Subject: Two "wills" of God? |
Bible Note: Greetings John! God has never left Himself with a witness. They include: a) The drawing of the Holy Spirit Himself. b) The Bible. c) Israel herself. d) Nature. e) The Church. f) Preaching. g) And, probably many others of which I have not thought. This passage (Eph. 2:11-18) fits my understanding perfectly. It never says that Gentiles had no hope because they had never heard of God. It says that they were not part of the commonwealth of Israel, thus not part of the covenant. Now, though, both Gentile and Jew have been made one body and this one body has been reconciled to God through the blood of Christ. Notice that it is the groups (Jew and Gentile) who HAVE BEEN reconciled to God at the cross. This is yet another way of saying 'all'. After the cross, there is a 'but now - v. 13'. Now, those who were far off have been brought near. So, this is a wonderful passage for the corporate nature of election, since the whole world (Jew and Gentile) now have access to God (v. 18). Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |