Scripture Reading: Eph. 2:11-22
Ephesians 2 is an important chapter because it reveals that Christ died on the cross in order to create in Himself one new man. For the new man to come into being, the law of the commandments in ordinances had to be abolished. Christians realize that on the cross Christ dealt with sin, the old man, the flesh, the world, and the Devil, Satan. But very few Christians have seen that on the cross Christ also dealt with the ordinances.
It is rather easy to understand that the cross of Christ deals with sin. It is also easy to realize that the old man and the flesh are problems that are dealt with by the cross. In like manner, when we read in the New Testament that the death of Christ has also dealt with the world and with Satan, we have no problem with understanding these truths. However, we may not realize that ordinances also present a serious problem.
Ordinances are related to different ways of living and worship. They do not appear to be negative. On the contrary, they seem quite good. For example, some ordinances are related to table manners. Who can say it is not good to be properly regulated when we eat? However, different peoples have different kinds of table manners. Therefore, regulations concerning table manners can be a source of division and enmity between peoples.
Ordinances are involved in the matter of worship. The Jews worship God according to their ordinances, and the Moslems worship according to their ordinances. This is also true with the various denominations today. Because ordinances seem helpful, it is difficult to recognize that they also need to be dealt with by the cross.
The fall of mankind was the source of all ordinances. If man had not fallen, there would be no ordinances today. After God created man, He did not give him a list of ordinances. But as soon as man fell, the ordinances began to come in. Then, at Babel, the man created by God for His purpose became divided and scattered into a number of races and nations which began to fight against one another. This made it impossible for God’s eternal plan to be fulfilled.
If we view the redemption of Christ from the angle of God’s purpose, our concept of redemption will be broadened. Most Christians view Christ’s redemption only from the perspective of their personal salvation. They are not concerned with the fulfillment of God’s purpose, but are concerned only with being saved from hell and assured of spending eternity in heaven. Their concept of Christ’s death on the cross is extremely narrow. It is crucial for us to see that God’s eternal purpose is to dispense Himself into man and to become one with man in order to express Himself through man. But Satan has sought to frustrate the fulfillment of God’s purpose by damaging humanity through dividing it into different peoples who war against one another. Christ came to redeem fallen mankind in order that God’s purpose may be fulfilled, not merely that we may be saved from hell and assured of heaven. In order to redeem divided mankind, Christ died on the cross to deal with all the negative things, including ordinances. On the cross Christ abolished all the regulations regarding living and worship, regulations that have divided the nations. God does not care for any ordinances. He cares only that we are one and that Christ is wrought into us. Christ abolished all the ordinances not that we may go to heaven or that we may be spiritual or victorious. He abolished the ordinances in order to create in Himself one new corporate man. He created the new man not only within Himself as the sphere, but also with Himself as the very element. By abolishing the ordinances and creating the Jewish and Gentile believers into one new man, Christ has made peace. Now those of different nationalities have peace in Christ.
In 2:11 and 12 Paul reminds us of our situation when we were apart from Christ. We were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, we were strangers from the covenants of the promise, we had no hope, and we were without God in the world. We had no goal and no God. But one day we were called by God, and we answered His call by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. When we did this, the Triune God came into us. No matter where we may go, even if we try to run from the Lord or to stop believing in Him, He will always be with us. How wonderful that we have become involved with Christ! However, even when it does not seem so wonderful in our experience, we cannot get away from Him. We may try to leave Him, but He will never leave us.
As saved ones, we are in Christ. He is our sphere and our source. Now in Christ Jesus we who once were far off from God and from one another have become near in the blood of Christ. As verse 14 says, the very Christ who is our peace has made us one and has broken down the middle wall of partition. He has reconciled us to God in one Body, and He has come to preach to us the gospel of peace (vv. 16-17). The result is that we are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow-citizens of the saints and members of the household of God (v. 19).
Although Christ is our sphere, our source, and our peace and although He has abolished the ordinances, many Christians still hold to certain ordinances. In their practice, they care more for ordinances than for Christ. Many Christians neglect Christ and pay attention to the very ordinances He abolished on the cross. What a pitiful situation!
Now we are in Christ. He should be the unique foundation upon which we are built. In 2:20 Paul speaks of the foundation of the apostles and prophets. This refers to the Christ in whom the apostles believed and whom they ministered to others. The foundation of Moses was the law, and the foundation of the prophets was prophecy. But the only foundation of the apostles and prophets is Christ. In 1 Corinthians 3:11 Paul said, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” The foundation in Ephesians 2 is not related to any kind of ordinances; it is Christ Himself. The foundation of Judaism is composed of the Sabbath, circumcision, and the dietary regulations. But when the apostles came forth to minister, the unique foundation laid by them was the living Christ.
The church is built on Christ, not on ordinances or regulations. Today, however, all the denominations have another foundation besides Christ. For example, the Baptist denomination has immersion as a foundation along with Christ. It seems that underneath Christ as the foundation the denominations have something other than Christ as their basic foundation. The church has been divided by the different ordinances used as foundations.
May the Lord open our eyes to see how dreadful it is to cling to ordinances. We may claim to see the church, and we may declare that we are meeting as the local church. But if we still insist on particular practices, those practices will become ordinances. Spontaneously, the ground of oneness will be damaged or even lost. Instead of meeting on the ground of oneness, we shall meet on the ground of our ordinances. If a certain ordinance becomes our ground, we cease to be the church and become a sect. Whenever we insist on a particular practice, we lose the unique ground of oneness. This is why we should not insist on things such as pray-reading or calling on the name of the Lord, even though we may receive great benefit from them.
