Better Than Solomon's Temple

A couple years after 911 my wife Chris and I were in NYC on a Redeemer Church recruiting trip considering planting a church in Manhattan.  One of the areas we were asked to consider was Battery Park City, located just west of Ground Zero.  At the time of our visit the enormous cleanup had been completed and the rebuilding and repairing of the subway station had begun.  Today there are two reflection pools where the twin towers stood, a museum and the recently completed Freedom Tower.    

Building projects take considerable time. If you have ever been part of a building project, you know exactly what I mean.  The bigger the project, the more time it takes.  The Freedom Tower was officially open just last November.  Construction on the famous Notre Dame Cathedral began in 1163 and completed in 1345, taking only 182 years to build!  Surprisingly, at best estimates it took 7 years for Solomon’s Temple, and 13 years for his palace.  The temple of Paul’s day, Herod’s Temple took 82 years to complete.

In Ephesians 2:19-22 Paul gives a picture of a spectacular building project that has already taking longer to build than the aforementioned and is incomplete. The big picture here is that God is in the middle of a massive building project where He is building a temple for Himself that is immensely more spectacular than Solomon’s’ Temple.  It is a “holy temple” (2:21) where God Himself lives.  This temple is not constructed from stone, wood or any man-made materials, but rather is constructed with God’s people. It may seem somewhat of a bizarre concept at first, however when comprehended will give a new perspective on our place and calling in this life.

“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.”

Taking a closer look at this new temple we find that the structural core itself is Jesus Christ.  In this passage Paul writes that Christ is the cornerstone. This was not a novel idea to Paul, as Isaiah prophesied “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation…” (Isaiah 28:16).  The cornerstone placed at the corner of two walls is an essential part of the foundation, and in fact the overall structure. Christ holds the structure together – “in whom the whole structure, being joined together” (21 -NIV) giving the building stability, direction and growth.

Built upon and around the foundation work of Christ is the message of the apostles and prophets (2:20a).  It was their gospel proclamation that is foundational to the structure.  In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. . .”  (Mt 16:18).  And looking at the building having been completed we read “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Re 21:14). 

With the Cornerstone and the foundation in place, Paul moves on to the bricks or façade which are God’s people (2:19, 22).  It is fascinating how in this chapter Paul takes the Ephesian believer from being locked out of the temple to being an essential part of its construction.  Paul gives them and us a new identity as he goes from “stranger” to “fellow citizen with the saints”.  From “alien” to “members of the household of God”.   F.F. Bruce comments “The new community, God’s fellowship of reconciliation, transcends all distinctions of race, status, and sex”.  

Being part of this new temple not only gives the Believer a new identity, but a new calling. “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (22), or as the NIV puts it, “… built together into a permanent dwelling place of God by the Spirit”. Note Well the “you too” or “you also”. That remind the Gentiles once again that they were included right alongside everyone else.  Paul is giving a beautiful and comforting picture that the Ephesian’s were now part of God’s earthly sanctuary, his dwelling place or home.  A place of protection, intimacy and love.  It is a very large dwelling place where “there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossian 3:11). Peter describes it this way: “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, your yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-6)

As Paul wrote these words to the Ephesian believers, he knew the splendor of Solomon’s Temple that had been destroyed long ago.  The temple that then stood in Jerusalem was called Herod’s temple and though a large complex, it was nothing in comparison to Solomon’s Temple.  From 1 Kings Chapter 6 and 7, we see that it was an elaborate and expensive building containing extensive amounts of gold, silver, precious stone and rare wood.  Once it was destroyed it could never be rebuilt.

The Ephesians were not as aware of either Solomon’s or Herod’s temples, but lived in the shadow temple of Artemis or Diana.  It was a grand building and classified as one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.  With that image in mind, Paul tells them that they get to part of something more magnificent then the temple of Artemis and more glorious – better than Solomon’s Temple!  The Believers then and now have the privilege of being built up into the holy temple of God.

Christ is busy redeeming people from death to life. This is not simply about race, it is about those who were Gentiles, uncircumcised, it is about those who were at one time separated from God (12), it is all of us, with our sin, brokenness, and pride….. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. . . ” (2:10). 

Now that is good news! 

Feeling Like An Outcast

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— 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. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 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, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  -  (Ephesians 2:11–18 - ESV). 

Let’s face it, life is competitive. People constantly jockey for power, prestige or recognition.  No one wants to be unpopular, weird or left out, yet our culture is full of barriers that bind people into classifications that can be highly detrimental.  I am sure you understand that this is nothing new.  In fact, the early church faced it as Christianity exploded into what was then a classification of people called Gentiles.  This was not minority, but the majority as a Gentile was anyone who was not of Jewish decent.  I will not take the time to address the tensions between the two, however trust me when I say that they were both spiritually and socially enormous.

