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Sermon preached on Ephesians 2:11-13 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/04/2026 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
We come to a new section in Ephesians that really delivers an important message that Paul was bringing to them. Paul was explaining how God was bringing Gentiles into the church of Jesus Christ, uniting them together with Jewish Christians into one church. This section here and into next chapter makes the wonderous point. Backing up, let us remember the history a little more specifically. For millennia, God’s visible church on earth had been constituted in the nation of Israel. God had been working his saving plans through them. When Jesus came into this world, he came into Israel and showed himself to be the promised Messiah, and therefore the King of the Jews. When Gentiles began to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, the natural question arose how they were then related to the Israelite people? For example, you could imagine a scenario where Gentiles were individually saved yet to remain segregated or distinct from Jewish Christians. Yet, Paul makes it very clear that such is not the case. Rather, there is a full and complete unity together of all Christians, Jewish and Gentile, into a single church and body. So, I just summarized our passage and our sermon, but let us now work through the passage to understand this more fully. Today, I will focus on verses 11-13 that give the basics of this, but the larger passage we read of verses 11-22 continue with further details that we will study in the weeks to come. Next chapter will further develop this same point.
Our three points will follow our three verses. We’ll look at verse 11 first and consider how Paul’s reference to the flesh helps us understand the idea of the visible church. Then we’ll look at verse 12 and remember how Gentiles used to be separated and alienated from God’s visible church on earth. Then we’ll look at verse 13 and consider how the change has happened so that these Gentile Christians have now been brought near, not only near into the visible church, but also near into a saving relationship with God.
Let us start then with verse 11. It says, “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands.” Stop there. Let’s understand what’s going on in this verse. Remember Israel was historically the visible church and that under the old covenant the Israelites were circumcised to show they were part of the visible church. Under the old covenant, circumcision was a sign of the covenant like baptism under the new covenant. It brought you officially into membership in the visible church. So, generally speaking, all Israelite males were circumcised and outwardly members in the visible church. So, there was a close identity between Israel as a nation and the church as a visible group. In contrast, Gentiles, were not generally circumcised, which visibly showed they were not a part of the visible church which was Israel. Because of this dynamic, these terms helped identify who was part of God’s visible church. The term Gentile or uncircumcised, generally, became terms to describe an outsider, someone not in God’s visible church. The term Israel or circumcised became used to describe insiders, someone who was in God’s visible church.
So then, Paul is addressing here in verse 11 these Gentile Christians. He addresses them as Gentiles “in the flesh”. In other words, Paul says that physically-speaking (“in the flesh”) they are Gentiles, meaning, they are not genealogically of the lineage of Israel. That is related to why they were never circumcised. Thus, Paul acknowledges here that the Israelites who were circumcised called the Gentiles the uncircumcised, because, they weren’t generally part of the old covenant of God’s people, and thus they didn’t have the old covenant sign of circumcision applied to them. Yet, as we’ll continue to explain, these Gentiles were outsiders according to the flesh, but they had become insiders according to the Spirit. I’ll explain that more later.
But did you notice how verse 11 refers not just to the Gentiles as having their status “in the flesh”? In verse 11, Paul also says that the group known as the circumcised are also circumcised “in the flesh”. To emphasize his point, Paul even adds the explanation that this circumcision is done by human hands. In other words, the Israelite nation might have a nation full of circumcised people, but that, in itself, is also only something “in the flesh”. Physically they have the sign, but that doesn’t necessarily speak to their inner, spiritual state.
I remind you how recently we looked back at Deuteronomy and saw how God commanded the people to circumcise their hearts. God then went on to promise how after they failed to do that, he would save a remnant and that God would personally circumcise their hearts. In other words, Deuteronomy acknowledges two different kinds of circumcision. There is a circumcision done in the flesh by human hands. And there is a circumcision done on the heart by the Holy Spirit.
Let me connect the dots. Verse 11 begins our passage by implying an important distinction between the flesh and the spirit. Gentile Christians were Gentiles according to the flesh. But if they have become Christians then they are no longer Gentiles according to the Spirit. Again, that is using the term “Gentile” in the sense of one who is an outsider to the visible church. Likewise, verse 11 subtly reminds us that Jews who are not Christian might have the outward sign of the covenant in circumcision. They might be outwardly marked as being in the visible church, or at least the old covenant church. But if those circumcised Jews have rejected Christ, while they have that mark in the flesh, their hearts are not truly circumcised by the Spirit. That is why old covenant Jews who reject Jesus as Lord are cut off from the true Israel. They become excommunicated from the visible church.
