Called, Reconciled, and Built Together
Because Christ has reconciled sinners both to God and to one another, he calls us to live in unity as one body, growing together in truth, maturity, and love.
In Acts 19, the apostle Paul went to the city of Ephesus. He spent three months reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue. Then he withdrew and taught daily in the Hall of Tyrannus for another two years. His efforts were remarkably effective. We’re told, “All the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10). Later, Luke adds, “The word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (Acts 19:20).
Ephesus was no small town. It was one of the most important cities in the region and was famous for its religion. You’re likely familiar with the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. This was a thoroughly pagan city. When Paul came preaching the gospel and making disciples, he was not affecting only a few individuals; he was shaking the life of the city itself. That’s why a local silversmith named Demetrius, who made idols for a living, was able to incite a riot. Christianity threatened their religion, their culture, their identity, and, in the case of idolmakers, their livelihood.
Ephesus was hostile territory, and becoming a Christian could be costly. You didn’t simply change your religion without consequence. You had to shift your loyalties in ways that could damage relationships with family and friends and ruin your public reputation.
Even so, “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (Acts 19:20). God had a people in that place, and a church was formed. Years later, Paul could write this letter to an established congregation.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians can be divided into two parts. In the first half, Paul explains what Christ has done. In effect, he says, “You are Christians because of this. Your lives are completely different because Christ has done this for you.” In the second half, he explains how they ought to live in light of that reality.
What’s especially significant is Paul’s emphasis not only on how Christ reconciles sinners to God, but also on how he reconciles sinners to one another—specifically, Jews and Gentiles. God’s plan of salvation is not merely about rescuing individuals. It is also about creating a community of redeemed believers from every background, culture, and way of life. Though they were once divided, they are now united for mutual help and the glory of God.
One Sentence of Praise and a Subtle Shift
In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul begins with one long expression of praise to God. In fact, verses 3–14 form a single sentence in the original Greek. As we read this, notice two things.
First, notice the change in pronouns. It’s subtle, but Paul moves from speaking about “us” and “we” to speaking about “you.” It’s not obvious at first, but Paul has two groups in mind.
Second, notice how Paul gives credit for our salvation to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. This lays a foundation for the practical lessons that follow. Later, Paul will urge his readers to pursue unity among themselves. Here, he reminds them that sinners are saved and brought into the church only by the cooperative, unified work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Just as the unified Godhead acted together in Genesis 1 to create the first man and woman in covenant union, the unified Godhead acts together to redeem a people who are united with one another in the church.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3–14)
Again, this is one sentence in the original Greek.
From the very beginning of the letter, Paul establishes themes of unity and reconciliation. He writes that God’s ultimate plan is “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10). The unified Godhead is working to bring everything together under Christ’s authority. The goal is unity, accomplished through the salvation of sinners in a deeply broken and divided world.
But notice the pronoun shift again. God “blessed us … he chose us … that we should be holy and blameless.” Then Paul adds, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).
“We have been saved,” he says, “but you also have been saved.” Evidently, he has two groups in mind.
He clarifies this when he speaks of “we who were the first to hope in Christ” (Ephesians 1:12). Who were the first to hope in Christ? Jesus’ earliest disciples were Jews. In fact, Jesus initially instructed them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5–6). It was not until Cornelius’s conversion in Acts 10 that the church began to expand more fully among the Gentiles.
This becomes even clearer as the letter continues. When Paul refers to “we” and “you,” he is referring to Jews and Gentiles. As he later explains, he is speaking of those who were “near” to God and those who were “far off,” both spiritually and physically, since the Gentiles were far removed from the center of worship in Jerusalem (Ephesians 2:17).
Christ Breaks Down the Dividing Wall
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— 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. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11–22)
Consider how radical this was in the early church. The apostle Peter needed a special vision from God before he was willing to enter a Gentile’s home and speak about the gospel. When he arrived, he said, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). Even after that, Peter later drew back from fellowship with Gentiles when other Jews were present, which led to Paul confronting him publicly.
The reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles was extremely difficult. As Paul says, there was a “dividing wall of hostility” between them (Ephesians 2:14). In the temple itself, a literal wall separated Jews from Gentiles.
This division had deep roots in Israel’s history. For nearly 1,500 years, the Law of Moses had set Israel apart from every other nation. Circumcision marked them physically (Genesis 17:10–14). Dietary laws governed what they could eat (Leviticus 11). Purity laws regulated daily life (Leviticus 15). Even their clothing and calendar distinguished them (Numbers 15:38–39; Exodus 31:16–17). God had said, “I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples … You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine” (Leviticus 20:24, 26).
