EPHESIANS 2:17-19 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Starting in verse 17.
Preached Peace; has the idea of Jesus Christ preaching peace in relation to the harmonized relationships between God and man, accomplished through the gospel. The Greek word for peace is εἰρήνη eirene. Strongs G1515, Vines (def. f).
Afar Off; it signifies "the (ones) far off." The Greek word μακράν makran indicates that this can be literally as in distance or figuratively. Stongs G3112, Vines (def. 1).
My notes: This is why it is super important to know how the text is meant to be read. Because God is talking about the relationship between God and man here, it is metaphorical and had the idea of being "in spiritual darkness". Jesus did reach people all over the globe with His Word, but we do not want to read things into the direct text that aren't part of the idea being presented. This keeps us from assumptions about the text. In Vines you can also see this defined under "FAR" (def. b).
Nigh; Here we get the adverb engus. The Greek is ἐγγύς. Strong's G1451. Vines (def. a) under the word "near", "nigh;" metaphorically. Because of the context, we can see that Jesus was also preaching to those that were "spiritually close" to Him.
Moving to Verse 18.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Access; of our "access" in one Spirit through Christ, unto the Father; The Greek word here is προσαγωγή prosagoge, Strong's G4318 Vines (def b.) It has the idea of "admission".
Spirit Unto The Father; The Greek word for "Spirit" here πνεῦμα pneuma. a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit. Vine's does not offer a direct definition in this instance.
My Notes: I don't want to offer speculation here because the rest of the context starts to clarify this anyway.
The Greek word for "Father" here is πατήρ pater. Strong's G3962, Vines (def. g) of God in relation to those who have been born anew.
Verse 19.
Fellow Citizens; This is the Greek word συμπολίτης sumpolites. sun, "with," and No. 1, denotes "a fellow-citizen," i.e., possessing the same "citizenship,". In this context, it is used metaphorically in a spiritual sense.
With The Saints; The Greek word here is ἅγιος hagios. In the plural, as used of believers, it designates all such and is not applied merely to persons of exceptional holiness, or to those who, having died, were characterized by exceptional acts of "saintliness."
Household Of God; "the household of God" denotes the company of the redeemed; which also backs up the section above. The Greek word here is οἰκεῖος oikeios. Stong's G3609 Vines (def. B-1).
Takeaway -
In the next few verses, we are going to get into Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone of the church on which the entire foundation rests. The main idea here is that once we are believers in Christ we have access to the Father. The key is Jesus Christ. We don't get to God any other way. I don't care how many pushups you do, how many bowling pins you can juggle, how many cats you saved, how nice you think you are, none of that matters without Jesus Christ.
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