Ephesians 2:21-22 (MSG) – Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
“The closing verses of the chapter take one of the central symbols of Judaism and turn it inside out. The temple in Jerusalem was not only the religious heart of the nation, and the place of pilgrimage of Jews throughout the world. It was also the political, social, musical and cultural heart of Jerusalem – as well as the place of celebration and feasting. The reason for all this was, of course, that Israel’s God had promised to live there. It was, many believed, the place where earth and heaven met. But now Paul is declaring that the living God is constructing a new temple. It consists not of stones, arches, pillars and altars, but of human beings. Some Jews had already explored the idea that a community, rather than a building, might be the place where God would really and truly take up his residence. But until Paul nobody had said anything quite like this.”
[N.T. Wright, Ephesians: 11 Studies for Individual and Groups, chap. 4, Kindle]
What are the implications for being a citizen of God’s kingdom?
How should our interactions with each other be different because we are members of God’s family?
[N.T. Wright, Ephesians: 11 Studies for Individual and Groups, chap. 4, Kindle]
Let’s thank God for the opportunity to be part of his family and ask him to use us to make others feel welcomed into it.
– AW