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Joint-Body
Joint body
refers to the body of
Christ (Ephesians 2:16). The author appears to have coined this new
word to
express a revolutionary new oneness and unity.
The
contents of Ephesians 3 develop on the interconnections from preceding
texts;
especially 2:11-22. The three-fold syn compounds, joint-heir,
joint-body, and
joint-partaker of 3:6 which describe the new community to which Gentile
believers belong is foreshadowed in the terminology found in chapter 2:
fellow-citizens, fitted together, and built together (2:19-22). As
well, the
mention in 2:18 of the direct access of the Gentile community to God
prepares
the reader for the boldness of the intercessory prayer (3:12). Other
reoccurring ideas from previous sections are inheritance, mystery,
wisdom,
revelation, body, and grace.
The
Gentiles are
joint-heirs and joint-body and joint-partakers in the promise in Christ
Jesus
through the gospel.
The
mystery that all will be brought into Christ is clarified and
explained. The
mystery now revealed is that the Gentiles are being included in a
completely
new community in Christ that transcends old labels, barriers and
divisions. The
author uses three terms to explain this secret: joint heir, joint body,
and
joint partaker. The syn-prefix "joint" is common within Ephesians and
functions to link the ideas of several passages to the mystery. In
Christ, the
Gentiles have been made citizens together (2:19) and therefore joint
heirs.
They are fitted together (2:21, 4:16) and therefore joint body. They
are built
together (2:22) as the temple of God.
The
body, building and inheritance themes are all interconnected so that
"the
whole body fitted together and put together by every supporting joint
grows and
builds itself up in love as each part does its work" (4:16). Therefore
the
body of Christ, the temple of God
grows
and is filled or is completed as each member does its part.
In
these ways the use of the syn-prefixes reveal much about the manner in
which
the mystery (or the administration of the mystery) is worked out. As
well, the
three terms in 3:6 are loaded with meaning. Joint-heirs can imply both
an
inheritance with Israel
and with Christ. Paul's prayer is that we might experientially know
Christ's
"glorious inheritance in the saints" (1:18). This suggests that we
share Christ's inheritance. As well, 2:11-22, suggests that the
Gentiles share
in the inheritance of Israel.
Paul taught that Gentile believers are fellow heirs of all the
blessings
pledged to Abraham and his seed which is Christ (Rom. 4:13, 16, Gal.
3:16, 29),
and are therefore heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
Therefore to be in Christ and to share in his inheritance is also to
participate in the promise to Abraham and his descendants.
Joint
body refers to the
body of Christ (2:16). The author appears to have coined this new word
to
express this revolutionary new unity between Jews and Gentiles that is
created
in Christ Jesus (2:13-22). It is in this body that Jews and Gentiles
are
reconciled to God by the cross (2:16). The use of body terminology is
also a
reminder of the body which Christ himself fills with all things (1:10,
23). As
well it prepares the reader for the mixing of metaphors in the husband
and wife
analogy. The author declares that this is a great mystery (5:32).
Christ loved
the church and suffered on a cross, separated from his Father, that he
might
sanctify and cleanse the church by the washing of the word, that he
might
present the church to himself in marriage. Christ and the church then
become
one perfect man. Christ is the savior of the body (5:23). This is such
a great
mystery, but it becomes even greater when one remembers that all things
must
eventually be joined in the body '.This perfect man (4:13) who is every
man
perfect in Christ Jesus (Col. 1:27) becomes the means of sanctifying
and
cleansing the rest of creation in much the same way that Paul had to
fill up
that which was lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the Gentiles
(Col.
1:24-25). This perfect man shall leave father (the Heavenly Father) and
mother
(the Heavenly Jerusalem which is the mother of us all. Gal. 4:26, Rev.
21:9-10)
and shall be joined unto his wife (the rest of creation), and they two
shall be
one flesh. At this point, Christ will be filled and the temple will be
complete.
Joint
partakers of the
promise is also a loaded term. The word promise occurs several places
in
Ephesians each revealing the meaning of the term (1:13, 2:12, 3:6,
6:3).
Chapter six verse three is a quotation of Exodus 20:12. "Honor your
father
and your mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God
is
giving you." In 6:3 the promise is that you may enjoy long life on the
earth. The author is suggesting that the land God is giving his
children is the
entire earth. The Gentiles will be partakers or enjoyers of the promise
that to
Abraham and his descendants would be given the entire world (Rom.
