, we've taken a
look at a significant passage
00:27:30.25\00:27:31.55
that helps us to do that.
00:27:31.55\00:27:33.01
Next week, we will be back again
as we continue our journey,
00:27:33.01\00:27:36.05
and we look
forward to seeing you
00:27:36.05\00:27:38.25
as we look at Paul's
letter to the church in Ephesus.
00:27:38.25\00:27:42.06
This has been "Sabbath School,"
00:27:42.06\00:27:43.59
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:43.59\00:27:45.09
We look forward to
seeing you next time.
00:27:45.09\00:27:47.36
(uplifting music)
00:27:47.36\00:27:50.23
(uplifting music ends)
00:28:27.20\00:28:29.80