by Alec Zacaroli
Ephesians 2, and in particular the second half of Ephesians 2 (verses 11-22), carries a vital lesson for the Church to remember in our current times. The following is the fourth and last in a series of blogs in which we will look more closely at these verses and how through them God is enlightening us on the church’s right response to our times.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Eph. 2:19-22
Every international airport has at least one thing in common, a customs entry point with two lines. The first is for citizens, and the second for non-citizens. The moment you enter customs in a country not your own, you are reminded immediately that you are not a citizen. You are a visitor. You don’t permanently belong. And in some sense, that is the essence of citizenship; knowing that you belong.
Of course, citizenship is much more than being able to take the presumably faster route through customs in your own country. It is about rights, such as voting and protection, and responsibilities, such as paying taxes or, in some countries, serving in the military. It is something all people strive for, and sadly something people have been denied for the wrong reasons. It took three amendments to the Constitution – the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments – for Black people to gain the constitutionally protected rights of full citizenship. And even then it took nearly a century after the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870 for Black citizens to realize the Constitutional rights afforded them – through the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women, meanwhile, representing more than half the population were denied voting rights until the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Indeed, many throughout our history as a country have become familiar with the pain of denied citizenship.
In Paul’s day, the significance of citizenship – in particular citizenship in the Roman Empire – was equally if not more pronounced. Roman citizens enjoyed vastly greater rights and privileges than their non-citizen counterparts, as Paul himself understood. Indeed, it was his citizen-status that prevented his being scourged and possibly killed for spreading the Gospel in Jerusalem. See Acts 22:25-29. Paul also appreciated how significant citizenship would have been to the Gentiles in Ephesus, which is why he invokes the term translated “fellow citizens” in verse 22:19. Indeed, that term (συμπολῖται) is very unique, appearing nowhere else in the Greek New Testament or the Septuagint. We look to other works to fully understand its meeting, such as the works of the Jewish historian Josephus, who also renders it “fellow citizen.”[1]
But the bigger point is this – by invoking the notion of citizenship, Paul was tying in the sense of belonging that we all yearn for and sharing again how Jesus had extended the place of belonging to all. He enlarged the place of His tent, stretched out the curtains, lengthened the cords, strengthened the pegs, such that this dwelling accommodates all who believe. Is. 54:2. And this is precisely what the remainder of this verse tells us – i.e. the Gentiles are fellow citizens of “God’s household.” But what is God’s household? It is the Church, which is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” and with “Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord…” That Jesus Christ is the corner stone says much more than He is part of the foundation. As Howard Hoehner notes: “In ancient building practices ‘the chief cornerstone, was carefully placed. It was crucial because the entire building was lined up with it. The church’s foundation, that is, the apostles and prophets, needed to be correctly aligned with Christ. All other believers are built on that foundation, measuring their lives with Christ.”[2]
Finally, it is in Christ, that the Gentiles – and you and me as we believe – “also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” They (and all believers) are not only citizens of the household of God, belonging there and freely dwelling there, but He – through the Holy Spirit – also dwells in them. The word I want us to focus on here is synoikodomeo (συνοικοδομουμαι), which means “to build up” or in this case “to build up together” as in to combine two or more objects in the building process. That’s pretty obvious from the translation, but it is the passive voice of this word that demands drawing out. Jews and Gentiles are not building themselves together into a dwelling of God, but are being built together into that dwelling. The work is of the hands of another. The work is the handiwork of God. He is the one who combines together believers of all races and ethnicities into His dwelling place by the Spirit.
When I think about it, it is astounding to me that God, through the pen of Paul, can reveal what He did in Ephesians 2:11-22, and yet His church can still remain so divided in its citizenry. It is astounding to me that any believer would be unwelcome in the local church on the basis of his or her race, ethnicity or other background. If 2,000 years ago, Paul made it so abundantly clear that the dividing wall between different believers was intentionally torn down by Christ, what has since become lost in translation? Brothers and sisters in Christ, our citizenship is in One, and is one. We all belong in this house, because He called us to it. He decides, not us.
I travel quite a bit – and I know all too well the feeling I get when I walk into that customs line of a foreign airport. The feeling that though I can visit, I can’t stay – I don’t fully belong. But I also know the feeling when I get off the plane at Dulles, pass through customs, and inevitably here the faithful agent checking my passport say “welcome home.” It’s always a special feeling to hear those words, it never gets old. “Welcome home”, as in, “you belong here.” There will be a day for all believers when they will hear those words directly from the One who made us to be with Him. What a day that will be. We will we welcomed into the dwelling that surpasses all others. But until that day, might we strive to offer those words in our own houses and churches? So in that vein, I want to say to you if you believe: Welcome home, fellow citizen. No matter your color, race or creed, you belong here with me. Let’s worship Him together. And if you are yet to believe, won’t you come home? Your most important citizenship awaits you.
[1]Josephus, Antiquities 19, 175.
[2] Harold W. Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 627.
Burke Missions 