11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Gentile believers were Paul’s primary audience in this letter. And he calls attention to the fact that prior to faith they did not enjoy the benefits of God’s promises that the Jews enjoyed. They had no hope and were alienated from God, the One who created them. The Jews for their part despised the Gentiles and used what amounted to a racial slur in calling them the “Uncircumcision.” They took great pride in their own “Circumcision.” These terms referred to the outward “surgical” sign that God had given to Israel which marks them out as a people separated to God, special. However, the Jews were nationally arrogant about holding to the outward form, but were lacking in the faith necessary for an authentic relationship with God.
Gentile believers do well to remember this. Apart from Christ non-believers have no promises from God to hope in; they are without Him. They are strangers to all that God was doing in the world. However, though we were like that, now that we have believed, we have been brought into an intimate relationship (“brought near”) with God. We are “in Christ,” as Paul has repeated throughout the letter. And it is on account of “the blood of Christ.”
Sometimes, Christians like to speak of the blood as though there was something different about the physical properties of Christ’s literal blood, something almost magical—as though if one could have captured a few drops of it at the time of Christ’s crucifixion, it could be enshrined as a holy relic. However, the blood is used simply as representing the sacrifice required for our salvation, just like the blood of animals in the Old Testament represented the life of the animal (Gen 9:4, Lev 17:11,14). Blood was so associated with an animal’s life that it became synonymous with the life itself. Jesus therefore behind a memorial for us to repeatedly practice, namely taking the bread and wine as symbols of His body and blood. So the blood of Christ has become entrenched in our minds as the enduring representation of Christ’s giving of His life for our salvation. How important it is for Christians to continually remind ourselves of the blood shed for us through the practice of the Lord’s Supper!
Lord, thank You so much for the death of Your son, the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood for our redemption. And thank You for the weekly reminder.
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