In Christ, in His Body

I think Paul was intentional in structuring his letter to the Ephesians the way he did. Last month, I walked through chapters 1 and 2, where Paul focused on the identity given to God's people. I find it no coincidence that in chapters 3 and 4, Paul moves from being one with Christ—identified by His grace—to being one with the body of Christ. 

Our vertical unity with God makes horizontal unity with His people possible. Paul spends the next two chapters showing believers what that unity looks like and how it builds up Christ’s body.

Paul specifically addresses the Gentiles in chapter 3:

“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (v.6)”

Why does he emphasize this?

Before Christ, God's covenant people were Israel, while the Gentiles stood outside those covenant promises. Yet through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, God established a new covenant so that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation might know that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rev. 7:9). Through faith in Christ, Jews and Gentiles alike are now fellow heirs of God's promises, united as one body. Like the Gentiles, we too have been brought near through Christ and welcomed into His Church (Eph. 2:13).

Because Christ has brought us near and united us as His body, our response should be to pray for and participate in the work He is doing throughout the world. 

We should pray that God's glory would extend far beyond our own lives. We should pray for the Church, for our leaders, and for future generations. We should pray for the Holy Spirit to help us live out the unity Christ has purchased for His people.

Paul writes, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:32). As members of one body, we display Christ's love as we build one another up in unity.

I think it's easy to claim Christianity in America. About 62% of Americans identify as Christians, yet only 25% of self-identified Christians attend church weekly. Many claim Christ, yet few consistently connect with the very body He established. Paul reminds us:

“[W]e 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.” (4:15-16). 

The body of Christ is not simply a place we attend, but a people we belong to. God designed His Church so that believers would grow together, encouraging and building one another up in love.

How remarkable, then, that through the Church, God's wisdom is made known even to the heavenly realms (Eph. 3:10). The angels marvel not merely because sinners are saved, but because God has chosen to pour out such immeasurable grace on those who were once far from Him and make them fellow heirs of His promises. They witness undeserving sinners, once dead in their trespasses, receive the unsearchable riches of Christ, the power of His Spirit, and the fullness of God. A gift this astonishing cannot leave a life unchanged. It calls us to obediently partake in the mission of the Gospel alongside fellow believers, proclaiming Christ to the nations and reflecting the unity of His body in Him, for Him, and through Him.

Reflection:

One of my deepest convictions while reading these chapters of Scripture was recognizing how little I pray for the Church. Friends, do you regularly pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ? This week, I encourage you to intentionally pray for a specific place—whether Nigeria, Ukraine, Arizona, or even your own household. Ask God to strengthen His people and continue building His Church throughout the world.

“Jesus’ primary concern—the very first petition of the prayer He teaches—is that more and more people, and more and more peoples, come to hallow God’s name. This is the reason the universe exists. Missions exists because this hallowing does not”

— John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions

By Lizzy Laymon