People write rules; God the reality.
Strangers and aliens was the Gentile’s heritage. They were outside of the covenants of promise. God wrote that reality through Moses and while Jesus hinted at its temporary nature Christ yet held it in place during his earthly ministry.
The 19th verse describes the new situation put into place by the conclusion of this ministry of God through Christ. “So then,” Paul writes, “you are no longer.” See a thing is finished. He goes on, “but you are fellow citizens…members of the household of God.”
This is built on blocks God builds with: people. The apostles, prophets and Jesus himself were foundations and cornerstones of support for all things. The apostles were all Jews chosen by Jesus Christ (or the Holy Spirit after Christ’s resurrection). The prophets were sent by God to the people of Israel. Jesus was sent by God as the sacrificial lamb the Passover reality.
The 21st verse speaks of this structure of people growing into a temple to God. Temples are where God dwells. That is for all people.
Note again the title of this section: people write rules; God the reality. Jesus Christ gutted Jewish traditionalism all the way to the temple itself. In the Jewish vantage Gentiles were to forever remain separate unless placing themselves under the law. Gentiles were held at least at arms distance. A religious racism was writ large.
God though wrote a different story. When Christ taught, did his miracles, raised people from the dead he was putting on display his credentials as God. No man could do such things. Even the anti-Jesus, religious leaders of the day acknowledged this by suggesting he did his deeds by Satan’s power.
When Christ died and the temple veil was torn God re-wrote the reality. The Easter resurrection followed by his meeting so many people, eating with them, relating to them and then ascending before a number of them was a pollen explosion of good news. Pentecost and the radical emboldening of the disciples presaged the growth of Christianity which has grown and grown.
While the Jewish nation continues God, through these and many more testimonies, revealed the reality long hidden from interested eyes. Many hold desperately on to the ways of the millennia, but as God wrote the rules he uncovered them in his own timing and his own way. Some decry this, hate this, would try to stamp this out at immense personal cost. Thing is this is God’s cat and he let it out of the bag when he was ready: no sooner and no later.
See the temple that God put together? The reality is that the temple is people. God builds with people, not stuff. In the same way he dwells in people, not places.
This is not something we should be startled by for it is how we define the church in which we participate. Often heard in the Christian community are statements about the church not being the buildings, but the people in them. One may wonder at how the people squabble over the building they are in, but God is still at work. People being still fallen are prone to fighting. God will build-heal them away from those strivings for that is his purpose.
Richard A. Ulrich, MD says
This passage is an excellent reminder that as unique (albeit small) members of God’s Kingdom, we each have an essential part proportional to our faithfulness and obedience. Romans 12 emphasizes this perspective. In the current “Explore the Bible” series, Joseph’s brothers abused and rejected him. It took years before Joseph understood that his brothers meant it for evil, but God for good. Even in conflict, we best exhibit our contribution and importance in serving Christ by “not being weary in well doing.” [Gal 6:9] After all, “patience is the queen of virtues.” RAU