Ephesians;- What God has done for the Gentiles in Christ

When Paul was writing Galatians and 2 Corinthians, he was still fighting for the right of Gentile Christians to be recognised as faithful believers without being circumcised. When he is writing Ephesians, that appears not to be an active issue, perhaps because he has already won the battle for the minds of the Gentile Christians. In any case, he is no longer close enough to the scene to be involved in active battles. So he contents himself with reassuring the Gentiles of Ephesus (apparently the whole of the church of Ephesus) that they have made the right decision.

He addresses them as Gentiles “in the flesh”. He says they are “called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision” (ch3 v11). He qualifies these labels because he believes they have become meaningless; “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Galatians ch6 v15).

He says they used to be alienated from Israel, “strangers to the covenants of promise”, which meant that they were separated from God, from Christ, and from hope.

But they have now been “brought near”, and this has happened “in Christ Jesus”. To be exact, it has happened “through the blood of Christ”, which is shorthand for the fact that Christ has died (v13). He has made peace between the two hostile factions of Jew and Gentile by uniting them. There used to be a dividing wall, in the form of the “law of commandments and ordinances” established by Moses. This wall has now been broken down.

Christ broke down the wall by abolishing the law of Moses “in his flesh” (v15). The concept is that he notionally carried it with him in his body to the Cross, so that it died on the Cross when he died himself. This is another version of what Paul says in Galatians ch3, that Christ redeemed us from “the curse of the law” by taking that curse upon himself. It also clarifies the statement in Colossians that the bond which stood against us was “nailed to the Cross” (Colossians ch2 v14). Obviously this interpretation assumes that the body of Jesus was itself “nailed” there.

Having broken down the wall of hostility between the two peoples, Jew and Gentile, he has united them. And it is still important that he has united them “in himself”, within his own body. Because that means he can carry both groups into the presence of God, reconciling them with God, and he can carry them as one body instead of two (v16).

Thus he has preached peace (i.e. reconciliation with God) to those who were “near” (that is, the Jews) and also to those were “far” (that is, the Gentiles). And as a result both groups have access through one Spirit to the Father.

So the Gentiles are no longer “strangers and sojourners” but fellow-citizens and members of the same household.

Developing the “building” image. The foundation layer of the building is composed of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the corner-stone. From this corner-stone, the building grows organically, like a living body, and becomes a temple for the Lord (which is what Paul declares it to be in 1 Corinthians ch3 v16). The whole community is the place where the Spirit dwells, and that’s what makes it a temple. The Ephesians are individual bricks in that structure.

Agreed with everything you wrote. Actually I think it was quite wonderful and thank you for the reminders.

I will share something with you. When I was anointed with holy spirit, out of all the scriptures God could* have opened my mind to, to bear witness with my spirit it was the words in Ephesians. When I read these words, I feel the pull of the holy spirit including me in them.

. I continue mentioning you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the accurate knowledge of him. 18 He has enlightened the eyes of your heart, so that you may know to what hope he called you, what glorious riches he holds as an inheritance for the holy ones, 19 and how surpassing the greatness of his power is toward us believers.-Ephesians 1:16-19.

When you are anointed there is a period known as the quickening. All truly anointed ones know the process as they have gone through it, although it may be slightly different with each one. Those who do not have the anointing do not understanding the calling, and have never had the quickening. The first two weeks I was anointed God's holy spirit kept drawing me to these words and other in Ephesians and Romans, as he was gently teaching me about my calling, which I was trying to reject most vehemently.

Charles Taze Russell had the heavenly calling, and understood that all Christians had that calling. But he was mistaken. He wrote long and hard about it, voluminously in his Studies in the Scriptures. Especially volume 6, I believe it was "The New Creation" that you referred to there.

During his time God had begun calling people in large numbers, and many of them were in the Protestant Churches. I never recall hearing of anyone from the Catholic Church, that doesn't mean he didn't call from them as well. Russell did not want to start a new organization, but the truths he and other anointed brothers were uncovering by means of Bible study and God's holy spirit moved him to preach to the clergy of Christendom. He saw that different sects within Christendom had shards of truth, but they also held much falsehood. What he did was try to weed out the chaff, and he thought surely the clergy would listen to him. As the years progressed and the clergy resisted his easy to understand and obvious clear truths of Bible understanding with them, scriptures began to jump out at him like the following:

"And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: “I will reside among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “‘Therefore, get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’”; “‘and I will take you in.’” “‘And I will become a father to you, and you will become sons and daughters to me,’ says Jehovah, the Almighty."-2 Corinthians 6:16-18.

He felt the urge of the holy spirit commanding him to separate from the Churches of Christendom. So finally the Bible Students as they were then known, completely separated from the Churches of Christendom. They were not willing to reform (as they had tried to do unsuccessfully during the Reformation period).

Many members of Christendom read his teachings and realized they had the ring of truth and came into the truth. And God began to gather many genuine anointed Christians out of bondage to Babylon the Great, the world-empire of false religion. With them many Christian associates who had not received the calling were coming to God's spiritual house and being fed real spiritual food.

