The construction of the church
Everything goes to plan, unlike much of what is built in this world. We have studied with wonder the conception of the church, it's plans, it's design, it's eternal nature, it's destiny, it's function in the universe, and now we watch it's actual construction. Overall God begins with the most useless of materials and forms them into a new corporate entity, which will become His everlasting habitation. He takes people who were hopeless and helpless and horrible and hell-bound, and by free grace makes them saints, personally, and forms them into a new community, the like of which will remain unrivalled for all eternity. Jesus first declared this in Matthew 16v18 "..upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." That work goes on until this day, and will continue until it's consummation, and presentation, and glorification, and manifestation...... in the language of chapter 2v21 "In whom all the building (each individual part) fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." What God can do, is doing, will yet do with fallen humanity, is unfolded here ,verse by wonderful verse; I hope you'll join me as I seek by God's help to unravel the beauties of this important section of God's word. If you are not already part of this greatest of all buildings, my prayer is that you soon will be! We have in chapter 1 the highest view of salvation, the glory of God; now we see it in connection with the need of humanity.
The chapter divides into two sections: the linking phrase being "in time past"...v2, v11
- Verses 1-10 What we were, what we are now, and what we will be individually
- Verses 11-22 What we were, what we are now, and what we will be corporately
Such a full salvation, meeting all our need morally and judicially from an individual and corporate point of view. In the first section, He deals with our dead state before God; in the second He deals with our distance from God. In the first we are resurrected, in the second we are reconciled. There are triumphal statements in each of these; firstly "We are His workmanship."; secondly "He is our peace." These two key statements summarise the complete work of God to meet the need of all who receive Him. He has solved our moral problem, and our social problem bringing individual saints into His glorious temple, by creating people anew and making a new humanity free from sin and enmity.
We must take note throughout the chapter the thread of Jew and Gentile being united in the great plan, and so he refers to each by the use of "we" and "ye" and "us" and "you". Sometimes he is referring to one or other, sometimes to both, the context decides. In essence what God has done in Christ is create "one new man" (verse 15), one new humanity, in which there are no divisions. What the world seeks to do by changing the environment, God has already done by changing the people. He began by changing the individual, then formed them into a new community. The chapter begins with people dead to God, and ends with people living with God. The overview of the chapter is of the Divine "workmanship", His masterpiece, the greatest work He has done, greater than even the genius of creation, in which He has crafted from the wreck of humanity, a people who walk in God's way, instead of their own way; a people who were once aliens, but are now citizens! There can be no greater exposition of God's salvation than what we have here. First we have to accept His verdict on our condition, we have to agree that we need changing, that we need to be saved and that only God can do this. The chapter is all about the Divine intervention in the awful plight of the human race, as seen in declarations in each section....... verse 4 "But God who is rich in mercy..." and verse 13 "But now in Christ Jesus......."
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