1524 英翻中(以弗所書第五課) THE GREAT PEACE MISSION 伟大的和平使命 18/03/2026

1524英翻中(以弗所第五課)  THE GREAT PEACE MISSION  伟大的和平使命            18/03/2026

CHAPTER FIVE                            Ephesians 2:11–22                  THE GREAT PEACE MISSION
第五章                                              以弗所书 2:11-22                   伟大的和平使命
 
Peace in our time! Peace with honor!”
我们时代的和平！和平与荣誉！”
 
Some of us still remember those words of British Prime Minister, Sir Neville Chamberlain, when he returned from conferences in Germany in September 1938. He was sure that he had stopped Adolf Hitler. Yet one year later, Hitler invaded Poland, and on September 3, 1939, Great Britain declared war on Germany. Chamberlain’s great peace mission had failed.
我们中的一些人还记得英国首相内维尔·张伯伦爵士 1938 年 9 月从德国会议归来时所说的话。他确信自己阻止了阿道夫·希特勒。然而一年后，希特勒入侵波兰，1939 年 9 月 3 日，英国向德国宣战。张伯伦伟大的和平使命失败了。
 
It seems that most peace missions fail. I read somewhere that from 1500 BC. to AD 850 there were 7,500 “eternal covenants” agreed on among various nations with the hope of bringing peace, but that no covenant lasted longer than two years. The only “eternal covenant” that has lasted—and that will last—is the one made by the eternal God, sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is Christ’s peace mission that Paul explained in this section, and three very important words summarize this great work: separation, reconciliation, and unification.
似乎大多数和平任务都失败了。我从公元前 1500 年在某处读到过。到公元 850 年，为了带来和平，各个国家之间达成了 7,500 个“永恒的盟约”，但没有一个盟约持续时间超过两年。唯一持久的“永恒之约”是永恒的上帝所立的，并以耶稣基督的宝血为印记。保罗在这一部分解释了基督的和平使命，三个非常重要的词概括了这项伟大的工作：分离、和好和合一。
 
1.  Separation: What the Gentiles Were (2:11–12)
1. 分离：外邦人是什么（2:11-12）
 
In the first ten verses of Ephesians 2, Paul discussed the salvation of sinners in general, but now he turned to the work of Christ for Gentiles in particular. Most of the converts in the Ephesian church were Gentiles, and they knew that much of God’s program in the Old Testament involved the Jews. For centuries, the “circumcision” (Jews) had looked down on the “uncircumcision” (Gentiles) with an attitude that God had never intended them to display. The fact that a Jew had received the physical mark of the covenant was no proof he was a man of faith (Rom. 2:25–29; Gal. 5:6; 6:15). Those who have trusted Christ have received a spiritual circumcision “made without hands” (Col. 2:11).
在以弗所书 2 章的前十节，保罗大体讨论了罪人的救恩，但现在他特别转向基督为外邦人所做的工作。以弗所教会的大多数归信者是外邦人，他们知道旧约中上帝的大部分计划都涉及犹太人。几个世纪以来，“受割礼的人”（犹太人）一直以上帝从未希望他们表现出的态度轻视“未受割礼的人”（外邦人）。犹太人接受了约的物质标记这一事实并不能证明他是一个有信心的人（罗马书 2:25-29；加 5:6；6:15）。那些相信基督的人已经接受了“非人手”的属灵割礼（西 2:11）。
 
But since the hour that God called Abraham, God made a difference between Jews and Gentiles. He made this difference, not that the Jews might boast, but that they might be a blessing and a help to the Gentiles. God set them apart that He might use them to be a channel of His revelation and goodness to the heathen nations. Sad to say, Israel kept this difference nationally and ritually, but not morally. Israel became like the lost nations around her. For this reason, God often had to discipline the Jews because they would not maintain their spiritual separation and minister to the nations in the name of the true God.
但是自从上帝呼召亚伯拉罕的那一刻起，上帝就在犹太人和外邦人之间做出了区分。他使这不同，不是为了犹太人可以自夸，而是为了他们可以成为外邦人的祝福和帮助。上帝将他们分别出来，以便祂可以使用它们作为向异教国家传达祂的启示和良善的渠道。可悲的是，以色列保持这种差异在国内和仪式，但没有道德。以色列变得像她周围失落的国家一样。出于这个原因，上帝经常不得不管教犹太人，因为他们不会以真上帝的名义保持他们的屬靈性的分离并为列国服务。
 
The one word that best describes the Gentiles is without. They were “outside” in several respects.
最能描述外邦人的一个词句是  “没有他們”。從多方面看他们都是“外来者”。
 
