Devotions on the Greek New Testament: 52 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct by J. Scott Duvall & Verlyn Verbrugge

Author:J. Scott Duvall & Verlyn Verbrugge
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Biblical Meditations, Bibles, New Testament, General, Religion, Language Study, Biblical Reference
ISBN: 9780310492542
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2012-10-23T00:00:00+00:00

The σύν-Mirror of Chris tian Salvation and Chris tian Unity

EPHESIANS 2:19 – 22 Ἄρα οὖν οὐκέτι ἐστὲ ξένοι καὶ πάροικοι ἀλλὰ ἐστὲ συμπολῖται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ οἰκεῖοι τοῦ θεοῦ . . . ἐν ᾧ πᾶσα οἰκοδομὴ συναρμολογουμένη αὔξει εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον ἐν κυρίῳ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς συνοικοδομεῖσθε εἰς κατοικητήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν πνεύματι.

Ephesians 2 provides a profound statement of salvation by grace (2:1 – 10) and the unity that Jews and Gentiles enjoy in Christ (2:11 – 22), and it is a carefully structured unit. The two halves of the chapter display a mirrored structure. In 2:1 – 10, the three main movements of the passage are: (1) problem: sin to the core of our being (2:1 – 3); (2) solution: made alive in Christ (2:4 – 7); (3) consequence: new creation (2:8 – 10). The same movements, but with different content, are seen in 2:11 – 22: (1) problem: disjunction between Jew and Gentile (2:11 – 12); (2) solution: Christ is our peace (2:13 – 18); (3) consequence: God’s new household (2:19 – 22). The parallels between these two halves of Ephesians 2 demonstrate that Christ is the solution to sin and death, and he is therefore the solution to the disjunction between Jew and Gentile.

What is not so easily seen in English translation is that the parallels between the two halves of the chapter do not end there. At the heart of the first half of Ephesians 2 are three Greek words prefixed by the prepositionσύν: συνεζωοποίησεν, συνήγειρεν, and συνεκάθισεν. Believers have been made alive with Christ (2:5), been raised with him, and are now seated with him in the heavenly realms (2:6). Clearly, these σύν-prefixed words are significant for understanding a key theme of Ephesians — that of believers’ union with Christ. But these σύν-prefixed words are also mirrored in the second half of the chapter. In 2:19 – 22, we read that Jews and Gentiles in Christ are now fellow citizens — συμπολῖται (2:19); are joined together in Christ — συναρμολογουμένη (2:21); and are built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit — συνοικοδομεῖσθε (2:22).

Is it merely coincidence that both halves of the chapter each have three closely spacedσύν-prefixed words, apparently in parallel? I think not. I believe that these two sets ofσύν-prefixed words are deliberately mirrored and reflect a profound theological reality. Part of the logic between the two halves of the chapter is that because we are saved by grace and not by works, law, or ethnic heritage, Jew and Gentile alike are now on the same footing before God in Christ. All people that on earth do dwell may belong to the citizenship of God’s household through Christ. And a central part of unity derives from a salvation by grace in which believers are made alive, raised, and seated with Christ. In other words, a consequence of our being with Christ is that Jews and Gentiles are now with each other. They are fellow citizens of God’s household; they are joined together in Christ; and they are built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

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