Made New: An Ephesians Book Studyنموونە

Lines are a part of life. We have them everywhere. Some are visible, while others are invisible.

Some lines help us. For instance, the lines on a road keep us safe, tell us where to drive, create order, and give us boundaries.

Other lines have caused a lot of harm. Not long ago, in our country, there were lines between people based on the color of their skin. Segregation was rampant, and boundaries kept people with different skin tones from being able to live in certain areas, go to restaurants, use public restrooms, have equal pay, and obtain employment…this heartbreaking list goes on.

In Paul’s time, a similar invisible line separated Jewish people from non-Jewish people (Gentiles). The Jewish people had their own way of life, and their religion governed everything from who they married to what they ate. They kept themselves completely separate from Gentiles until Jesus came and destroyed this invisible boundary line.

When we read through Ephesians 3:2-6, we notice how Paul describes the mystery of Christ. He reveals the mystery of Christ that had been hidden for generations: There is no longer Jew or Gentile. We are all heirs and a part of God’s family through Christ (v. 6).

Through Jesus’ loving sacrifice, He removed the line that separated us from God. But a part of the mystery made known is that this sacrifice not only connected us to God but also connected us to each other. Christ’s sacrifice removed the line between people. Jews and Gentiles were now one family, heirs together in the gift of eternal life with a loving Father, parts of one body that is made whole by coming together.

Response
1. As we read about the mystery of Christ in Ephesians 3:2-6, we see how Jesus came to unify all of us back to God, our Heavenly Father, making us His heirs. How does this truth come about? If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are God’s heir, His child, and part of His family.

2. Ask God to show you the lines you might intentionally or unintentionally draw that He wants to bridge.

3. Journal a prayer to God about the lines He revealed to you.

Weekly Memory Verse
"I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

Written by Michelle White