Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Jesus.

The Old Testament Scriptures seem to have been constantly in Paul's mind; and in this verse the background was apparently this passage:

Peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near saith the Lord; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest ... There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked (Isaiah 57:19-21).

Thus, Paul showed the salvation of Gentiles to have been in God's plan always, Gentiles being clearly included in Isaiah's prophecy of those whom God would heal. Peter also, in the Pentecostal sermon, extended the terms of admission to God's kingdom to "all that are afar off" (Acts 2:39).

Far off ... From the above, it is clear that in both Old Testament and New Testament these words are a reference to Gentiles, but the implications and connotations of the expression are far greater than that of a mere term of identification. In the ancient cultures of both the pagans and the Jews, that which was "far off' was held to be detestable. Both Horace and Virgil described the opening lines of pagan worship ceremonies thus:

Hence! O hence! Ye profane! I abominate the profane vulgar, And drive them from the temples.[40]

The English word "profane" derives from the Latin "procul a fano", which is literally far from the temple.[41] The utter depravity of the whole pre-Christian Gentile civilization is expressed by the words "far off."

Made nigh in the blood of Christ ... It is the blood of Christ which cleanses from sin, making it possible for the profane to enter the temple of God; it was the ransom paid for the redemption of the souls under bondage to sin; it was the purchase price paid for his church. The blood references in the New Testament are precious, and only the spiritually reprobate are capable of rejecting them as in any manner offensive.

[40] Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. XI (New York and London: Carlton and Porter, 1830), p. 780.

[41] Ibid.