ESOCS Devotional 21 May 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “For through him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Ephesians 2:18
TEXT: EPHESIANS 2:11-22
11 Therefore, remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a [a]mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands.
12 [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God’s agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
14 For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,
15 By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.
16 And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.
17 And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near.
18 For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].
19 Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.
20 You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.
21 In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].
22 In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
At Eden, the father and mother of all mankind sinned against God and were cast out of His presence (Gen. 3). But through Abraham God chose Israel to be His people and to become a blessing to all other nations (Gen. 12:1-3)
Thus, Israel was distinguished by the act of circumcision, which God commanded Abraham to carry out on the eighth day of the birth of every male child (Gen. 15). It was a mark in the foreskin of Israelites to signify that they are a holy people of God. Other nations were seen as sinners rejected by God by reason of not being circumcised and not observing other Mosaic laws (Eph. 2:11-12).
But by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the dividing wall was broken and all people of the world are now through faith in Christ given access to God the Father (John 3:16). This was the mission of Apostle Paul to the Gentile nations (Eph. 2:13-15).
Truly, the reconciliation we got with Christ is a total and complete one. We are no longer strangers but fellow elects of God with full compliments. This is because we are saved and empowered by the same Spirit (Acts 1:8; Eph. 2:17-22).
It therefore follows that we should not be weighed down by our past lives in sin. Once we have confessed and believed in Christ, we should be sure of our salvation and righteous status in Christ. In confession, we confess what we truly are and what God is. Then in faith, we express from the bottom of our hearts, our total reliance in Christ as our redeemer, and the author and finisher of our faith. (Rom. 10:9, 10).
- Are you truly reconciled with God?
- Father, I reaffirm my faith in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the three in one, one in three and the only wise God. Protect my salvation and keep me safe from all troubles, in Jesus name. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Ezekiel 1:15-22; 37:1-14; Romans 15:14-21
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ESOCS Devotional 21 May 2023