Significant to our discussion was the spiritual exclusion of the Gentile from Temple worship. This was very evident in the structure of the Temple complex which consisted of a series of courts. Each court was a little higher than the one that went before, with the Temple itself standing in the center.  Starting from the outside was the Court of the Gentiles; then the court of the Women; then the Court of the Israelites; then the Court of the Priests; and finally the Holy Place itself.

The Gentile could only enter the first court.  Between it and the Court of Women was a wall and engraved in the stone were warnings that a Gentile or foreigner was liable to death if they proceeded beyond that point.  Paul was keenly aware of that barrier because his final arrest in Jerusalem was when he was wrongly accused of bringing Trophimus, an Ephesian Gentile, beyond that wall. (Acts 21:28.29). 

This is the historical, social and religious background to these verses in Ephesians 2.  John Stott writes, “Although all human beings are alienated from God because of sin, the Gentiles were also alienated from the people of God.  And worse even than this double alienation (of which the Temple wall was a symbol) was the active ‘enmity’ or ‘hostility’ into which it continuously erupted – enmity between men and God, and enmity between Gentiles and Jews”.

Into this mess, marches the Gospel.  Notice how Ephesians chapter 2 begins with a predicament or the “bad news”. In verses 1-3 Paul first graphically describes our helpless condition as those who were dead, enslaved and condemned.  Yet in verse 4 he emphatically breaks through the hopelessness to give the good news with the words “But God . . .” followed by “being rich in mercy, because of the great love which He loves us, even when dead in our trespasses made us alive with Christ – by Grace you have been saved” (2:4-5 - ESV).

Once again in verse 11-12, Paul gives a hopeless predicament when he describes the Gentile as of the  “uncircumcision,” “separated from Christ,” “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel,” “strangers to the covenants of promise,” “having no hope,” and “without God in the world”.  William Hendriksen summarizes it as “Christless, stateless, friendless, hopeless and Godless”.  Once again Paul gives a resounding “But Now . . .” in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (2:13-17).

Building on all that he has written so far in this letter, Paul shows how the blood of Christ has brought peace through annihilating the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile and has created a “new man [people] in place of the two” (2:15).  In destroying the dividing wall, Christ has made those who thought they were near to God and those who were considered “far away” and created a new people who have been purchase by His blood. Fourth century Archbishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom put it this way, “it is as if one should melt down a stature of silver and a stature of lead, and the two come out gold”.   

Beyond the physical temple wall was the barrier caused by “the law of commandments expressed in ordinances” (2; 15) or what is commonly referred to as the Ceremonial Law.  These laws which included sacrifices, circumcision and other ordinances were tied to temple worship.  They had been commanded by God, but had gone beyond the ceremonial to become another barrier used to keep the Gentiles “far off”.  The ceremonial law had served its purpose in pointing forward to Christ, but were fulfilled in Him and therefore abolished.  In addition Christ fulfilled the moral law that is summed up in the Ten Commandments through His perfectly righteous life.  It is through Christ’s death that our legal demand to perfectly and perpetually obey moral law was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14).  The Believer is now declared as righteous by receiving Christ’s righteousness by faith.  “Jesus abolished both the regulations of the ceremonial law and the condemnation of the moral law.  Both were divisive.  Both put aside by the cross” (Stott).  

Paul goes on to give us even more good news and that is that through the blood of Christ, God has reconciled God to Himself a fallen and sinful people.  This reconciliation to God is at the heart of the gospel.  In his letter to the Colossians Paul writes, “. . . and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Col. 1:20-23 - ESV).  And to the church in Corinth, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:16-19 - ESV).

Please notice how reconciliation with God is closely connected to a reconciliation with other believers.  Peace with God cannot be separated from peace with one another.  Going back to the passage at hand, Paul tells us that “through the cross” Christ has “made us both one” (2:14), created “one new man in place of two” (2:15), and are now “reconcile us both to God in one body” (2:16).  “Christ crucified has thus brought into being nothing less than a new united race, united in itself and to its creator” (Stott). 

This in fact is the message of Christ who “came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near” (2:17).  As a result those who were “far off” are not just admitted in the court of Israel, but into the most holy place ““For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (2:18).  This is truly beautiful!  Because of Christ, through faith the Believer receives something far more beneficial than going into the Holy Place in the Temple, we get to into the very presence of God.  No more barriers, no more distance.  

Though almost 2000 years have passed since Paul wrote these words there is powerful application for today.  First, know that every human begins life as an outsider or “far off”.   If Christ had not demolished the barrier and become our peace, we would be without hope!  This reality should drives us continually to a deeper love for Christ.

