Suggestions for leading a study:

• Familiarize yourself with the passage in context, including the book itself.  Who wrote it to whom, and why?
• Read through the study guide a couple times to get the “big idea” as well as the flow of the argument
• Have the group read through the passage in it’s entirety before beginning the study.  One of the goals is to try to get your members to learn how to study Scripture methodically, and this is an important step.
• Be prayed up
• Have fun!
  

Body Building

¹¹Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- ¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
¹⁹Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Discussion Questions

-This passage is about bringing Jews and Gentiles, two groups that didn’t get along, together in the church.

-Read verses 11 and 12.  In verse 12 Paul uses three descriptions of the situation that gentiles were in before Christ.  What are they? 

-There are also two things mentioned in verse 12 that resulted from the situation gentiles were in.  What are they?

-What kind of picture does this paint regarding people who are outside of Christ?  Is that how we usually think of them?

-Read verse 13.  What happened to the gentiles and how did God accomplish it?

-Verse 14 clarifies what God did through the blood of Christ.  What was it?  Is this what we usually think of when we think of what the blood of Christ accomplished?

-According to verse 15, what did the crucifixion of Christ do  to make this happen?  Do we tend to exclude people from the fellowship because they don’t “act like us?” 

-What does verses 15-18 say about the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice?  Is that different from the forgiveness of our sins, or an important addition to that primary purpose?

-Read verses 19-22.  What image is used for the church?  Why would it be important to be united and inclusive in order to become this? 

-Is there anyone today in the situation that gentiles were in that we need to be careful to include as we build the church?

Leaders' Guide

This lesson is about building the church through making sure that we are inclusive of all people. 

-This passage is about bringing Jews and Gentiles, two groups that didn’t get along, together in the church.

            This is not a discussion question, just a clarification of what is mentioned in verse 11.  Some of the terminology having to do with circumcision and Gentiles may be unfamiliar.  The basic situation is that Jews (characterized by their laws and regulations, including circumcision, which became a primary indicator for them that they “belong” to the people of God) and Gentiles (anyone who isn’t a Jew) didn’t get along.  Generally speaking, Jews did not feel that it would ever be possible for Gentiles to be fully integrated into the people of God.  This passage is based on the assumption that one of the things which the crucifixion of Christ accomplished was precisely that.

-Read verses 11 and 12.  In verse 12 Paul uses three descriptions of the situation that gentiles were in before Christ.  What are they? 

            Separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship, and foreigners to the promise are three descriptions used.  Before moving on to the next question, try to boil these concepts down to the three words involved: separate, excluded, and foreign.  Together, they paint a powerful picture of being an “outsider.” 

-There are also two things mentioned in verse 12 that resulted from the situation gentiles were in.  What are they?

            Without hope and without God in the world are the results of being separated, excluded, and a foreigner. 

-What kind of picture does this paint regarding people who are outside of Christ?  Is that how we usually think of them?

            A very bleak and dreary picture is being painted of what it means to be an outsider in relation to the kingdom of God.  The second half of the question is meant to underscore that we should never be complacent about those who are outside the faith.  They are in a desperate situation and our hearts should constantly be burdened to see them saved and brought safely into the kingdom of God.   

-Read verse 13.  What happened to the gentiles and how did God accomplish it?

            What happened is that they were brought near.  The means by which God accomplished that according to this verse is through the blood of Christ.  The real point to this is included in the next question, so move on to complete this thought.

-Verse 14 clarifies what God did through the blood of Christ.  What was it?  Is this what we usually think of when we think of what the blood of Christ accomplished?
            This verse says that he “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”  In other words, he took down the things that separated Jews from Gentiles and made the two become one.  The second half of the question is meant to broaden our understanding of the work that Christ did on the cross.  We tend to think of it as just a sacrifice for our sins, which it certainly was.  But the result was the reconciliation of people to each other.

-According to verse 15, what did the crucifixion of Christ do  to make this happen?  Do we tend to exclude people from the fellowship because they don’t “act like us?” 

            In order to accomplish this reconciliation, Christ “abolished in his flesh” the law with its commandments and regulations.  This is not referring to the moral law of God (embodied in the 10 commandments, etc.), but a large and complex set of rules that regulated a Jew’s lifestyle down to minute detail.  Be clear about that, because Paul is not talking here about moral license, an “anything goes” attitude.  His concern is a set of rules and regulations that  became what set Jews apart from other people, and thus resulted in precisely the opposite result that God intended.  The second half of the question is meant to bring this home to us.  We are not in the situation of being orthodox Jews who are excluding Gentiles from our fellowship.  But are there other people who don’t behave like we do that we tend to exclude, even unconsciously?  Other races?  People who dress differently?  Hang out with the wrong crowd?  Have tattoos?  Engage in what we consider to be unacceptable behavior, such as drinking or drugs or homosexual behavior? 

-What does verses 15-18 say about the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice?  Is that different from the forgiveness of our sins, or an important addition to that primary purpose?

            This is a follow up on the previous question, clarifying that one of the reasons for the sacrifice of Christ is to reconcile people.  As the second half of the question indicates, this is not something different from salvation, or forgiveness of sins, but a critical addition to it.  Without this component, the sacrifice of Christ would have been only for a few people who were behaving correctly according to some arbitrary rules and regulations.  His sacrifice was for everyone.

-Read verses 19-22.  What image is used for the church?  Why would it be important to be united and inclusive in order to become this? 

            The image is one of a building.  Built on a solid foundation of what we believe about Jesus, and the teaching of the apostles and prophets (basically found for us in the New Testament and the Old Testament).  But it is a building that is being built (rises up), and has to be held together if it is going to stand as it rises above this foundation.  If we are not knitted together, the structure will fall apart.  This is the picture that Paul is painting for us: our willingness to include people are the nails and glue and mortar and other elements of a building that will hold it together.  The foundation itself can never move, but it is our responsibility to stay united to make it a “holy temple in the Lord.”

-Is there anyone today in the situation that gentiles were in that we need to be careful to include as we build the church?

           This is a wrap-up application question.  It may have been already worked through in the previous discussion, but make sure that the group understands completely that there is no group that should be excluded from the benefits of salvation and what God has to offer.  There are no “outsiders” in the kingdom of God.