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You, as former gentiles…

Are you a gentile Christian? Are you a former gentile?

Ephesians 2:11-13 contains a curious quip from Christianity's favorite theologian:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
-Paul in his letter to Ephesus, NIV translation
How do you interpret this?
At first glace, I think he’s saying gentiles are no longer gentiles. What do you think?
Sometimes I like to go to the unadulterated literal translation. Fewer biases in the translator (or so we hope!):
Wherefore, remember, that you once were the nations [gentiles] in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands,
that you were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world;
and now, in Christ Jesus, you being once far off became near in the blood of the Christ.
-Paul in his letter to Ephesus, literal translation
Let’s pick this apart.
The first thing I notice is that it starts with “Wherefore”, or perhaps more modernly translated, “Therefore”. Paul does this a lot. I call it the argument/consequences pattern. (Not a real name, just trying to sound smart.) It goes like this:
[X is good. Here’s why…] <—This is the argument
Therefore, [because X is good…] < – This is the consequence
The problem with interpreting this curious verse is that we’re starting dead-smack in the middle of the consequence. We’re missing the whole argument!
I won’t post the whole argument: go read it for yourself. Here’s my summarized interpretation of it:
You used to follow the ways of the world, sinning like crazy. You were dead. You were separate from Israel.
But God loved us, so he saved us by giving us Messiah. He did it to show how great He is. It's all Him, we sure didn't warrant it!
Good, now we have context.
You used to sin like crazy, doing the ways of the pagan gentiles without remorse. God saved you from that. <—This is the argument
THEREFORE!
Therefore what? His consequence is hard to read because Paul has these long run-on sentences. It’s hard to identify what’s the subject and what he’s getting at.
you once were the nations [gentiles] in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands,
that you were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world;
and now, in Christ Jesus, you being once far off became near in the blood of the Christ.
Notice the long sentence with lots of details in the middle. The details are how terrible your life was as a unrepentant gentile in the nations: uncircumcised, cut off from Israel, foreign to God's covenants with Israel, no hope, no God.
Those are important details, but the abundance of details makes it hard to read what he’s getting at. Let’s hide these details for a moment and cut to the chase:
You once were the gentiles in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands,
that you were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world;
and now, in Christ Jesus, you being once far off became near in the blood of the Christ.
That's easier to read. But notice the redundancy: “you were once the gentiles” and “you being once far off”. Let’s temporarily hide the redundancy.
You once were the gentiles in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands,
that you were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world;
and now, in Christ Jesus, you being once far off became near in the blood of the Christ.
That’s Paul’s consequence in a nutshell: You were once sinful gentiles, but now because of Messiah’s atoning blood sacrifice, you’re set right with God.
If we can take summaries of both the argument and consequence, it would look like this:
You used to be gentiles: doing the sinful things of the world, separate from God’s dealings with Israel. But Messiah saved you from all that. Sheer gift of God. [argument]
So, now you’re set right with God. [consequence]
Is Paul saying you’re no longer a gentile? Is he saying you're part of Israel? The answer lies in the next half of Ephesians 2. Ironically, the next half has been used as a weapon against Torah observance, with some translations reading that Paul is abolishing the Torah. Wheh!
In the next post, we’ll cover the last bit of Ephesians 2 and see if Paul really has abolished the Torah, and whether gentiles are Israelites. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I’d like to hear what you fine blog readers think about this. Are you a former gentile?

15 comments:

  1. “In the meantime, I’d like to hear what you fine blog readers think about this. Are you a former gentile?” (Judah)

    I don’t believe we become ‘former gentiles’ at all – the point is there is nothing wrong with being a ‘gentile’ and following after God. Jesus has broke down that assumption and made peace for all – those on the outside (gentiles) and those on the inside (Jewish). They are all able to seek God irregardless of their background.

    I do not believe we become Jewish at all – this is not what happens in real life. I do not become a Christian and all of a sudden ‘poof’ I am Jewish too. I am a First Nations person – I did not turn Jewish at conversion – and nor am I asked to. Christ called those were ‘far’ (eph 2:17) and brought them ‘near’ – as in terms of access.

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  2. Judah,

    I'm glad you have decided to present this subject on your blog. There are so many who shy away from the question of whether or not gentiles remain gentile after conversion. And for those of you who may wonder if this is important, the answer is yes, it is.

    But before you can have any meaningful discourse about this subject you must first define your terms.

    What exactly is a "gentile"?

    What exactly is a "Jew"?

    And most important of all, Who is Israel?