Without Christ. The Ephesians worshipped the goddess Diana and, before the coming of the gospel, knew nothing about Christ. Those who claim that pagan religions are just as acceptable to God as the Christian faith will have a problem here, for Paul cites the Ephesians’ Christless state as a definite tragedy. But then, keep in mind that every unsaved person, Jew or Gentile, is “outside Christ,” and that means condemnation.
没有基督。以弗所人崇拜戴安娜女神，在福音到来之前，他们对基督一无所知。那些声称异教与基督教一样为上帝所接受的人在这里会有问题，因为保罗引用以弗所人没有基督的状态是一个明确的悲剧。但是，请记住，每个未得救的人，无论是犹太人还是外邦人，都“在基督之外”，这意味着定罪。
 
Without citizenship. God called the Jews and built them into a nation. He gave them His laws and His blessings. A Gentile could enter the nation as a proselyte, but he was not born into that very special nation. Israel was God’s nation, in a way that was not true of any Gentile nation.
没有公民身份。上帝呼召犹太人，把他们建立成一个国家。祂赐给他们祂的律法和祝福。外邦人可以作为传教士进入这个国家，但他不是出生在那个非常特殊的国家。以色列是上帝的国家，在某种程度上，任何外邦国家都不是这样。

Without covenants. While the blessing of the Gentiles is included in God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3), God did not make any covenants with the Gentile nations. The Gentiles were “aliens” and “strangers”—and the Jews never let them forget it. Many of the Pharisees would pray daily, “O God, I give thanks that I am a Jew, not a Gentile.”
无盟约。虽然外邦人的祝福包含在上帝与亚伯拉罕的约中（创世记 12:1-3），但上帝并没有与外邦人立约。外邦人是“外星人”和“陌生人”— 犹太人从未让他们忘记这一点。许多法利赛人每天都会祈祷：“上帝啊，我感谢我是犹太人，不是外邦人。”

Without hope — Historians tell us that a great cloud of hopelessness covered the ancient world. Philosophies were empty; traditions were disappearing; religions were powerless to help men face either life or death. People longed to pierce the veil and get some message of hope from the other side, but there was none (1 Thess. 4:13–18).                                                                                           没有希望   — 历史学家告诉我们，古代世界笼罩在一片绝望的乌云中。哲学是空洞的；传统正在消失；宗教无力帮助人们面对生或死。人们渴望揭开面纱，从另一边得到一些希望的信息，但没有（帖前书 4:13-18）。

Without God. The heathen had gods aplenty, as Paul discovered in Athens (Acts 17:16–23). Someone in that day said that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens. “There be gods many and lords many,” wrote Paul (1 Cor. 8:5). But the pagan, no matter how religious or moral he might have been, did not know the true God. The writer of Psalm 115 contrasted the true God with the idols of the heathen.
没有上帝。正如保罗在雅典所发现的那样，异教徒有很多神（使徒行传 17：16-23）。当时有人说在雅典找神比找人容易。 “神多，主多，”保罗写道（林前 8:5）。但异教徒，无论他多么虔诚或道德，都不认识真神。诗篇 115 篇的作者将真神与异教徒的偶像进行了对比。
 
It is worth noting that the spiritual plight of the Gentiles was caused not by God but by their own willful sin. Paul said the Gentiles knew the true God but deliberately refused to honor Him (Rom. 1:18–23). Religious history is not a record of man starting with many gods (idolatry) and gradually discovering the one true God. Rather, it is the sad story of man knowing the truth about God and deliberately turning away from it! It is a story of devolution, not evolution! The first eleven chapters of Genesis give the story of the decline of the Gentiles, and from Genesis 12 on (the call of Abraham), it is the story of the Jews. God separated the Jews from the Gentiles that He might be able to save the Gentiles also. “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).
值得注意的是，外邦人的属灵困境不是由上帝造成的，而是由他们自己故意犯罪造成的。保罗说外邦人认识真神，却故意拒绝荣耀祂（罗马书 1:18-23）。宗教史并不是人类从多神（拜偶像）开始，逐渐发现独一真神的记录。更确切地说，这是一个人知道了关于上帝的真理而故意远离它的悲惨故事！这是一个关于权力下放的故事，而不是进化的故事！创世记前十一章讲述了外邦人衰落的故事，从创世记十二章（亚伯拉罕的呼召）开始，就是犹太人的故事。上帝将犹太人与外邦人分开，以便他也能拯救外邦人。 “救恩是為猶太人的” (約  4:22)。

