Read Ephesians 2:11-22
11 You Gentiles by birth—called “the
uncircumcised” by the Jews, who call themselves “the circumcised” (which refers
to what men do to their bodies)—remember what you were in the past. 12At
that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to
God’s chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on
God’s promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and
without God. 13But now, in union with Christ Jesus, you who used to
be far away have been brought near by the bloode of Christ. 14For
Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people.
With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them
enemies. 15He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and
rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with
himself, in this way making peace. 16By his death on the cross
Christ destroyed their enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into
one body and brought them back to God. 17So Christ came and preached
the Good News of peace to all—to you Gentiles, who were far away from God, and
to the Jews, who were near to him. 18It is through Christ that all
of us, Jews and Gentiles, are able to come in the one Spirit into the presence
of the Father.
19 So then, you Gentiles are not
foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now fellow-citizens with God’s
people and members of the family of God. 20You, too, are built upon
the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets,f the cornerstone
being Christ Jesus himself. 21He is the one who holds the whole
building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord.
22In union with him you too are being built together with all the
others into a place where God lives through his Spirit.
Think
This week we have reflected on David building the temple – the Psalm
remembered the promise of faithfulness that God made to David and his
children. In Ephesians 2 we read about
how gentiles like us get to share in God’s promise of faithfulness; and how –
in Christ we are built into a temple.
Pray
Thank you for adopting me into your family and using me to be a part of
your temple in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment