One New Man

JEW & THE GENTILE INCORPORATED IN ONE NEW MAN – THE CHURCH HIS BODY

10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

11. Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—12. that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from 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.

14. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,15. having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,16. and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.17. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.18. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

19. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,20. having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,21. in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,22. in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:10-22

Footnotes by Witness Lee

Christ, in whom all God’s blessings to His chosen people are embodied, came out of Israel, the circumcised people. Since we, the uncircumcised Gentiles, were separated from Israel, we were apart from Christ, having nothing to do with Christ.

commonwealth

That is, the citizenship, the civil rights, of God’s chosen people, such as God’s ruling, blessing, and presence. Through the fall, mankind lost all the rights that God intended for man in His creation. God called Abraham and through circumcision brought His chosen people back to all these rights. We, as uncircumcised Gentiles, remained alienated from such rights.

covenants - Rom. 9:4

God’s covenants are His promises. His promise is His word that He will freely do certain things for His chosen people. When His promise is made into law by the necessary procedures, it becomes a binding covenant. All the words God spoke to His chosen people, from Abraham to Malachi, were His promises made into law to be His covenants. We, the Gentiles, not only are alienated from the commonwealth of Israel but also are strangers to the covenants of God’s promise.

All God’s blessings are contained in Christ, all the civil rights are related to the nation of Israel, and all good things are promised in God’s covenants. Since we were apart from Christ, were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and were strangers to the covenants of God’s promise, we had no hope whatever.

without

God is in Christ; He rules and moves in the commonwealth of Israel; and He bestows His blessings according to His covenants. When we were apart from Christ, the commonwealth of Israel, and the covenants of God’s promise, we were without God; we did not have God as our enjoyment.

world

The world, which is the system of Satan, is in contrast to the commonwealth of Israel. The commonwealth of Israel was the kingdom of God, whereas the world is the kingdom of Satan. Before we were saved, we lived in the world, where we had no hope as our expectation and no God as our enjoyment; we were empty both in the present age and in relation to the coming age.

But

But now is a precious phrase, indicating that now in Christ we have hope and that we also have God.

I.e., far off from Christ, from the commonwealth of Israel, and from the covenants of God’s promise. This equals being far off from God and all His blessings.

near

I.e., near to Christ, to Israel, and to God’s promise. This equals being near to God and all His blessings.

blood - Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:20

We were far off because we were fallen. But the redeeming blood of Christ brought us back. Hence, in this blood we have become near both to Israel and to God.

our

Our refers to the Jewish and the Gentile believers.

peace - Col. 3:15

Christ, who accomplished full redemption for both the Jewish and the Gentile believers, is Himself our peace, our harmony, making both one. Because of the fall of mankind and the calling of the chosen race, there was a separation between Israel and the Gentiles. Through Christ’s redemption this separation has been removed. Now, in the redeeming Christ, who is the bond of oneness, both are one.

both

Both refers to the Jewish and the Gentile believers.

one - Gal. 3:28; 1 Cor. 12:13

wall

The middle wall of partition is the law of the commandments in ordinances in v. 15, which was instituted because of man’s flesh. The first ordinance was circumcision, the cutting off of man’s flesh. This became the middle wall of partition between the circumcision and the uncircumcision.

enmity

The middle wall of partition, which is the distinction (made mainly by circumcision) between the circumcision and the uncircumcision, became the enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles.

Abolishing - Col. 2:14

Christ broke down the middle wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles by abolishing the law of the commandments in ordinances. When He was crucified on the cross, all the ordinances were nailed there (Col. 2:14).

flesh

Because mankind became flesh (Gen. 6:3) and was therefore kept from God and His purpose, God ordained that His chosen people be circumcised, that they put away the flesh. The ordinance of circumcision was instituted because of man’s flesh. It was in the flesh that Christ was crucified. When He was crucified, His flesh, which was typified by the veil separating the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the temple, was rent (Heb. 10:20).

law

This is not the law of the moral commandments but the law of the ritual commandments, composed principally of the practice of circumcision, the observance of dietary regulations, and the keeping of the Sabbath. These ordinances were the main “columns” of Judaism. The moral commandments will never be abolished, but the ritual commandments were in force only during a particular time dispensationally and are therefore not permanent.