God called the Jews, beginning with Abraham, that through them He might reveal Himself as the one true God. With the Jews He deposited His Word, and through the Jews He gave the world the Savior (Rom. 9:1–5). Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles that they too might be saved. But sad to say, Israel became like the Gentiles, and the light burned but dimly. This fact is a warning to the church today. When the church is least like the world, it does the most for the world.             上帝呼召犹太人，从亚伯拉罕开始，就是要借着他们显明祂自己是独一的真神。上帝将祂的话语存放在犹太人身上，并通过犹太人将救主赐给了世界（罗马书 9:1-5）。以色列要成为外邦人的光，使他们也可以得救。但很可惜，以色列成为像外邦人和轻烧，但依稀。这个事实是对今天教会的警告。当教会最不像世界时，它为世界做的最多。 

2.  Reconciliation: What God Did for the Gentiles (2:13–18)
2. 和好：上帝为外邦人所做的事（2:13-18）

The “but now” in Ephesians 2:13 parallels the “but God” in Ephesians 2:4. Both speak of the gracious intervention of God on behalf of lost sinners. “Enmity” is the key word in this section (Eph. 2:15–16), and you will note that it is a twofold enmity: between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:13–15) and between sinners and God (Eph. 2:16–18). Paul described here the greatest peace mission in history: Jesus Christ not only reconciled Jews and Gentiles, but He reconciled both to Himself in the one body, the church.
以弗所书 2:13 中的“但现在”与以弗所书 2:4 中的“但上帝”相似。两者都谈到上帝为失丧的罪人进行的仁慈干预。 “敌意”是这一部分的关键词（弗 2:15-16），你会注意到它是双重的敌意：犹太人和外邦人之间（弗 2:13-15）以及罪人与上帝之间（弗 2:16-18)。保罗在这里描述了历史上最伟大的和平使命：耶稣基督不仅使犹太人和外邦人和好，而且在一个身体里，即教会里，祂与自己和好。

The word reconcile means “to bring together again.” A distraught husband wants to be reconciled to his wife who has left him; a worried mother longs to be reconciled to a wayward daughter; and the lost sinner needs to be reconciled to God. Sin is the great separator in this world. It has been dividing people since the very beginning of human history. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were separated from God. Before long, their sons were separated from each other and Cain killed Abel. The earth was filled with violence (Gen. 6:5–13), and the only remedy seemed to be judgment. But even after the flood, men sinned against God and each other, and even tried to build their own unity without God’s help. The result was another judgment that scattered the nations and confused the tongues. It was then that God called Abraham, and through the nation of Israel, Jesus Christ came to the world. It was His work on the cross that abolished the enmity between Jew and Gentile and between sinners and God.
和解这个词的意思是“重新聚集在一起”。心烦意乱的丈夫想要与离开他的妻子和解；忧心忡忡的母亲渴望与任性的女儿和解；失丧的罪人需要与上帝和好。罪是这个世界上最大的分隔符。从人类历史开始，它就一直在分裂人。当亚当和夏娃犯罪时，他们与上帝隔绝了。不久，他们的儿子彼此分开，该隐杀死了亚伯。地球充满了暴力（创世记 6:5-13），唯一的补救办法似乎是审判。但是，即使在洪水之后，人们仍然得罪上帝并彼此犯罪，甚至试图在没有上帝帮助的情况下建立自己的团结。结果是又一次审判，使列国分散，方言混乱。就在那时，上帝呼召亚伯拉罕，耶稣基督通过以色列国来到世上。正是他在十字架上的工作消除了犹太人与外邦人之间以及罪人与上帝之间的仇恨。
 
The enmity between Jews and Gentiles (vv. 13–15). God had put a difference between Jews and Gentiles so that His purposes in salvation might be accomplished. But once those purposes were accomplished, there was no more difference. In fact, it was His purpose that these differences be erased forever, and they are erased through the work of Christ in reconciliation.
犹太人和外邦人之间的仇恨（13-15 节）。上帝在犹太人和外邦人之间做了区分，以便祂拯救的目的可以实现。但是一旦这些目的实现了，就没有什么区别了。事实上，祂的目的是永远消除这些差异，而它们通过基督在和好中的工作而消除。
 
It was this lesson that was so difficult for the early church to understand. For centuries, the Jews had been different from the Gentiles—in religion, dress, diet, and laws. Until Peter was sent to the Gentiles (Acts 10), the church had no problems. But with the salvation of the Gentiles on the same terms as the Jews, problems began to develop. The Jewish Christians reprimanded Peter for going to the Gentiles and eating with them (Acts 11), and representatives of the churches gathered for an important conference on the place of the Gentiles in the church (Acts 15). Must a Gentile become a Jew to become a Christian? Their conclusion was, “No! Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way— by faith in Jesus Christ.” The enmity was gone!
正是这个教训让早期教会难以理解。几个世纪以来，犹太人在宗教、服饰、饮食和法律方面都与外邦人不同。直到彼得被派往外邦人（使徒行传 10 章），教会才没有问题。但随着外邦人以与犹太人相同的条件得救，问题开始发展。犹太基督徒斥责彼得去外邦人那里与他们一起吃饭（使徒行传 11 章），并且教会的代表们聚集在一个重要的会议上，讨论外邦人在教会中的地位（使徒行传 15 章）。外邦人必须成为犹太人才能成为基督徒吗？他们的结论是，“不！犹太人和外邦人以同样的方式得救——因信耶稣基督。”仇恨消失了！
 