    Are "Jew" and "gentile" merely fleshly distinctions that mean nothing in the kingdom of heaven? Did Messiah really do away with those differences and bring us into a purely spiritual realm where none of the previous covenants remain in force?

    And finally, does scripture support the idea of only one people who belong to YHVH, or is there scriptural support for two separate groups of people who will somehow manage to come together at some point in the future?

    Please keep in mind that what we as humans think about the subject is not important. What YHVH thinks about it is most important.

    I am looking forward to the comments from readers who have a passion for the truth of who we are in Messiah Yeshua.

    Shalom,

    Efrayim

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  3. Shalom Judah,

    I often have fun with this statement of Paul. I ask "What is the opposite of a Gentile?" The answer is usually "Jew". Then I show them this quote of Paul where we are to be former Gentiles. Then I watch their head spin. :)

    Do I think that Paul wants us to be Jews? No. But it is sad that most believers would consider Paul wanting us to be Jews as the equivalent to Paul wanting us to be atheists. I use a scale where one is the most orthodox of Jews and ten is the most charismatic of Christians. I think the real answer lies about a four. Where did Paul think we should be? I would point out that he never disavowed being a Jew!

    Shalom, Jeff.

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  4. Judah,

    While we are waiting for the definition of terms to arrive, I thought I might ask this question:

    According to the text, gentiles were strangers to the covenants of promise. Meaning of course that they were not a part of those covenants which would then logically render them to be without God. My question therefore is this:

    Does being a gentile (assuming the meaning of that word that we can derive from the text) mean that you are not a part of the covenants made with Israel?

    Before someone answers you may want to read Jeremiah 31:31. It is clear who the new covenant would be made with, and if someone were not a part of those people, then they would be strangers to that covenant.

    So what happens when a stranger adheres to the covenant of YHVH? Torah gives us the answer. And it is certainly not based on genetics.

    By the way, Sha'ul would not even consider trying to convince or make "gentiles" into "Jews". He knew that would be impossible. But he also knew that the House of Israel would be called into the covenant from wherever they had been scattered. That was a promise of the covenant.

    Shalom,

    Efrayim

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  5. Society,

    Thanks for your thoughts on this. I, too, don't believe Paul is saying gentiles become Jewish.

    He is saying you're a former gentile. What do you think he means when he says, "You as former gentiles..."?

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  6. Jeff,

    Thanks for your input. Interesting stuff indeed. We often think of "Jew" opposite of "gentile". In some ways that's true, but that doesn't mean Paul is talking about being Jewish here.

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  7. Efrayim,

    You get to the meat of the matter! Who is Israel is the important question - it really boils down to this.

    What you say is right, it doesn't matter what men think. I will keep that in mind when writing up the next post.

    Shalom guys!

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  8. Definition of a Jew...

    To know God and make God known.

    So, if you know God and tell others about God, guess what?

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  9. Efrayim,

    You pose a profound question,

    "Does being a gentile mean you're separate from the covenant with Israel?"

    I'm having a hard time answering that, honestly.

    Jeremiah 31 says he'll make the New Covenant with the "House of Israel and the House of Judah". Judah, of course, being the southern nation of Judah that was around in Messiah's time; the Jewish people.

    The house of Israel was the northern nation carried off into Assyrian captivity, who hadn't returned even in Messiah's time. (Although, the book of James is addressed to them.)

    Jeremiah 31 suggests the New Covenant is made only with the House of Israel and House of Judah. Scattered Israel and returned Jews.

    Where do gentiles fit? Are pure gentiles who have no lineage to Jacob somehow grafted into Israel through Messiah? (Real questions here.)

    Paul is saying gentiles were foreign to these covenants. He's right, gentiles were! But then he calls them "former gentiles" and says Messiah has brought them near and implies they are no longer foreign to the covenants with Israel.

    This is very interesting, very deep stuff. It has the potention to implicate a huge change in Christian theology.

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  10. Lou,

    In that sense we're Jews. Not in the biological sense! We're not all descendants of Jacob, obviously.

    Some of you may think I'm posting this with a theological agenda. I'm not. I'm honestly interested in finding out what Paul meant by "You, as former gentiles".

    Lou, do you think Paul is saying gentiles have become Jews? Or maybe gentiles have become Israelites? He's apparently saying gentiles have changed into something else. What are they changing into? (Real question.)

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  11. Most of the confusion comes from the English translations and doctrine over the past 2000 years. It’s like the word “law” in scripture. Every time it is said it does not necessarily mean Torah. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.

    So too with the word Gentiles. Sometimes it means “Physical bloodline” other times it means “Nations that don’t know God”.

    Look at the scripture,
    Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

    Does this mean that when we are “in Christ”, woman are no longer female? Of course not.