There was obviously a period of transition going on here. As we will go on to see, the visible church was being reorganized from the old covenant to the new covenant. But verse 11 helps us to make distinctions between the flesh and the spirit. There is a difference between being outwardly in the visible church versus truly inwardly part of God’s church. The same sort of concern still exists today. Someone might be outwardly baptized into covenant community of the visible church yet not truly know the Lord. While that ought not to be, it is sometimes the case. Likewise, it ought not to be the case that someone spiritually knows the Lord but is not outwardly a part of his visible church. So, in this first point, let us recognize the institution of the visible church. Let us recognize God has ordained it. Let us recognize that there is outward aspect of becoming a part of the church, and that is important. Let us also recognize that ultimately what is of lasting value is to spiritually belong to Christ’s church.
Let us now in our second point turn to verse 12. In verse 12, Paul reminds these Gentile Christians that they used to be separated and alienated from God’s visible church on earth. Verse 12, “Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Paul here describes the former state of these Gentiles before they became Christians.
He begins describing their former state with such a significant statement. They were separated from Christ. Let us appreciate that statement all the more when we remember how much this epistle has emphasized their union with Christ. Remember back in that opening part of chapter 1, all the many spiritual blessings the Ephesian Christians now had because they were united with Christ. But before they were united with Christ, they didn’t have any of those benefits. They did not know justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life, or the coming inheritance and many other benefits that flow from their union with Christ. They were truly an outsider to Christ’s church because they were not in Christ who is the head of the church.
Then Paul says they were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. When you hear commonwealth, understand this word in the Greek is a political term about the benefits of citizenship in a government. So, this is saying from the perspective of the nation of Israel, they were not citizens but aliens. They were not part of this kingdom of Israel. They had no rights or privilege in that nation. Normally, that might not seem very significant, until you remember this is the commonwealth that God had established to be a holy nation, a people of his own possession out of all the nations.
Paul then uses similar language when he goes on to call them strangers. That is very much a term of being an outsider to the country. But, Paul uses this term to say these Gentiles were strangers to the covenants of promise. Remember how God made a special covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to give to them a great people and a place. God promised to show them and their seed, grace and blessing. God again covenanted with the Israelites during Moses’ day which included the promise of atonement for sin. God yet again covenanted with Israel during King David’s day, promising a king who would have an everlasting kingdom. All these and more were promises God covenanted with Israel. Yet, before becoming Christian, the Gentiles had no part in these promises.
These last two statements there by Paul flow from these previous statements. He concludes that these Gentiles before had no hope and were without God in the world. Whatever ultimate hope pagans may have it is not a biblical hope and therefore it is vanity. Likewise, whatever so-called gods pagans may have, they are false, and powerless to aid them or lead them. I remember one very honest atheist I spoke with who acknowledge that once they became firmly decided in their atheism that they really found the hopelessness of it so very sad. I felt sorry for him. That’s the state for all who are not Christian.
In context, I want you to realize that what Paul is implying here is that these things the Gentiles didn’t have is what Israelites did have. This verse is the counterpart to Romans 9 where Paul laments how many of his Jewish brothers had rejected Jesus. Paul there lamented because these are the things that the Jews of his day had been born into. Yet, sadly, by rejecting Christ, these are the things they then lost. That being said, Paul here is not focused on what apostate Jews lost but what converted Gentiles had gained.
That brings us then to our third point to consider verse 13. Here we see the change that has taken place for the Gentiles when they became Christian. Verse 13, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Our sermon title captures the turning point there with the words that start verse 13. “But now”. The Gentile Christians could remember back to what they used to be. That was essentially our first two points. But now a great change has taken place. They are no longer outsiders. They have become insiders. They are no longer alienated from the citizenry of Israel. They have become fellow citizens with all the saints of Israel. They are no longer strangers to the covenants of promise but beneficiaries of them all under the new covenant. Now they have hope, an eternal hope. Now they have come to know God and to be known by him. They are no longer separated from Christ. They have been united to Christ, with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Indeed, verse 13 explains that this change took place because of their relationship with Christ. That’s in those words “in Christ”. When someone hears the gospel, repents and turns to believe on Jesus, they become united to Christ. That’s what we’ve been learning about in Ephesians. It’s what happened to these Gentile Christians. They were united to Christ in faith. That is why verse 13 can specifically say that there change of status happened “in Christ”. It is “in Christ” that they have been brought near.