The cause of that enmity was the law, because the law made a definite distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The dietary laws reminded the Jews that God had put a difference between the clean and unclean (Lev. 11:44–47). But the Gentiles did not obey these laws; therefore they were unclean. Ezekiel the prophet reminded the priests that their task was to teach the Jews “the difference between the holy and the profane” (Ezek. 44:23). The divine ordinances given by God to Israel stood as a wall between the Jews and the other nations. In fact, there was a wall in the Jewish temple, separating the court of the Gentiles from the rest of the temple areas. Archeologists have discovered the inscription from Herod’s temple, and it reads like this:—        這種仇恨的根源在於律法，因為律法明確區分了猶太人和外邦人。飲食法提醒猶太人，上帝已將潔淨與不潔淨區分開來（利 11:44-47）。但外邦人不遵守這些律法，因此被視為不潔淨。先知以西結提醒祭司，他們的職責是教導猶太人「分辨聖俗」（結 44:23）。上帝賜給以色列的神聖律例如同城牆一般，將猶太人與其他民族分開。事實上，猶太聖殿中也有一道牆，將外邦人的院子與聖殿的其他區域分開。考古學家發現了希律聖殿的銘文，其內容如下：

No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.                             任何外邦人不得進入環繞聖堂和圍牆的柵欄。凡被發現擅自進入者，必自擔其死罪。

It was this wall that the Jews thought Paul and his Gentile friends crossed when the Jews attacked him in the temple and threatened to kill him (Acts 21:28–31).                                            正是這堵牆，讓猶太人誤以為保羅和他的外邦朋友越過了它。當猶太人在聖殿攻擊保羅，並威脅要殺他（使徒行傳 21:28-31）。

In order for Jews and Gentiles to be reconciled, this wall had to be destroyed, and this Jesus did on the cross. The cost of destroying the enmity was the blood of Christ. When He died, the veil in the temple was liter[1]ally torn in two, and the wall of separation (figuratively) was torn down. By fulfilling the demands of the law in His righteous life, and by bearing the curse of the law in His sacrificial death (Gal. 3:10–13), Jesus removed the legal barrier that separated Jew from Gentile. For centuries, there was a difference between them. But today, “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:12–13).                                             為了使猶太人和外邦人能夠和好，這堵牆必須被拆毀，而耶穌在十字架上完成了這項使命。消除仇恨的代價是基督的寶血。當祂死的時候，聖殿裡的幔子真的裂為兩半，隔閡之牆（象徵意義上）也被拆毀了。耶穌以祂義行的生活成全了律法的要求，並以祂犧牲的死承擔了律法的咒詛（加拉太書 3:10-13），從而移除了分隔猶太人和外邦人的律法屏障。幾個世紀以來，他們之間一直存在著隔閡。但今天，「猶太人和希臘人並沒有分別，因為眾人同有一位主，他​​也厚待一切求告他的人。凡求告主名的，就必得救。」（羅10:12-13） 

In Jesus Christ, Jew and Gentile become one. “He is our peace” (Eph. 2:14). Through Christ, the far-off Gentile is made nigh (Eph. 2:13, 17), and both Jew and Gentile are made one. The consequences of Christ’s work are, then, the destroying of the enmity by the abolishing of the law, and the creating of a new man—the church, the body of Christ. The word abolish simply means “to nullify.” The law no longer holds sway over either Jew or Gentile, since in Christ believers are not under law but under grace. The righteousness of the law, revealing God’s holiness, is still God’s standard. But this is fulfilled in the believer by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1–4). It took the early church a long time to get accustomed to “there is no difference!” In fact, some religious groups have not learned the lesson yet, for they are trying to get Christians back under law (Gal. 4:8–11; 5:1; Col. 2:13–23).                                                                                                                       在耶穌基督裡，猶太人和外邦人合而為一。 「祂使我們和睦」（弗2:14）。藉著基督，遠離上帝的外邦人得以親近上帝（弗2:13, 17），猶太人和外邦人合而為一。基督救贖的果效，在於廢除律法，消除彼此間的仇恨，並創造一個新人－教會，基督的身體。 「廢除」一詞的意思是「使無效」。律法不再約束猶太人和外邦人，因為在基督裡，信徒不在律法之下，乃在恩典之下。律法所彰顯的聖潔，仍是上帝的標準。但這在信徒身上藉著聖靈得以成全（羅8:1-4）。早期教會花了很長時間才習慣「沒有分別！」這個道理。事實上，有些宗教團體至今仍未領悟，因為他們試圖讓基督徒重新回到律法之下（加4:8-11；5:1；西2:13-23）。

