In Ephesians 2, Paul uses two images interchangeably to illustrate what the church (Greek: ecclesia) is. Here, he intermingles the imagery of a body and a temple.
The nations were distinguished from the Jewish people by carnal differences, such as circumcision (:11-12). Because of this, the nations stood “outside” and had no share in the blessings of Israel. In the temple, this inequality between Jew and Gentile was made visible by a dividing wall. Paul says that this wall has now been broken down:
Ephesians 2
14 For He is our peace, who makes both one and breaks down the middle wall of the stone enclosure: 15 the enmity in His flesh.
new man
Now in Christ this division, which creates enmity, has ended, and Jew and Gentile are one new man(ity) in Christ, a spiritual unity. A verse later, Paul then immediately speaks of the other image, the ecclesia as a body. He says the same thing, but in different words:
16 and would reconcile both in one body with God through the cross, in which He kills the enmity.
growth and building
Next, see how Paul uses both images interchangeably in the last verses of the chapter. There is talk of a structure, with words such as: household members, temple, cornerstone, etc. At the same time, it is said of it that it grows and becomes interconnected, like the connections of a body: joints, muscles, and tendons.
19 So then you are no longer guests and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of God’s household,
20 who are built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, of which Christ Jesus is the ultimate cornerstone,
21 in whom the entire building grows and becomes interconnected into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are built together into a dwelling place of God, in the spirit.
Now that we know that the temple and the body are images of Christ and His ecclesia, we can examine these visible things and discover how they speak of Him and of us.