Then in 1914 Jesus Christ was enthroned in heaven as king of God's kingdom. And in that year the Great War later called World War I broke out on earth. When Jesus arrived in his spiritual temple to judge the religions of the world at that time all the religions of Christendom were busy involved with slaughtering each other. None of them were teaching that Jesus had become king in that year. Only the anointed that were being gathered with Charles Russell. They were preaching it loud and publicly and in all the earth. Jesus approved of the small flock of anointed and in 1919, the governing body were given charge over all of Jesus' belongings on earth. After that year one had to separate from Christendom and her bloodstained and spiritstic history and come to serve at the house God had established by means of his anointed servants on earth that later became known as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Till this day all of the chosen and called are among Jehovah's Witnesses, and millions others who have the hope of living on earth are serving with him. And any and all who want to be pleasing to God must separate themselves and quit touching completely all of false religion and her disgusting filth. All parts of Christendom is dead and filthy in God's eyes. You cannot touch anything to do with Christendom and remain clean in God's eyes. Nor can you chose to serve God your own way. You must acknowledge Jehovah's channel of direction which flows through Jesus' throne down to the earth, through his spirit adopted brothers, the sons of God, among whom a few have been selected as a "faithful slave" known as the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses.

One must acknowledge Jehovah's channel in order to be blessed by him:

"Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?  Happy is that slave if his master on coming finds him doing so! Truly I say to you, he will appoint him over all his belongings."-Matthew 24:45-47.

"As for the fine seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom, but the weeds are the sons of the wicked one, and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will collect out from his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and people who practice lawlessness..-Matthew 13:38-41.

I can share something with you. There have always been relatively few chosen and called on earth at any given time since the outpouring of holy spirit in Pentecost of 33 C. E.

Many among Jehovah's Witnesses back in the day did not feel called. They used to be judged by their anointed brothers who had received the calling and told them they must have a lack of faith. Now today when there are millions serving in Jehovah's spiritual temple on earth the reverse has happened. Most of these have not received the calling and have the earthly hope. And when one of us is called we are know chastised and told we are crazy because all the called and chosen must be old and near to dying.

The human condition never changes. I just happened to notice this by reading prolifically though most of the Watchtower literature. I would read back in the early years how articles would be written chastising the brothers and sisters who were gathering together to celebrate the Memorial of Christ's death and not partaking of the emblems, of the wine and the bread, not feeling they have received the calling. They were told they needed to have more faith. Eventually the "faithful slave" realized that they had among them many many Christians who had not been called to heaven...

a reply to: randomuser2034

Rather there hope was earthly. I can tell you for a certainty almost everyone in Christendom who talks about the calling has never received it and has no idea what it entails or what it means. It is just something they read about in the Bible and talked about by the clergy who also has no idea what it is. As the clergy of Christendom is spiritually dead and many of them have no faith in God, and some are actual atheists, they cannot explain it to their followers.

I have no doubt if any member of Christendom or one who professes belief in Jesus Christ but not any church reads this will be able to attest to the fact, if not openly at least silently, that they have no idea what the calling is. And are confused by being told they have been called if they profess faith in Christ. For being called is not something a person chooses. It is something God chooses, and he chooses very few from among humankind.

They have all been taught lies about Jehovah God and Jesus Christ, and the Bible their entire lives.

ETA:

Now those of us who are anointed with holy spirit who are relatively young compared to the older generation get a lot of glances and murmuring from those who have not received the calling. And we are questioned by the elders and other members as to our sanity within the congregation. So it is. God chose the last to be first. And the young to rule over the old. To keep everyone humble and in their place. So that no one becomes overly exalted.

a reply to: DISRAELI2

Paul forgot that Jesus doesn't negotiate with terrorists.

a reply to: randomuser2034

One must acknowledge Jehovah's channel in order to be blessed by him

In Judiasm some believe the 12 tribes are the 12 paths to God. Each path allowing for different mindsets to find God in their own way. Your statement suggests to me that you stand on eleven of those paths with a stop sign. Saying to people, their path is not a valid path to God. If there are 12 paths to God. Doesn't your statement serve satan more-so than God?

In my own case, my mindset, is not one that can accept faith based religions. You give me no hope. Yet the high winds of the holy spirit are with me 24 hours a day. Cleansing my wayward mind. Day after day after day. The holy spirit is the unstruck sound of high winds that are clearly audible....

Acts 2:2, And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. The glory of the Lord was there, great action.

a reply to: glend

Glend, I appreciate your point of view and where you are coming from. And never try to state anything to alienate anyone. Hopefully you don't feel that way in what I wrote above. Just my expressions on the calling.

As to how many paths there are. In my study of scripture I have discerned there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ:

"Jesus said to him: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."-John 14:16.

And there are only two roads. One is broad and spacious and is leading to destruction and many are on it. The other is narrow and cramped and it is leading to life, and few are on it:

"Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it."-Matthew 7:13-14.

And as the OP is talking about the letter to the Ephesians it would be remiss to what it says about how many ways there are to God:

"One body there is, and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."-Ephesians 4:4-6.

In the end it isn't me stating these things. I happen only to be the messenger. God and his son Jesus Christ tell you these things.

The Kabbalah is actually at the core of all modern-day witchcraft and sorcery. And Revelation clearly tells us that Babylon the Great is being destroyed because of her spiritistic practices with which she has mislead the entire inhabited earth. And we are also told that those who practice witchcraft are outside with the dogs and the murderers and the sexually immoral:


"Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism and those who are sexually immoral and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices lying.’"-Revelation 22:15.

a reply to: randomuser2034

I don't have a problem with John 14:16. He was talking to his apostles. Telling them that no-one goes to the Father except through him. Perhaps even pointing at them when he spoke those words. As their Rabbi, Jesus was the clearly the only hope for those simple fishermen to go to the Father. But to comprehend John 14:16 as a condemnation of all other religions is a total misrepresentation.

Instead when Jesus was talking to the masses on the sermon on the mount he stated "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.".

I don't disagree with you on dangers of Kabbalah. It was never meant to be released to the public. It was written by distinguished Rabbi's for advanced students only. Even today, many Rabbi's warn their students not to examine Kabbalah until the attain the age of 40yo.

I do understand that you are trying to help others.