A man stopped in my office one day and said he wanted to get help. “My wife and I need a re-cancellation!” he blurted out. I knew he meant “reconciliation.” But in one sense, “re-cancellation” was the right word. They had sinned against each other (and the Lord), and there could be no harmony until those sins were cancelled. A God of love wants to reconcile the sinner to Himself, but a God of holiness must see to it that sin is judged. God solved the problem by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins, thereby revealing His love and meeting the demands of His righteousness. It was truly a “re-cancellation” (see Col. 2:13–14).                           有一天，一位男士走進我的辦公室，說他想尋求幫助。 「我和我妻子需要重新解除罪責！」他脫口而出。我知道他指的是「和好」。但在某種意義上，「重新解除罪責」這個詞用得更貼切。他們彼此得罪（也得罪了主），除非這些罪得到赦免，否則他們之間不可能有和諧。慈愛的神渴望使罪人與祂和好，但聖潔的神必須確保罪受審判。上帝差遣祂的兒子為我們的罪作了贖罪祭，從而解決了這個問題，彰顯了祂的愛，並滿足了祂公義的要求。這真是一次「重新廢除」（參考歌羅西書 2:13-14）

Christ “is our peace” (Eph. 2:14) and He made “peace” (Eph. 2:15). That verb to make in Ephesians 2:15 means “to create.” The church, the body of Christ, is God’s new creation (2 Cor. 5:15). Everything in the old creation is falling apart because of sin, but in the new creation there is unity because of righteousness. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). You may contrast the old position of the Gentiles with their new position and see how wonderfully Christ worked on their behalf on the cross:
基督“是我们的和平”（弗 2:14），他创造了“和平”（弗 2:15）。以弗所书 2:15 中的动词 to make 的意思是“创造”。教会，基督的身体，是上帝的新创造（2 Cor. 5:15）。旧造中的一切都因罪而分崩离析，但在新造中因公义而合一。 “没有犹太人，也没有希腊人，没有捆绑，也没有自由，也没有男性和女性：因为你们在基督耶稣里都成为一了”（加拉太书 3:28）。你可以将外邦人的旧立场与他们的新立场进行对比，看看基督在十字架上为他们做了多么奇妙的工作：
 
            Old  Position                                      New Position
            “without Christ”                               “in Christ” (Eph.  2:13)
            “aliens”                                              “a holy nation” ( 1 Peter 2:9)
            “stranger”                                          “no more strangers” (Eph.  2:19)
            “no hope”                                         “called in one hope” (Eph.  4:4)                      
            “without  God”                                  “The God and Father of our
             (Eph.  2:12)                                       Load Jesus Christ” (Eph.  1:3)
 
                   旧职位                                                新职位
              “没有基督”                                                          “在基督里”（弗 2:13）
              “外邦人”                                                                “圣洁的国度”（彼前 2:9）
              “外人”                                                                       “不再作外人”（弗 2:19）
              “没有指望”                                                        “只求一个指望”（弗 4:4）
              “没有上帝”                                                        “我们的上帝和父亲
           （弗 2:12）                                                                加载耶稣基督”（弗 1:3）
 
The enmity between sinners and God (vv. 16–18). Not only did the Gentiles need to be reconciled to the Jews, but both the Jews and the Gentiles needed to be reconciled to God! This was the conclusion the apostles came to at the Jerusalem Conference recorded in Acts 15. Peter said that God “put no difference between us [Jews] and them [Gentiles], purifying their hearts by faith.… But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they” (Acts 15:9, 11). It was not a question of the Gentile becoming a Jew to become a Christian, but the Jew admitting he was a sinner like the Gentile. “For there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22–23). The same law that separated Gentile and Jew also separated men and God, and Christ bore the curse of the law.
罪人与上帝之间的仇恨（16-18 节）。不仅外邦人需要与犹太人和好，犹太人和外邦人都需要与上帝和好！这是使徒们在使徒行传第 15 章记载的耶路撒冷会议上得出的结论。彼得说上帝“不加分别我们[犹太人]和他们[外邦人]，凭着信心洁净他们的心……但我们相信，是借着恩典”我们因主耶稣基督而得救，正如他们一样”（使徒行传 15：9、11）。成为基督徒不是外邦人成为犹太人的问题，而是犹太人承认自己和外邦人一样是罪人。 “因为并没有分别，因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了上帝的荣耀”（罗马书 3:22-23）。将外邦人和犹太人分开的同一律法也将人 與上帝分開, 且與基督承擔了律法的咒詛。

