The word ‘therefore’ or dio in the Greek is an interesting term. Writers use it to refer to what they previously wrote usually to make a specific point in the text that follows. In the Bible we need to always understand a verse’s context but whenever we encounter a ‘therefore’ (or a ‘so’) we need to take the time to carefully review the previous content to fully understand the point being made after the word. Continuing on the subject of grace, Paul now reminds the church that God’s grace applies to all people equally. We are not to prevent anyone from coming to God, period! Some feel that our backgrounds, ethnicity, culture, education or a previous belief system matter, it does not, we have all been saved by grace.
People group interactions have always been a problem throughout history. Serious issues exist today and they certainly existed during Paul’s time. The Bible often mentions the Jew versus Gentile alienation problem, however Spiritual animosity was not just limited to these people groups. Even though there were several sects that thought very differently among the Jews (such as Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, etc.) they all disdained the Gentiles. The word that is translated here as, ‘Gentiles’ is the Greek word ethnos referring to non-Jewish nations or people that do not have Jewish or Hebrew ethnicity. The Jews had great pride in being “the chosen people” (see Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6-8; 10:15; 14:2) and as a result they often alienated non-Jews even though God called them to be a light for the Gentiles (see Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; Acts 13:47).
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.
Paul is reminding the church that there was a time in their not-so-distant past when the Jews alienated the non-Jews by calling the Gentiles, “the uncircumcision.” Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin from a male’s reproductive organ (read Genesis 17:9-14). It was to be a sign of the covenant between God and the person.
The term “Christ” in verse 12 is not a specific reference to Jesus as it is a reference to the Messiah in general. The phrase, “separated from Christ” refers to someone not having access to God’s plan of redemption since salvation is from the Jews (see Isaiah 59:20-21; John 4:22; Romans 11:26-27 and Hebrews 8:8-12).
The “commonwealth of Israel” refers to the rights and privileges of being a citizen of the nation. Here in this context it also points to the privileges of being a Jew as amplified by the reference to being “strangers to the covenants of promise.” There are several major covenants in the Old Testament that promise everything from land use to land ownership, from what family will rule to freedom from sin, some are unconditional and some have conditions. The phrase, “covenants of promise” primarily refers to the covenants that promise forgiveness of sin (read Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Matthew 5:17)
Paul states that the Gentiles at one time in the past had no hope and were without God in the world, so what changed? Paul points out in verse 13 that before Jesus there was once a long distance from God, but that distance can now be made close (reconciled) through the blood of Jesus.
Beginning with the subject of alienation, Paul will ease into the topic of disunity and the need for unity within the church. Jesus, while in the garden before His arrest and crucifixion, prayed that His disciples and those that would believe through their teaching (read John 17:11, 20-21) and be united as Jesus was One with His Father. Unity is critical for the success of any organization and that is especially true for all churches.
In John’s gospel account, John recorded a very intimate and very revealing prayer to His Father shortly before His arrest. Take the time to read John 17:1-26, note that He is praying for three different people. Jesus’ prayer in the garden was a model of intercessory prayer. In verses 1-5 He prayed for Himself, in verses 6-19 He prayed for His disciples (apostles) and in verses 20-26 He prayed for those that would believe as a result of the teaching heard from the apostles (that would be us!) In verse 21, Jesus was concerned about our unity and that through that unity it could be evidence to the world that God really did send His Son. Could the lack of unity demonstrate the opposite?
Undoubtedly the devil has found that the effectiveness of a church can be minimized through internal strife and disunity. Early in church history many Jews had problems with the idea that all believers were equal (see Acts 15:8-9 and Galatians 2:11-21). We need to understand that just by calling someone a Jewish believer or Gentile believer already polarizes our relationships. Paul in his letter to the church at Galatia stated, “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28, ESV)
Division and disunity within the church continues today, possibly more than ever before in history, as indicated by the number of Christian denominations. We read in Acts 15:1-21 that the apostles and elders gathered together over a concern brought up by the converted Jews, saying that they thought people should convert and embrace the Law (Mosaic Covenant) before becoming Christians. The issue was resolved, it was agreed that compliance with the Law was not a requirement to be a Christian. In that case the problem was resolved and unity maintained.
There are many potential problems with disunity within churches today. Issues such as the requiring of works for salvation, styles of worship, mission outreach and differences in doctrinal interpretation can easily disrupt or destroy a church. How can we avoid these? Know what God wants you to do (in other words, read the Scriptures and grow in Him), pray and maintain unity (more on how later). Issues that are contrary to the teaching of the Bible should be dealt with immediately. Concerns over non-essential doctrines such as worship styles should also be resolved quickly as they can distract us from following what God has for us to do (which by the way is exactly what the devil wants us to do, nothing!) Remember Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship, we cannot serve God through ritual. Make sure that your tradition is not a ritual (the importance of doing something properly can often become more important to people than their relationship with Him was discussed in Chapter 7).