ordinances

I.e., rituals, the forms or ways of living and worship, which create enmity and division. To practice the proper church life, all ordinances should be repudiated and dropped.

create

Christ created the one new man, the church, by working God’s divine nature into humanity. The working of the divine nature into humanity was something new. Hence, it was a creating. In the old creation God did not work His nature into any of His creatures, not even into man. In the creating of the one new man, however, God’s nature was wrought into man to make His divine nature one entity with humanity.

in

Christ is not only the Creator of the one new man, the church, but also the sphere in which and the means by which the one new man was created. He is the very element of the new man, making God’s divine nature one entity with humanity. The Greek word rendered in here can also have an elemental significance, meaning also with, implying that the new man was created with Christ as its divine essence.

into

The Jews and the Gentiles were separated to the uttermost by the separating ordinances. But both were created in Christ with the divine essence into one new entity, which is a corporate man, the church.

one

The church is not only the church of God, the Body of Christ (the fullness, the expression, of the all-filling One — 1:23), and the household or family, the house, the temple, and the dwelling place of God (2:19, 21-22); it is also the one new man, which is corporate and universal, created of two peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles, and composed of all the believers, who, though they are many, are one new man in the universe.

God created man as a collective entity (Gen. 1:26). The corporate man created by God was damaged through man’s fall; hence, there was the need for God to produce a new man. This was accomplished through Christ’s abolishing in His flesh the ordinances and through His creating of the new man in Himself.

new - Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10

making - Col. 1:20

By Christ’s abolishing in His flesh the separating ordinances, that is, His slaying the enmity, and by His creating the Jewish and the Gentile believers into one new man, peace was made between all believers.

reconcile - Col. 1:20, 22; 2 Cor. 5:18; Rom. 5:10

both

Both refers to the Jews and the Gentiles. Not only the uncircumcised Gentiles but also the circumcised Jews needed to be reconciled to God through the redemption of Christ, accomplished on His cross.

one - 1 Cor. 12:13; 10:17; Eph. 4:4

This one Body, the church (1:23), is the one new man mentioned in the previous verse. It was in this one Body that both the Jews and the Gentiles were reconciled to God through the cross. We, the believers, whether Jews or Gentiles, were reconciled not only for the Body of Christ but also in the Body of Christ. What a revelation here! We were reconciled to God; we were saved in the Body of Christ.

God

We were without God and we had lost God (v. 12). But through the cross, with the blood of Christ, we have been brought back to God in the one Body.

cross

On the one hand, the cross of Christ slew the enmity caused by the ordinances, which were instituted because of the flesh, and on the other hand, it redeemed us with the blood of Christ, which was shed upon it. It was through the cross that both the Jews and the Gentiles were reconciled in one Body to God.

slain

This is the breaking down of the middle wall of partition and the abolishing of the ordinances that bring in discord between the Jews and the Gentiles, as mentioned in vv. 14-15.

By Him Or, in Him.

coming

This is the coming of Christ as the Spirit to preach peace as the gospel, which peace He made through His cross.

announced - Acts 10:36

gospel - Eph. 6:15

far - Eph. 2:13; Isa. 57:19

Referring to the Gentiles, who were uncircumcised and were far off, separated by their flesh.

near - Psa. 148:14

Referring to the Jews, who were circumcised and were near, made nigh by God’s choosing.

through

Both the Jewish and the Gentile believers have access to the Father through Christ, who abolished the law of the commandments in ordinances, broke down the middle wall of partition, slew the enmity to reconcile the Gentiles to the Jews, and shed His blood to redeem the Jews and the Gentiles to God.

access - Eph. 3:12; Rom. 5:2

The access is constituted of Christ’s cross and His blood (Heb. 10:19).

in

First, both the Jewish and the Gentile believers were reconciled in one Body to God (v. 16). That was a positional matter. Then they both have access in one Spirit unto the Father. This is experiential. In order to enjoy experientially what we possess positionally, we need to be in the Spirit.

one - Eph. 4:4; 1 Cor. 12:13

Father - John 14:6

Positionally, we were reconciled to God; experientially, we have access unto the Father. To be reconciled to God is to be saved; to have access unto the Father is to enjoy God, who, as the source of life, regenerated us to be His sons.