A man stopped in my office one day and said he wanted to get help. “My wife and I need a re-cancellation!” he blurted out. I knew he meant “reconciliation.” But in one sense, “re-cancellation” was the right word. They had sinned against each other (and the Lord), and there could be no harmony until those sins were cancelled. A God of love wants to reconcile the sinner to Himself, but a God of holiness must see to it that sin is judged. God solved the problem by sending His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins, thereby revealing His love and meeting the demands of His righteousness. It was truly a “re-cancellation” (see Col. 2:13–14).                              有一天，一位男士在我的办公室停下来，说他想寻求帮助。 “我和我的妻子需要重新取消！”他脱口而出。我知道他的意思是“和解”。但从某种意义上说，“重新取消”是正确的词。他们彼此（和主）得罪，除非这些罪被取消，否则不可能有和谐。仁爱的上帝想要使罪人与自己和好，但圣洁的上帝必须确保罪受到审判。上帝通过差遣祂的儿子为我们的罪作祭来解决了这个问题，从而彰显了祂的爱，满足了祂公义的要求。这确实是一次“重新取消”（见    西 2：13-14）。 

Jesus Christ “is our peace” (Eph. 2:14). He “made peace” (Eph. 2:15), and He “preached peace” (Eph. 2:17). As the Judge, He could have come to declare war. But in His grace, He came with the message of peace (Luke 2:8–14; 4:16–19). Jew and Gentile are at peace with each other in Christ, and both have open access to God (Rom. 5:1–2). This reminds us of the rent veil at the time of Christ’s death (Matt. 27:50–51; Heb. 10:14–25). Reconciliation is complete!
耶稣基督“是我们的平安”（弗 2:14）。祂“创造和平”（以弗所书 2:15），并“传讲和平”（以弗所书 2:17）。作为审判者，祂本可以来宣战。但在祂的恩典中，祂带着和平的信息而来（路加福音 2：8-14；4：16-19）。犹太人和外邦人在基督里彼此和好，并且都可以敞开地接近上帝（罗马书 5：1-2）。这让我们想起基督受死时裂开的幔子（马太福音 27:50-51；希伯来书 10:14-25）。和解完成！ 

3.  Unification: What Jews and Gentiles Are in Christ (2:19–22)
3. 统一：犹太人和外邦人在基督里是什么（2:19-22）
 
Paul repeated the word “one” to emphasize the unifying work of Christ: “made both one” (Eph. 2:14); “one new man” (Eph. 2:.15); “one body” (Eph. 2:16); “one Spirit” (Eph. 2:18). All spiritual distance and division have been overcome by Christ. In the closing verses of this chapter, Paul gave three pictures that illustrate the unity of believing Jews and Gentiles in the church.
保罗重复了“一”这个词来强调基督的合一工作：“使二人合而为一”（弗 2:14）； “一个新人”（弗 2:.15）； “一个身体”（弗 2:16）； “一个灵”（弗 2:18）。所有属灵的距离和分裂都被基督克服了。在本章的最后几节，保罗给出了三幅图画，说明在教会中信主的犹太人和外邦人的合一。
 
One nation (v. 19a). Israel was God’s chosen nation, but they rejected their Redeemer and suffered the consequences. The kingdom was taken from them and given to “a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matt. 21:43). This “new nation” is the church, “a chosen generation … a holy nation, a peculiar people” (Ex. 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9). In the Old Testament, the nations were reckoned by their descent from Shem, Ham, or Japheth (Gen. 10). In the book of Acts, we see these three families united in Christ. In Acts 8, a descendant of Ham is saved, the Ethiopian treasurer; in Acts 9, a descendant of Shem, Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the apostle; and in Acts 10, the descendants of Japheth, the Gentiles in the household of the Roman soldier, Cornelius. Sin has divided mankind, but Christ unites by His Spirit. All believers, regardless of national background, belong to that “holy nation” with citizenship in heaven (Phil. 3:20–21).
一個国家（19 节）。以色列是上帝的选民，但他们拒绝了他们的救赎主并承受了后果。王国从他们手中夺走，赐给“一个结果子的民族”（马太福音 21:43）。这个“新国家”就是教会，“一个被拣选的世代……一个圣洁的国家，一个特殊的民族”（出埃及记 19:6；彼得前书 2:9）。在旧约中，列国是按照他们从闪、含或雅弗的后裔来计算的（创世记 10 章）。在使徒行传中，我们看到这三个家庭在基督里联合。在使徒行传第 8 章中，埃塞俄比亚的司库，含的后裔得救了；在使徒行传第 9 章，闪的后裔，大数的扫罗，后来成为使徒保罗；在使徒行传 10 中，雅弗的后裔，罗马士兵哥尼流家里的外邦人。罪使人类分裂，但基督借着他的灵联合起来。所有信徒，无论其民族背景如何，都属于拥有天国公民身份的“圣洁民族”（腓 3:20-21）。
 