4:13). This
is what it will mean to share in the covenants of promise (2:12). The
Holy
Spirit of promise has sealed the believers guaranteeing this
inheritance of the
earth (1:13). The riches of our inheritance becomes all things in
Christ.
This
new humanity in Christ
that is described by these three terms is replacing the old humanity in
Adam
(2:15, 4:22, 24). This new humanity makes it possible for man to rule
the
universe as God had designed it (1:22, Ps. 8), and for the universe to
share in
the glorious liberty of the sons of God (Rom. 8:21). It is in these
ways that
joint-heirs, joint-body, and joint-partakers of the promise explain the
mystery.
Ephesians
3:10
"Through
the
church" suggests that by viewing the unity created amongst Jews and
Gentiles the celestials will see in germ God's plan of ultimate
reconciliation.
The church becomes an object lesson of the Wisdom of God. "Through the
church" also implies that the church will be the means through which
the
ultimate reconciliation and universal lordship of Christ is brought
about.
These
principalities and
powers, that are also mentioned in 6:12, will be defeated and brought
into
submission by truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, and by
salvation. The
church will accomplish this through the word of God and prayer for all
the holy
ones (6:12-18).
That
these celestials
participate in salvation rather than a mere domination by Christ is
clear. The
display of kindness, grace, and salvation rather than mere domination
is evident
throughout Ephesians (1:3, 2:7, 3:10, 6:11, 12). This can be seen
especially
well in the churches' battle with these forces. What does it mean for
the
church to subdue these forces with the gospel and by salvation?
Therefore given
the declared reconciliation of all things, and the uniting of all in
Christ,
submission must also involve salvation.
The
"Wisdom of
Solomon" prepares the reader for God's plan of salvation for the
powers.
The author of Wisdom explains that God created all things that they
might exist
and the creative forces of the earth are good. There is no destructive
poison
in them, nor in the kingdom of hell on earth (Wisdom 1:14).
Nevertheless
through the envy of the devil, death came into the world; the shameful
death of
the Son of God (Wisdom 2:18-20, 24). Explaining this, Paul declares
that the
princes of this world would not have crucified the Lord of glory had
they
understood God's secret Wisdom and understood what God had prepared for
them (1
Cor. 2:8-9). Nevertheless, those who served the devil in crucifying the
Lord of
glory experience death (Wisdom 2:25). That is the bad news. The good
news is
that God has a plan of salvation.
This
salvation is brought
out more clearly by a simple study of the multi-faceted Wisdom of God
which is
described in Wisdom 7:22. For in Wisdom is "an understanding spirit,
holy,
manifold, subtle, lively, active, undefiled, plain, not subject to
hurt, loving
the thing that is good, quick, irresistible, ready to do good, kind to
man,
steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all
things, and
containing all spirits, intelligible, pure and perceptive" (Wisdom
7:22).
The
writer of Wisdom asks
"who is there among men who can know the counsel of God, or who can
think
what the will of the Lord is?" (Wisdom 9:13). Wisdom declares of God,
"You can show your great strength at all times, and who will withstand
the
power of your arm, for the whole world before you is as a little
grain...but
you have mercy on all the things that are made, for never would you
have made
any thing if you hated it. And how could anything have endured if it
had not
been your will? Or been preserved if not called by you. But you spare
all for
they are yours. Oh Lord (Wisdom 11:22-27).
This
wisdom… is described
within Wisdom as the "unspotted mirror of the power of God and the
image
of his goodness... she can do all things...she makes all things new:
and in all
ages entering into holy souls, and makes them friends of God" (Wisdom
7:26-27). In Colossians Christ is the image of the invisible God
through whom
all powers are created and reconciled (Colossian 1:15-16, 20).
What
is this manifold
Wisdom that the church declares to the principalities and powers? It is
that …
God is overseeing all things. He has reconciled all to God and is
all-powerful
and irresistible. He makes all things new and will make them the
friends of
God. He would not have made them if that had not been His will. God
intends to
and will spare them by uniting them in Christ, by including them in His
body.
God
has also ordained
through wisdom that humankind should have dominion over all the
creatures that
were made and that humankind should order the world according to equity
(Wisdom
9:2). It is the church's duty to inform the principalities of this
wisdom. All
of this is according to the eternal purpose of God that He accomplished
in
Christ Jesus (3:11).
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