There are only a few things we must oppose. These include idolatry, immorality, divisiveness, and the denial of Christ’s deity. In the church absolutely no ground can be given to idols. Idolatry is an insult to God. Likewise, the church cannot tolerate immorality, which damages the humanity created by God for His purpose. Furthermore, a factious, sectarian person must be rejected if he does not cease from his divisiveness after being warned. Fourthly, we cannot receive into the church anyone who refuses to recognize the deity of Christ, who denies that Christ is God incarnate. These things are leaven which must be purged out of the church life. But apart from these four things, we are not told in the New Testament to reject believers for any other reason. According to Romans 14:1, as long as a person has the faith, we must receive him, even if he is weak. Nowhere in the New Testament are we instructed to reject someone if he does not believe in immersion. Neither are we told not to receive those sisters who do not wear head coverings. Believers should not be rejected over things such as the size of cup used at the Lord’s table or over the practice of foot-washing. Apart from the four things we have mentioned, there is no legality in the church life. We must receive all the saints and have nothing to do with ordinances.
The Christ who is our peace, our source, and our sphere must be our unique foundation. There must not be any other kind of foundation in addition to Christ. We need to check with ourselves concerning this. Do we have any foundation in addition to Christ? If we do not have any ordinances, then Christ will truly be our only foundation.
Christ should also be our cornerstone. As the cornerstone, He joins the two walls, the one of the Jewish believers and the other of the Gentile believers. In Ephesians 2 Christ is referred to specifically as the cornerstone (v. 20). When the Jewish builders rejected Christ, they rejected Him as the cornerstone (Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7), which would join the Gentiles to them for the building of God’s house.
If we hold only to the all-inclusive Christ, not to any ordinances, He will be the cornerstone to join us together for the building of God’s dwelling place.
In verse 21 Paul goes on to say, “In Whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.” In Christ who is the cornerstone, all the building, including both Jewish and Gentile believers, is fitted together and is growing into a holy temple. This temple is the universal church. As we shall see, verse 22 refers to the local church.
The local churches should not have an independent attitude, and they should not be isolated from one another. If we have an independent attitude, we may become a local sect instead of a local church. Christ has just one Body in the universe. If each local church were an independent body for Christ, this would mean that Christ has a great many bodies. No matter how many local churches there may be, Christ still has just one Body. For this reason, the local churches need to be fitted together and to grow into the one universal temple. In Christ as the foundation and the cornerstone, all the building, the universal church, is fitted together and is growing in the Lord.
Some of those who have an attitude of independence concerning the church in their locality may point to the differences between the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 as a justification for their attitude. However, the seven churches as the seven golden lampstands are the same in nature, substance, and pattern. Furthermore, the New Jerusalem in eternity will have the same appearance and the same material on each of its four sides. The local churches should not be organized. But if all the churches hold only Christ, they will be fitted together as God’s universal building.
Suppose the churches in a certain place hold the attitude that, as independent local churches, they want to go on by themselves and have nothing to do with other churches. In the eyes of the Lord, they may become local sects. All the churches should hold to Christ, be fitted together, and grow together into a holy temple in the Lord. When the churches are fitted together, whatever riches are experienced by one church will be spontaneously transfused into all the other churches. For example, a doctor may inject something into a person’s arm, but the injected element is soon transfused throughout the person’s body. In this way the whole body receives the benefit of the injection. How foolish it would be for certain members of the body to regard the injection as only for themselves! Whatever one church receives is for the whole Body. Therefore, we should not try to confine any experience of Christ to our locality. We should realize that whatever we receive of Christ is to be transfused into the rest of the Body.
In verse 22 Paul says, “In Whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” The word “also” here indicates that the building in verse 21 is universal and that the building in this verse is local. According to the context, the holy temple in verse 21 is universal, whereas the dwelling place of God in verse 22 is local.
After all we have said about not holding to the ordinances but holding to Christ, some may still have questions about things such as the method of baptism. These questions may indicate that those who ask them still have ordinances. Nevertheless, some may persist with their questions by saying that we need to be practical and must know how to baptize new converts. Whenever we face practical problems such as this, we should remember Paul’s word in verse 18: “For through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father.” Instead of arguing, we should turn to our spirit, pray, and have fellowship. The Lord is near, present, and available. If we seriously seek His leading, He will certainly guide us, and we shall know how to take care of the various practical matters. I can testify that throughout the years the Lord Jesus has been very real, precious, present, and available to us. We simply need to open ourselves to Him regarding everything that concerns us. As we do so, we should be willing to set aside any concept that occupies us. Then the Lord will lead us in a living way.
In our concern for the church, we should remember that Christ nourishes and cherishes the church. He is much more concerned about the church than we are. Therefore, we should place our trust in Him. As long as we do not have anything related to idolatry, immorality, divisiveness, or the denial of the deity of Christ, none of the mistakes that may be made will be serious. Do not try to avoid mistakes by holding to ordinances. Our confidence should be in the all-inclusive Christ and in Him alone. If our trust is in anything other than Christ, that thing will become an ordinance which will damage the church life. But if we take Christ as our everything, all the local churches throughout the world will grow and go on in a healthy way.