One family (v. 19b). Through faith in Christ, we enter into God’s family, and God becomes our Father. This wonderful family of God is found in two places, “in heaven and earth” (Eph. 3:15). Living believers are on earth; believers who have died are in heaven. None of God’s children are “under the earth” (Phil. 2:10) or in any other place in the universe. We are all brothers and sisters in the one family, no matter what racial, national, or physical distinctions we may possess.
一个家庭（第 19 节 下半段）。借着对基督的信心，我们进入上帝的家，祂成为我们的父。上帝这个奇妙的家庭存在于两个地方，“在天上和地上”（以弗所书 3:15）。活着的信徒在地上；死了的信徒在天堂。上帝的儿女都没有“在地底下”（腓立比书 2:10）或在宇宙中的任何其他地方。我们都是同一个家庭中的兄弟姐妹，无论我们拥有何种种族、民族或身体差异。
 
One temple (vv. 20–22). In the book of Genesis, God “walked” with His people (Gen. 5:22, 24; 6:9), but in Exodus, He decided to “dwell” with His people (Ex. 25:8). God dwelt in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–38) until Israel’s sins caused “the glory to depart” (1 Sam. 4). Then God dwelt in the temple (1 Kings 8:1–11), but, alas, again Israel sinned and the glory departed (Ezek. 10:18–19). God’s next dwelling place was the body of Christ (John 1:14), which men took and nailed to a cross. Today, through His Spirit, God dwells in the church, the temple of God. God does not dwell in man-made temples, including church buildings (Acts 7:48–50). He dwells in the hearts of those who have trusted Christ (1 Cor. 6:19–20), and in the church collectively (Eph. 2:20–22).
一座圣殿（20-22 节）。在创世记中，上帝与祂的子民“同行”（创世记 5:22、24；6:9），但在出埃及记中，祂决定与祂的子民“同住”（出埃及记 25:8）。上帝住在会幕中（出埃及记 40:34-38），直到以色列人的罪导致“荣耀消失”（撒上前书 4）。然后上帝住在圣殿里（列王纪上 8：1-11），但是，唉，以色列再次犯罪，荣耀消失了（结 10：18-19）。上帝的下一个居所是基督的身体（约翰福音 1:14），人们拿起它钉在十字架上。今天，通过祂的灵，上帝住在教会，上帝的殿中。上帝并不住在人造的圣殿中，包括教堂建筑（使徒行传 7：48-50）。祂住在那些相信基督的人的心中（林前 6:19-20），也住在教会里（弗 2:20-22）。
 
The foundation for this church was laid by the apostles and New Testament prophets. Jesus Christ is the Foundation (1 Cor. 3:11) and the Chief Cornerstone (Ps. 118:22; Isa. 8:14). The cornerstone binds the structure together; Jesus Christ has united Jews and Gentiles in the church. This reference to the temple would be meaningful to both the Jews and the Gentiles in the Ephesian church: the Jews would think Old Position New Position “without Christ” “in Christ” (Eph. 2:13) “aliens” “a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9) “strangers” “no more strangers” (Eph. 2:19) “no hope” “called in one hope” (Eph. 4:4) “without God” (Eph. 2:12) “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:3) of Herod’s temple in Jerusalem, and the Gentiles would think of the great temple of Diana. Both temples were destined to be destroyed, but the temple Christ is building will last forever. “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). The Holy Spirit builds this temple by taking dead stones out of the pit of sin (Ps. 40:2), giving them life, and setting them lovingly into the temple of God (1 Peter 2:5). This temple is “fitly framed together” as the body of Christ (Eph. 2:21; 4:16), so that every part accomplishes the purpose God has in mind.
这个教会的根基是由使徒和新约先知奠定的。耶稣基督是根基（林前 3:11）和主要房角石（诗篇 118:22；赛 8:14）。基石将结构结合在一起；耶稣基督在教会中将犹太人和外邦人联合起来。提到圣殿对以弗所教会中的犹太人和外邦人都有意义：犹太人会认为旧位置新位置“没有基督”“在基督里”（以弗所书 2:13）“外星人”“一个圣洁的国家” ”（彼得前书 2:9）“外人”“不再作外人”（弗 2:19）“没有指望”“一指望”（弗 4:4）“没有上帝”（弗 2:12） ）“我们主耶稣基督的上帝和父”（弗 1:3）在耶路撒冷的希律圣殿，外邦人会想到戴安娜的大圣殿。这两座圣殿注定要被摧毁，但基督正在建造的圣殿将永远存在。 “我要建造我的教会”（马太福音 16:18）。圣灵通过从罪坑中取出死石（诗篇 40:2），赋予它们生命，并慈爱地将它们安置在上帝的殿中（彼得前书 2:5），从而建造了这座圣殿。这座圣殿作为基督的身体“被完美地组合在一起”（弗 2:21；4:16），因此每一部分都实现了上帝的旨意。
 