Here the trinity of the Godhead is implied. Through God the Son, who is the Accomplisher, the means, and in God the Spirit, who is the Executor, the application, we have access unto God the Father, who is the Originator, the source of our enjoyment.

Referring to the Gentile believers.

strangers - Eph. 2:12

Strangers are aliens, and sojourners are foreigners sojourning among Israel without rights of citizenship. Here both refer to the Gentiles.

fellow - Phil. 3:20

Fellow citizens with the saints indicates the kingdom of God. All the believers, Jewish and Gentile, are citizens in God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is a sphere in which He exercises His authority.

members

Members of the household of God indicates the house of God. Both the Jewish and the Gentile believers are members of God’s house. God’s house is a matter of life and enjoyment; all believers are born of God into His house to enjoy His riches. God’s kingdom is a matter of right and responsibility; all believers born into the house of God have the civil rights of and obligations in the kingdom of God. The saints are individuals; the house of God is corporate and issues in the kingdom of God.

household - Gal. 6:10; Heb. 3:6; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5; 4:17

built - Eph. 2:22; 4:12, 16; Col. 2:7; 1 Cor. 3:12

As the Body of Christ, the church has been regenerated and needs the growth in life; as the house of God, the church is being built. Growth and building are not separate things, for the growth of the Body is the building of the house.

foundation - Rev. 21:14; cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-11

The foundation of the church is Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). Because the mystery of Christ was revealed to the apostles (3:4-5), the revelation they received is considered the foundation on which the church is built. This corresponds with the rock in Matt. 16:18, which is not only Christ but also the revelation concerning Christ, on which Christ will build His church. Therefore, the foundation of the apostles and prophets is the revelation they received for the building of the church.

apostles - Eph. 3:5

cornerstone - Psa. 118:22; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:6

Here, Christ is referred to not as the foundation (Isa. 28:16) but as the cornerstone, because the main concern here is not the foundation but the cornerstone that joins together the two walls, one wall being the Jewish believers, and the other, the Gentile believers. Here, not Christ but the apostles and prophets who received the revelation concerning Christ are stressed as the foundation. When the Jewish builders rejected Christ, they rejected Him as the cornerstone (Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7), the One who would join the Gentiles to them for the building of God’s house.

whom

In Christ, who is the cornerstone, all the building, including both the Jewish and the Gentile believers, is fitted together and is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.

all

Or, every building.

fitted - Eph. 4:16

I.e., made suitable for the condition and situation of the building.

growing - Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19

Since the building is living (1 Pet. 2:5), it is growing. It grows into a holy temple. The actual building of the church as the house of God is by the believers’ growth in life.

temple - 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16

Or, sanctuary; the inner part of the temple.

in

The entire building of God’s house, God’s sanctuary, is in Christ the Lord.

you

Referring to the local saints.

also

Also indicates that the building in v. 21 is universal and that the building in this verse is local. Universally, the church is uniquely one and is growing universally; locally, the church in a particular locality also is one, and the local saints are being built together in their particular locality.

dwelling - 2 Cor. 6:16; Rev. 21:3

According to the context, in v. 21 the holy temple is universal; in this verse the dwelling place of God is local.

in - Eph. 3:5; 4:23; 5:18; 6:18; John 4:24; Rom. 1:9; Rev. 1:10

spirit

The believers’ human spirit, which is indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is the Dweller, not the dwelling place. The dwelling place is the believers’ spirit. God’s Spirit dwells in our spirit. Therefore, the dwelling place of God is in our spirit. Verse 21 says that the holy temple is in the Lord, and this verse, that the dwelling place of God is in spirit. This indicates that for the building of God’s dwelling place, the Lord is one with our spirit, and our spirit is one with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). Our spirit is where the building of the church, the dwelling place of God, takes place.