Ephesians 2:13

13 But now, in union with Christ Jesus you, who used to be far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13 Meaning and Commentary

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus
Being openly and visibly in Christ, created in him, and become believers in him; as they were before secretly in him, as chosen and blessed in him before the foundation of the world:

ye who sometimes were far off;
who in their state of unregeneracy were afar off from God, and from his law, and from any spiritual knowledge of him and fellowship with him; and from Jesus Christ, and from the knowledge of his righteousness, and the way of salvation by him; and from the Spirit, and any acquaintance with the things of the Spirit, and from minding them, and from walking after him; and from the saints and people of God, and from any love to them, and communion with them; and from any solid hopes of happiness, or real peace and comfort; which distance was owing both to Adam's sin and to their own transgressions: it is an observation of a Jewish writer


FOOTNOTES:

F1 on ( Genesis 3:9 ) "where art thou?" he (God) knew where he was, but he said so to show him that he was (pxwrm) , "afar off from" God by his sin: see ( Isaiah 59:2 ) , and yet

are made nigh by the blood of Christ:
so as to have nearness of access to and communion with God, Father, Son, and Spirit, and the saints, in virtue of the blood of Christ; which gives boldness and speaks peace; by which their persons are justified, the pardon of their sins is procured, reconciliation is made, and their garments are washed, and made white; and so they draw nigh with confidence by the faith of him.


F1 R. Abraham Seba, Tzeror Hammor, fol. 7. 2.

Ephesians 2:13 In-Context

11 You Gentiles by birth - called "the uncircumcised" by the Jews, who call themselves the circumcised (which refers to what men do to their bodies) - remember what you were in the past.
12 At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God's chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God's promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God.
13 But now, in union with Christ Jesus you, who used to be far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies.
15 He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with himself, in this way making peace.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. by the blood of Christ; [or] by the sacrificial death of Christ.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.