Today we look at the last facet of the horizontal beam:
We have been given citizenship!
There are some fascinating insights that pop out of the original Greek of this verse. (I don't usually "geek out" on the Greek like this - but the insights are too good not to share!)
1. We were Foreigners (the Greek word is "Xenos" from which we get "xenophobia") We did not belong, we were out of place and had the stigma of our sin and brokenness that marked us out as those who do not belong, but the cross makes us "fellow citizens" with God's people. (Paul uses the word "hagioi" which means "saints") Today we think a saint is someone who has achieved a state of goodness, but Paul means people who are forgiven by God.
2. For "fellow citizens" Paul uses the word "sumpolitai."
The preposition "sum" implies "together with" and "politai" is where we get the word "politics." But in Graeco-Roman culture "politics" wasn't the party politics we know and dislike today, instead it meant the "art of living in community." By granting us forgiveness, God makes us saints. It means that God's Spirit gives us the ability to love each other as forgiven saints.
3. We were Aliens (the Greek implies living alongside, but not in the household*) but now we are "members-of-God's-household." We are not on the outside looking in, we are part of the household and family of God.
This is very good news!
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* In Greek "oikos" means "Household" and so the similarities in Aliens ("paroikos" - para-oikos - alongside the household but not in it) and Members-of-God's-Household ("oikeioi") are too interesting to ignore.
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
