At this point in the church, Jews were boasting about how they had become circumcised as if they were better than the Gentiles. In the Old Testament, getting circumcised was an act of obedience to God. It meant that you were following God‘s Commandments. Back then, only the Jews, as God’s chosen people, could get circumcised. So now, here in the New Testament, the Jews are boasting about their dedication to God and being His chosen people by saying, “look at me and what I’ve done for God. I went a step further. My work here (getting circumcised) shows that I am obeying God, chosen by Him, and sold out for Him.” You may have come across some people who boast about all they’ve done for God. And Paul is telling all of the Ephesians that we shouldn’t be talking about what we’ve done in our own strength with our own hands. We should be talking about what Jesus has done in us and through us.

Metaphorically, we are all spiritually circumcised by Jesus. Our hearts are stripped of the flesh (sin) by Jesus’ power to change us from the inside out. It’s not any doing of our own! There are no amount of good and extra things I can do to receive what Jesus has already done for me.

Verse 14 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.” (NLT) Jesus is our peace with God. If it wasn’t for his sacrifice on the cross, we would still have to work at redeeming/covering all our sins. We’d be going to a temple every other minute to give sacrifices and such just to cover the wrongdoing in our lives. But Jesus covered that for us so we don’t have to strive anymore to be good in God’s eyes. There is peace available at all times with God because of Jesus.

This verse is also referencing that the Jews, who were once separated from the Gentiles because God set it up that way, now must come into fellowship with them or they will have no friendship with God. Back in the Old Testament, there were ceremonies held that only the Jews could go to and that was a symbol of this separation between two people groups.

Verses 17-18 “He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.” (NLT) Jesus came so that we might have peace with God. The peace of God that lives in us keeps us settled in our emotions. This peace leads us not to dread going to God but to desire and seek the face of God in prayer.

Verses 19-21 “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” (NLT) He’s basically saying that when God dwells in each of us, it is His will that we should live in unity with all of the Church. We are all one body, one “holy temple”, and we work together in the Lord. Jesus is the cornerstone of this body – He’s the One who holds it all together and the One we are built on.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for saving me by Your grace when I first believed in Jesus’ sacrifice for my sin. I can’t take credit for this. Merciful and Faithful is who You are. Jesus, You are my peace with God and with others. When I’ve drifted so far from You, Jesus, You still hold out peace to me and draw me near. Thank You, Jesus, for opening this door between me and God, the Father, so that I can come to You whenever I want with the help of the Holy Spirit. I accept that I am a citizen of Your Kingdom, God. I am an ambassador, someone who stands for You in all I do. Help my thoughts retrain my mouth, my hands, and my feet to talk and walk in a way that is honorable to You. I declare that I am Your child, a part of Your house, built on a foundation where Jesus is my cornerstone! In Jesus’ name, Amen!