These words should also bring great comfort to those who feel like an “outcast”, those who consider themselves as “nobodies” and believe themselves to be “far off” from God and from other people.  Though most of us struggle with this, middle and high school students face it on a daily basis as they walk through the sociological mess of adolescence.  For those who are there, please know that in God’s upside down kingdom there is no “cool” or “not cool”.  In Christ you can have an identity that no one can take away.  There are no barriers of clothing, academics, or athletics, because Jesus gives you a new identity.

And for those struggling with spiritual pride and consider yourself to be “near” God, while looking down at those who are “far off,” beware that your spiritual pride will rob you of experiencing the joy that comes from living out the Gospel.  Paul is very clear when he ties our reconciliation to God to our reconciliation to others.  God is building what I call a “3^rd Culture” a people for Himself, a people who are known for their ability to love as they have been loved.

Paul also speaks very powerfully to those who the church often consider the outside or “far away”.   I’m referring to those who live, work and play around us.  Those people whose life or behavior may bother us whether it be due to race, lifestyle, politics or socio-economic status. We are called to be a people who living out the Gospel in our places or spheres of influence.  God is calling a people who are not called to set up walls, but destroy them as we share the good news of the Gospel. 

“But God . . . by Grace”

^“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” – (Ephesians 2:10 - ESV)

Long before the onslaught of DIY shows I have had an interest in restoration projects.  Whether it be a piece of furniture, an old clock, a car, or a house I find it fascinating to see a skilled craftsmen take what is old and damaged and restore it back to its original beauty.  One antique item that I have is a pulpit my grandfather found in a central Illinois barn in the 1930s.  It was old then so I have no idea when it was made or what it was made for.  The pulpit stayed in my grandmother’s cellar for 50 years until I drug it out.  Unfortunately by then it had been damaged by regular flooding in that old cellar resulting in the bottom six inches incurring water damage.  Due to the absence of proper tools, I simply cut the damaged wood off and refinished the rest of the pulpit . . . six inches shorter than it should have been.

In Ephesians 2:1-10 Paul describes a beautiful restoration that is taking place as God restores a dead, enslaved, and condemned people who by grace He is making into His glorious and holy temple (2:21) or as verse 10 says “his workmanship.”  Humanity is a mess!  In fact, Paul describes them as dead, enslaved and condemned!  First, they are dead due to spiritual depravity as well as active and continual trespassing of God’s law.  Second, they are enslaved to the “prince of the power of the air,” held as captives to the value system or “course” of this world, and living in “the passions of the flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind” (v.3).  As a result humanity is condemned to hell, or as Paul puts it “children of wrath” (v.3) 

To most this would be a building not worth trying to save. “But God” did not see it that way and rather than leave us dead, enslaved and condemned, chose to graciously save His children through giving the gift of faith.  It is all God from start to finish! He “made us alive with Christ” (v. 5), and “raised us up” and seated [us] with Him in the heavenly places” (v.6).  And God did this “being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us” (v.4), and by His “kindness towards us in Christ Jesus” (v.7), and all of this is through His “grace” (vv. 5, 8) – to “show the immeasurable riches of his grace” (v.7).   When all was lost, God loved us, and showed His kindness to us by mercifully saving us by grace. 

Let’s go back to the restoration of antiques. . . Looking across my office to the pulpit, I realize that the moment I refinished it, I destroyed much of its value.  If you have spent any time watching PBS’s “Antique Road Show” you have learned that even cleaning an antique can destroy its value.  Recently a collection of rare old automobiles was discovered in France.  Evidently, the collector had at one point wanted to put them in a museum, but for economic reasons was not able to do so, and as a result they remained in storage for decades.  Upon his death the recipients of his estate had them put up for auction.  Many of these rare vehicles had rusted and were in poor condition. The part that I found fascinating was that a leading collector said that many of the cars should not be restored, but left in the condition they were found.  

I suppose leaving a car in disrepair and decay is fine, however God is not content with His children staying in that condition.  God’s children are His workmanship created in Christ to show the world His gospel of grace.  When people see what God is doing in our lives, they give Him glory.  Years ago a family friend discovered an old car buried beneath dirt and brush behind another central Illinois barn.  The car that had been left to rot was a rare 1927 Duesenberg Model J.  Our friend took that car and lovingly restored it to like new condition.  Once restored it was worth several hundred thousand dollars, yet he chose not to leave it as a museum piece.  He chose to drive it using weddings and for letting kids (like me) ride in the tumble seat. 

Please know that God is not restoring us as trophies for a museum of faith, but to show immeasurable riches of his grace” in the places where live, work and play.  Like the antique car and pulpit we too are being restored by God so those around us will stop and notice the skill of the Master as He slowly restores us into the image of Jesus Christ.  God is at work!  King Jesus is reigning and the restoration of all things is in motion and has been taking place in the lives of those whom God touches by His grace. 

“But God . . . by Grace”