April
April 1
Chapter 2, Verse 10, con’t, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Two questions: When was beforehand and what does it mean to walk in good works? “Prepared beforehand,” by God, is προητοίμασεν, proētoimasen, combining pro = before, and hetoimazo = to prepare or make ready. It conveys the idea of being ordained and the aorist tense refers to a specific action having taken place in the past. The answer to when was beforehand is found in 1:3-10, particularly in verse 4, where Paul wrote the Father “chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world;” hence, sometime in eternity past before the Genesis creation account. Another hina is here, showing purpose, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν, hina en autois peripatēsōmen, “that in them we should walk.” In the bible, good works are actions that flow from love for God and others, serving as evidence of faith–charity, compassion, service, acts of kindness, living righteously, obedience to God–all motivated by love and not for personal recognition. Good works focus on God’s glory and are empowered by the Holy Spirit; i.e., a believer is led to do them. When? All the time, every day, in your normal walking around life, you should look around for opportunities to do good on behalf of others for the glory of God.
April 2
Chapter 2, Verse 11, “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”
“Therefore,” Διὸ, Dio, dervied from dia = across to the other side, and hos = which, brings to conclusion Paul’s declaration concerning salvation by grace through faith (vss. 8-10). Therefore, or consequently, because of the facts presented, remember. “Remember,” μνημονεύετε, mnēmoneuete, recollect, recall, bear in mind, introduces a look at the believer’s life before Christ reigned in their lives and a look forward to what they now have in Christ; it goes all the way to the end of the chapter. Remembering is a vital part of life because it helps construct personal identity, it shapes our view of the world around us, and it provides the foundation for learning and growth. It acts as a bridge between past experiences (vss. 11-12), and future actions (vss. 13-22), and then allows us to build, connect, and thrive, rather than just survive. Remembering also strengthens relationships by fostering empathy and enabling us to honor the past. Also of great importance is remembering past mistakes and the freedom we have in Christ will help prevent us from moving backwards. As Paul said to Timothy, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).
April 3
Chapter 2, Verse 11, con’t, “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”
Long before Abraham, Moses, and the Law, God issued a decree that the seed of the woman, Eve, would crush the head of the serpent, the personal agent of sin, who deceived mankind (Genesis 3:15). It is commonly called the protoevanelium, or “first gospel” given on behalf of all men. Nevertheless, since the patriarchs just mentioned, a huge seemingly insurmountable gulf has existed between Jew and Gentile. Paul previously described the uncircumcised, Gentiles, as a people who “were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-3). The word uncircumcised was used by the Jews as a derogatory term for those outside the old covenant in Abraham. The circumcision, Jews, flaunted the fact of their national identity and false hope that simply being a Jew and “keeping” the law made them righteous before God to the exclusion of everyone else. Paul knew both sides of that argument very well having been “circumcised the eighth day” (Philippians 3:5) and raised as a Roman citizen who, themselves, hated Jews. But Paul discovered the truth in Christ. He wrote, “But whatever gain I had, [by being a Jew], I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:7-9). In Romans 10:12-13, he wrote, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
April 4
Chapter 2, Verse 11, con’t, “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“
In the last half of the 20th century, a french song, “Comme d’habitude,” became famous in the U.S. by Frank Sinatra as “My Way.” The memorable, repeated lyric was “I did it my way.” Thousands of years earlier, mankind was already using that mantra of self-sufficiency in every walk of life, especially religion. The Egyptians and others created their own gods and by their craftsmanship made graven images to represent their man-made deities. When Moses stood before God to receive the 10 Commandments, the Lord said, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). Meanwhile, at the foot of Mt. Sinai, the Hebrews were fashioning a golden calf to mimic Egyptian worship (Exodus 32). The real problem for the followers of Yahweh goes all the way back to Abraham and God’s covenant with him. It was a covenant of blood and sacrifice (Genesis 15). The sign of the covenant was circumcision (Genesis 17). But circumcision was only a sign, not the covenant itself. In time, the sign became more important to the Jews that what it represented. In Hebrews 10:8-10 we read, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Abraham was not seeking a sign, he was seeking God, by faith. And so should it be today. Things made by hands may well point us to God, but they cannot make us right with God.
April 5
Chapter 2, 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.”
ὅτι ἦτε τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ χωρὶς Χριστοῦ, hoti ēte tō kairō ekeinō chōris Christou, “that you were at the time that separate from Christ.” “Remember” is not in the Greek text, but is accurately placed to connect verse 12 to Paul’s statement in verse 11, “remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh.” Before they came to faith in Jesus, they were separated, alienated, strangers, and without hope–completely godless. The adverb χωρίς, choris, (used here as a preposition) = without, by itself, beside, is from χώρα, chora = a space of territory, which in turn is from χάσμα, chasma = a gulf or chasm, a place impossible to cross. The extent of its meaning is frightening. In Luke 16:19-26, we read the story of a rich man and Lazarus, Jesus’ friend. Both men died. The rich man woke up in hell, in torment, and cried out for help. But help was not to be found because between him and the peaceful place where Lazarus awoke was “a great chasm” that could not be crossed. The rich man who thought his wealth and work was sufficient, was eternally separated from God. And so it is for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, who are not in Christ.
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