Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:13a-Gentile Christians Have Been Brought Near to God and His Covenant People Israel
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Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of remembering that formerly each of you who belong to the Gentile race with respect to the human body, specifically, those who receive the designation “uncircumcision” by the those who receive the designation “circumcision” with respect to the human body performed by human hands, 12 each one of you used to be characterized as without a relationship with Christ. Each one of you used to be alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship. Specifically, each of you used to be strangers to the most important promise, which is the product of the covenants. Each of you used to not possess a confident expectation of blessing. Consequently, each one of you used to be without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system. 13 However, because of your faith in and your union and identification with Christ Jesus each and every one of you as a corporate who formerly were far away have now been brought near by means of the blood belonging to this same Christ. (Lecturer’s translation)
In Ephesians 2:13 contains the statement nyni…en Christō Iēsou hymeis hoi pote ontes makran egenēthēte engys en tō haimati tou Christou (νυνὶ…ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ὑμεῖς οἵ ποτε ὄντες μακρὰν ἐγενήθητε ἐγγὺς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ), “because of your faith in and your union and identification with Christ Jesus each and every one of you as a corporate who formerly were far away have now been brought near by means of the blood belonging to this same Christ.”
Therefore, in Ephesians 2:13, Paul is asserting in this verse that these Gentile Christians who formerly were far away from God and His covenant people, Israel have now been brought near to them both by means of the blood of Christ because of their faith in Him at justification and their union and identification with Him.
This statement is an adversative clause because it presents a contrast with Paul’s statements in Ephesians 2:11-12.
In the latter, Paul identifies the recipients of this epistle as Gentiles who are called “uncircumcision” by the “circumcision,” namely the Jews.
He also issued a command that required that they must continue to make it their habit of remembering that they were at one time without a relationship with Christ, alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship, strangers to the most important promise (of the Messiah), which is the product of all the covenants.
They were also to continue to make it their habit of remembering that they did not possess a confident expectation of blessing and were thus without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system ruled by the devil.
Therefore, the contrast between these verses is these Gentile Christians not possessing a relationship with God or His covenant people, Israel and that of possessing a relationship with Him and His covenant people.
Thus, the contrast is between their unregenerate and regenerate states.
The nominative second personal plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), “each and every one of you as a corporate unit” since the word not only refers to the recipients of the Ephesian epistle as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
The use of this personal pronoun su (σύ), “each and every one of you” here in Ephesians 2:13 is unnecessary in Greek since the form of a finite verb in this language indicates the person, number and gender of the subject.
This is what makes Greek an “inflectional” language.
When the personal pronoun is used therefore, it may serve to clarify the subject or contrast the subject with someone else or for emphasis.
Here it is used for emphasis as well as contrast.
First, it is contrasting the regenerate state of these Gentile Christians described here in Ephesians 2:13 and their unregenerate state described in the contents of Ephesians 2:11-12.
Secondly, the presence of this pronoun emphasizes the present regenerate state of these Gentile Christians.
“Formerly” is the indefinite temporal particle temporal particle pote (ποτέ) which speaks of a period of time prior to these Christians being declared justified by the Father through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
Thus, it refers to their pre-conversion portion of their lives as human beings on planet earth, or in other words, it refers to their unregenerate portion of their lives.
The articular nominative masculine plural present active participle conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί) means “to belong to a particular class of people.”
This class of people are identified by the expression makran egenēthēte engys en tō haimati tou Christou (μακρὰν ἐγενήθητε ἐγγὺς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ), “have been brought near by means of the blood belonging to this same Christ.” (Author’s translation)
This word is identifying the subject or making explicit the identity of the subject.
The adverb of separation makran (μακράν), “far away” is used in a figurative sense of the relationship that did not exist between these Gentile Christians and God and His covenant people.
“Now” is the adverb of time nuni (νυνί) and refers to the regenerate of these Gentile Christians in Roman province of Asia who are the recipients of this epistle.
The adverb engys(ἐγγύς), “near” is also used in a figurative sense of the close, intimate relationship that now existed between these Gentile Christians and God and His covenant people, Israel.
The second person plural aorist passive indicative conjugation of the verb ginomai(γίνομαι) pertains to experiencing a change of condition or relationship and thus indicating entry into a new condition or relationship.
Therefore, this indicates that they entered into a relationship with God and His covenant people because of their faith in Jesus Christ at justification as well as their union and identification with Him.
The aorist tense of this verb is a consummative aorist, which emphasizes the cessation of the act of these Gentile Christians being entered into a relationship with God and His covenant people and in particular regenerate Jews because of being justified through faith in Jesus Christ and their union and identification with Him.
Therefore, it emphasizes the cessation of the act of these Gentile Christians being entered into a relationship with God and His covenant people and in particular regenerate Jews the moment they were declared justified by the Father through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
The passive voice of the verb ginomai (γίνομαι) indicates that these Gentile Christians received the action of being brought near to God and His covenant people Israel because of their faith in Jesus Christ at justification as well as their union and identification with Him.
In other words, the passive voice of this verb indicates that these Gentile Christians received the action of being entered into a close, intimate relationship with God and His covenant people Israel because of their faith in Jesus Christ at justification as well as their union and identification with His Son.
Therefore, the agency is the Gentile believers faith in Jesus Christ at justification and their union and identification with Him at justification, which was accomplished through the baptism of the Spirit.
Thus, this is a “divine-passive,” which emphasizes that God the Father working through both His Son and the Spirit were responsible for the Gentile Christians present status of being near to God and His covenant people, Israel.
Paul’s statement here in Ephesians 2:13 that the recipients of this epistle who he identifies as Gentile Christians were brought near by the blood of Christ and because of their faith in Him at justification and their union and identification with Him is alluding to Isaiah 57:19.
Bob Utley writes” This same concept is repeated in v. 17 where Isa. 57:19 is quoted (also notice Zech. 6:12–13). In Isaiah this text referred to Jewish exiles but here in Ephesians it refers to Gentiles. This is one example of Paul’s typological use of OT passages. The NT Apostles have universalized the OT hope. As the exiled Jews were apart from God, so too, the Gentiles were alienated from God.”[1]
Darrell Bock writes “The reference to nearness does not mean proximity but entrance, as verses 18–22 make clear (cf. Acts 2:39). The argument is like that of Isaiah 57:19, although there it is likely about Jews whether near or in diaspora (cf. Acts 22:21) and it might include nations alluded to in Isaiah 55:5 and 56:6–8.[2]The idea of being near also came to be used of proselyte discussion in Judaism (Mekilta on Exod. 18:5).[3]Paul is saying that alienation and estrangement are gone—not only between God and these groups, but between these peoples as well. What Christ did changed the Gentiles’ contact with God and also their relationship to Jews.”[4]
[1] Utley, R. J. (1997). Paul Bound, the Gospel Unbound: Letters from Prison (Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon, then later, Philippians): Vol. Volume 8 (p. 91). Bible Lessons International.
[2] Thielman, p. 158.
[3] Lincoln, p. 139.
[4] Bock, D. L. (2019). Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary(E. J. Schnabel, Ed.; Vol. 10, p. 76). Inter-Varsity Press.