Verse 13 further explains how this works by mentioning the blood of Christ. This is how those who were far off can become near. This explains how outsiders can become insiders to God’s people. The blood of Christ has atoned for their sins. Next week we’ll delve further into this as verses 14-17 explain more. But the basic point is that the reason people are alienated from God and his people is their sin. God is holy, and he requires holiness to be in a right relationship with him. Sin and transgression separates us from God and thus also from God’s people. As long as sin remains unatoned for, there cannot be any genuine fellowship with either God or his church. But that is what the blood of Christ does. It covers and washes away our sins. It purifies in God’s sight. When God looks at those justified by Christ through faith, he no longer sees a sinner but a saint. That is why the reference here to the blood of Christ is so important. It explains that it is not merely our union with Christ, but it is union even with the death of Christ, that we might also share in the life of Christ.
Again, I point to what we can infer from this. If Gentiles have been brought near to God’s people through their union with Christ, then Jews who have rejected Christ have been cut off from God’s people. Rejecting Christ excommunicates you from the church of Christ. Jews who had been a part of the commonwealth of Israel, from the standpoint of the visible church, become outsiders to Israel. For they have separated themselves from Christ. They are not a part of the new covenant community. Such Jews are apostate, without hope, and without God in this world.
At the start of the sermon, I said this passage would reveal that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are being united into a single church. There is no room, biblically, to segregate Jewish Christians from Gentile Christians into separate churches. As verse 15 will say, God is making us all into one new man. Segregation in the church based on matters of the flesh is not in keeping with the Spirit. This likewise rules out the error of Dispensationalism which separates Israel according to flesh from the church, as if God has separate redemptive plans for Israel according to the flesh apart from the church. But no, this shows that God’s has a single redemptive plan. God is making a single body made up Christians regardless of their fleshly lineage. This true Israel is God’s chosen people, not Israel according to the flesh. Praise God for the redeeming blood of Jesus that unites all the saints together in Christ!
Trinity Presbyterian Church, today we’ve reflected on matters of who is in the visible church of God’s people. That church has historically been called Israel. That title still is appropriate, though other titles like the church of Christ are also fitting and more commonly used today. We’ve considered the relationship of the church with both Jews and Gentiles. We’ve seen that Gentile outsiders have been brought into Israel the church through faith in Christ. We’ve also discussed how Jewish insiders have been turned into outsiders from Israel the church by rejecting Jesus. By way of some final application, let us apply this passage to our modern circumstances.
What I mean is that we have the distance of almost two thousand years from this passage. Back then the church of Jesus Christ which was Israel began with mainly Jewish Christians and had to learn to embrace the many Gentiles who were joining with them. Today, the circumstance is that we’ve been enjoying about two thousand years of unity in the church. The fleshly distinctions of Jew and Gentile have largely disappeared from our thinking, as they should. But the concept of insiders and outsiders to the visible church has remained a valid concept. We see the distinction very clearly at the table of the Lord. Outsiders to the covenant have no seat at the Lord’s Supper. You can’t become a member of the church apart from trusting in Christ. Baptism now marks out who is a citizen of Christ’s kingdom. But the application of this passage in our modern context is to realize that God is yet making outsiders into insiders. God is yet turning strangers into fellow saints in the church of Jesus Christ. When someone is born again and begins to follow Christ in faith, they ought to be baptized into the church and afforded all the rights and privileges thereof.
Let us warmly receive into the church all converts to Christ, regardless of their earthly background. Whatever we were according to the flesh, that ultimately falls to the background in our union with Christ. No fleshly distinction can trump what we are spiritually together in Christ. This doesn’t mean that our fleshly differences disappear. Jewish Christians were still ethnically Jewish even while Gentile Christians were still ethnically Gentiles. But they were all spiritually Christian and that means they have a greater unity than anything that might otherwise try to separate them. Likewise, let us welcome in love whomever God brings into his church, even if they are very different from us in earthly aspects. Praise God for how he brings people of all sorts into one new man in Christ Jesus, our Lord!
Amen.
Copyright © 2025 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
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