Eph 2:18 For through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father. (19) So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Verse 19 speaks of the saints, the house of God, and the kingdom of God. The saints [all the believers] are individuals, but the house of God is corporate and results in the kingdom of God... Therefore, we have both the individual aspect of the Christian life and the corporate aspect in the house of God and the kingdom of God. In verse 19 there is the thought of intimacy, seen in the term fellow-citizens. As unsaved Gentiles, we once were far off from God and the commonwealth of Israel, but now we have an intimate relationship with the saints. We are fellow- citizens of the saints and members of God's household. Among the citizens of the United States, there is a certain intimacy. But this intimacy cannot compare with that among members of a family. The Jews and the Gentiles are not only citizens of the same kingdom, but also folks of the same family. We need to regard the saints in an intimate way as our folks. Being members of the family of God must not only be our doctrine, but also our experience. In the universe God has just one household, one family. No matter what our background may be, as believers we all are members of God's unique universal family, and all the saints are our folks. Do not take this matter lightly, but consider it seriously as an important aspect of the church. What an intimate relationship we have in the household of God!
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 231-232. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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