As you look back over this chapter, you cannot help but praise God for what He, in His grace, has done for sinners. Through Christ, He has raised us from the dead and seated us on the throne. He has reconciled us and set us into His temple. Neither spiritual death nor spiritual distance can defeat the grace of God! But He has not only saved us individually, He has also made us a part of His church collectively. What a tremendous privilege it is to be a part of God’s eternal program! This leads to two practical applications as we close this study.
当你回顾这一章时，你会忍不住赞美上帝，因为祂在恩典中为罪人所做的一切。借着基督，祂使我们从死里复活，并使我们坐在宝座上。上帝使我们和好，并把我们安置在祂的圣殿里。屬靈上的死亡和屬靈上的距离都不能打败上帝的恩典！但上帝不仅拯救了我们个人，还使我们集体成为祂教会的一部分。成为上帝永恒计划的一部分是何等巨大的特权！当我们结束这项研究时，这导致了两个实际应用。

First, have you personally experienced the grace of God? Are you spiritually dead? Are you distant from God? Or have you trusted Christ and received that eternal life that only He can give? If you are not sure of your spiritual position, I urge you to turn to Christ by faith and trust Him. Like the nation of Israel, you may have been given many spiritual privileges, only to reject the God who gave them. Or, like the Gentiles, you may have turned away from God and lived deliberately in sin and disobedience. In either case, “there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22–23). Call on Christ—He will save you.
第一，你有没有亲身经历过上帝的恩典？你在灵性上死了吗？你离上帝很远吗？或者你是否相信基督并获得了只有祂才能给予伙永生？如果你不确定自己的属灵地位，我敦促你凭信心转向基督并相信他。像以色列民族一样，您可能获得了许多属灵特权，却拒绝了赐予他们的上帝。或者，像外邦人一样，你可能已经背弃了上帝，故意生活在罪恶和不顺服中。无论哪种情况，“都没有区别，因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了上帝的荣耀”（罗马书 3:22-23）。呼求基督   — 他会拯救你。

Second, if you are a true believer in Christ, are you helping others to trust Him? You have been raised from the dead—do you “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4)? Do you share this good news of eternal life with others? You are no longer at enmity with God, but are you spreading the good news of “peace with God” with those who are still fighting Him?
其次，如果你是一个真正的基督信徒，你是在帮助别人相信祂吗？你已经从死里复活了   —你“行事有新意”（罗马书 6:4）？你有没有与他人分享这个永生的好消息？你不再与上帝为敌，而是向仍在与上帝争战的人传播“与祂和好”的好消息吗？

Jesus Christ died to make reconciliation possible. You and I must live to make the message of reconciliation personal. God has “given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18). We are His ambassadors of peace (2 Cor. 5:20). Our feet should be shod “with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt. 5:9).
耶稣基督的死是为了使和解成为可能。你和我必须活着，使和解的信息个人化。上帝“赐给我们和好的事工”（林后 5:18）。我们是祂的和平大使（2 Cor. 5:20）。我们的脚应该“为和平的福音作好准备”（弗 6:15）。 “使人和睦的人有福了，因为他们必称为上帝的儿女”（马太福音 5:9）。
 
A missionary was preaching in the village market, and some of the people were laughing at him because he was not a very handsome man. He took it for a time, and then he said to the crowd, “It is true that I do not have beautiful hair, for I am almost bald. Nor do I have beautiful teeth, for they are really not mine; they were made by the dentist. I do not have a beautiful face, nor can I afford to wear beautiful clothes. But this I know: I have beautiful feet!” And he quoted the verse from Isaiah: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace” (Isa. 52:7). Do you have beautiful feet?
一位传教士在村里的集市上讲道，一些人嘲笑他，因为他不是一个很帅的人。他過了一会儿，然后对众人说：“我的头发确实不漂亮，因为我几乎秃了。我也没有漂亮的牙齿，因为它们真的不是我的；它们是牙医制作的。我没有漂亮的脸蛋，也买不起漂亮的衣服。但这个我知道：但我有一双漂亮的脚！”他引用了以赛亚的诗句：“那报好消息，传平安的，他的脚在山上是何等美丽”（以赛亚书 52:7）。你有漂亮的脚吗？