This separation became part of their identity, and it produced real hostility. Jews came to regard Gentiles as unclean, and Gentiles, in turn, often despised the Jews. There was suspicion and resentment on both sides.
But Christ came and reconciled them. He tore down the dividing wall of hostility by reconciling both groups to God. As Paul says, Christ created “in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile … both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:15–16).
This had always been God’s plan. When God called Abraham, he said:
I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2–3)
All the families of the earth, not just Israel, but Jews and Gentiles.
As God redeems his people and makes them “alive together with Christ,” he is not merely saving individuals (Ephesians 2:5). He is bringing them together. He is forming one new people. Paul writes:
You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19–22)
Notice the language Paul uses: fellow citizens, members of the household of God, a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God. These are not descriptions of individuals. They are corporate. God is redeeming people and binding them together into a single community.
Though they come from different backgrounds, cultures, and ways of life, they are united in Christ. They share the same citizenship. They belong to the same household. They are being built together into the same temple.
This is what Christ accomplished. He did not merely reconcile sinners to God in isolation. He reconciled them to one another. He formed a new people, a unified body, a dwelling place for God himself.
Walking Worthy of Our Calling Together
With that, in chapter 4, Paul moves from explaining what Christ has done to showing how we are to live in response. He writes:
I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1–3)
When I read this practical conclusion, two things stand out.
First, our calling as Christians is not limited to our relationship with God. That is often where new believers focus. I’ve been reconciled to God. I have responsibilities to God. And that is true. But Paul makes clear that our calling also includes our relationship and responsibilities to the body of Christ—the church.
Second, this calling is not always easy. When Paul tells us to be humble, gentle, and patient, to bear with one another in love, and to strive for unity, he assumes that relationships within the church will require effort. We do not need to be reminded to be humble unless we are tempted toward pride. We do not need to bear with one another unless there are burdens to bear.
It may feel distant and abstract to think about the original context—how difficult it was for Jews and Gentiles to live in unity—but even today, there are significant differences among us. How many of you, like me, sell funerals for a living? How many of you are in your mid-forties, but all of your children are still under the age of eight? How many of you would call Bob Dylan one of your favorite musicians? Are there any Atlanta Braves fans reading this?
So what holds the body of Christ together? Not shared hobbies, careers, politics, backgrounds, sports teams, or musical tastes. Paul answers that question directly:
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4–6)
Years ago, soon after I moved to North Carolina, I realized that many of my closest friends were much older, retired men. I was in my late twenties and early thirties, married but without children. Most of the men I spent time with were retired grandfathers. We were not in the same stage of life. My wife said it was because I’m an old soul. Whatever the reason, I genuinely cherished those friendships, despite having little in common on the surface.
What made those friendships work?
One hope. One Lord. One faith. One God.
That was more than enough.
Brother, if you want to listen to bluegrass rather than Bob Dylan, that’s fine. You’re not a Braves fan. You don’t even like baseball. So what? When you invite me to dinner, you may set more forks in front of me than I know how to use. When I invite you over, we may serve a meal that doesn’t require a fork at all. But none of that matters. We have Christ. In him, we are bound together for eternity.
There is no greater foundation for friendship than that. No matter our differences, by God’s help, we can be united. We are brothers. If Jews and Gentiles could be made one in Christ, there is nothing that can ultimately divide us.
Why God Calls Us to Grow Together
Having said all of that, we might ask why. Why does God bring us together and call us to walk the pilgrim’s pathway together? Why can’t we go it alone? We are 21st-century American men. We prize individualism and independence. Why does the Lord exhort us to bear with one another’s differences when it would be easier to surround ourselves only with people who share our interests?
Paul answers that question:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11–16)
God has given shepherds, teachers, and other leaders to equip the saints. But it is the saints themselves who carry out the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ. Together, they move toward unity, maturity, and conformity to Christ.
At the same time, we protect one another from being “tossed to and fro” by false teaching. This only happens when each member is actively engaged in the life of the body—serving, encouraging, and helping one another grow. The body grows as each part does its work.
Christian men, we should keep these truths in mind:
Christ saved us into a unified brotherhood.
Our unity is rooted in our shared identity in Christ.
Spiritual growth requires humility, patience, and intentional investment in one another.
God uses other men to help us mature and remain grounded in truth.
God designed us to grow spiritually through relationships with other men.