    To quote from a book by Brendan Manning “A Rabbi’s Heartbeat”. “If I needed one word to describe Jesus, it would be reconciliation”. It is always in God’s heart to reconcile all people to Himself. We all come from Him, we will all return to Him. Some with hearts bowed in reverence, others standing in defiance.

    Consider these scriptures…

    Rom 9:25-26 / Hosea 2:23 As He says also in Hosea, "I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED’ AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD."

    Isa 56:6-7 "Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples."

    So I believe that what is being said by Paul is God is about reconciling, and they have now (Gentiles) come into the household of God.

    I have an interesting piece by Bill Cloud, “B’reshiyt, The Messiah Revealed”. In it he breaks apart the Hebrew for the first line in the Bible, In the beginning God. To sum it up, it could be interpreted this way, “In the beginning God went about creating for Himself a household.” Inferring children would be part of it.

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  12. I just realized "BeReshit / Genesis 1:1" is in the Torah portion this week. Funny how all things come around.

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  13. Judah,

    You're right, it is not an easy question with an easy answer. But it is one that must be answered if we are to know who we are in Messiah and what our responsibilities in the Kingdom of YHVH consist of.

    You also asked a difficult question:

    "Where do gentiles fit? Are pure gentiles who have no lineage to Jacob somehow grafted into Israel through Messiah? (Real questions here.)"

    I personally believe that you would hard pressed to find a "pure" gentile or a "pure" Jew. History looks too much like a rock tumbler to think that there has been anyone whose line is completely untouched by anyone else.

    But even if you did happen to find, and could prove without a doubt, a pure genetic line from Jacob to today, we have been given clear teaching from Messiah Yeshua that it would be of no use whatsoever. And rightly so. YHVH is a Spirit.

    Now the word "former", as used by Sha'ul to describe those who were from nations other than Israel and who had come to faith in YHVH through Yeshua, has a limited range of applicability. It refers to lifestyle only.

    In other words, if someone who was born and raised in China decided to move to America and live in California just like the native Californians do, they would not genetically be a "former" Chinese.

    They would be a "former" Chinese citizen. And after becoming a citizen of the new country and abiding by its laws, the "former" Chinese citizen would now be considered an American citizen.

    Of course that person may prefer to be called a "Chinese American". But that preference does not change the facts. That person would remain genetically Chinese and an American citizen. But you may be quite certain that should that same person commit a crime in America, they would be tried by American law, not Chinese law.

    So now we have a record in scripture that describes what was taking place as "gentiles" started to come to trust in the Elohim of Israel.

    1. The new covenant was promised to the House of Judah and the House of Israel only.

    2. Sha'ul says that those who were outside of those two houses and belonged to other nations should be considered "former" citizens of those nations and current citizens of Israel. Eph. chapter 2.

    3. There will be those who will choose to continue to be called "gentile" simply because they believe that they are not Jews. Or be called "gentile Christian" or whatever.

    4. There will be those who will choose to be called "Jews" because they are firmly convinced that they qualify for either the common, or their own, definition of what a "Jew" is. Not a problem.

    5. What all of us in Messiah Yeshua should be called, and calling each other, is "Israelites". Because that is what we are. Citizens of the commonwealth of Israel. Participating in the covenants of promise through faith in Messiah Yeshua and His sacrifice.

    But if someone is still hung up on the genetics of the whole thing, read the book of the Hosea. You will see where all these "gentiles" who accept Yeshua come from and why they have been invisible for centuries.

    Put that information together with what Yeshua said and the picture should get a little clearer.

    Both houses of Israel will be united in Messiah Yeshua. New creatures for the new covenant. That is our hope of salvation.

    But if someone just has to be a "gentile", and live like someone from the "other" nations, keep in mind that you will be judged by the Torah of Israel, and not what your friends or pastor happen to believe.

    Something to consider.

    Shalom,

    Efrayim

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  14. Judah,

    I wonder of your picture showing a Priest distributing Ashes on Ash Wednesday is an intentional slam on catholicism? As a Catholic I take exception to it. The Catholic Church is the one that Jesus started and we do not go around trying to discredit and slam other faiths. I will not do so here, but I will say that I am quite content and happy to be a catholic. there is so much misinformation and lies spread about Catholicism that if you are curious, you would do well to buy a copy of the Catechism and study it to understand more about the 'strange' ritual of distributing ashes. It is simply a reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return, and that we need to rely on God for everything.

    God Bless!

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  15. Anonymous,

    Both parents were Catholics and came out of that religion.

    Please read my post on Catholic Relevance and Church: Behold Your Founder.

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