For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2: 14-18, NKJV.
Dear Heavenly Father, we invite Your Holy Spirit to accompany us as we endeavor to understand Your will for our lives. Please remain with us we pray, in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we will look at the manner in which Christ made peace between two seemingly conflicting, set of rules. I humbly submit, for your consideration what has been impressed upon my heart, as I studied God’s Word. Let us begin by dividing our Scripture into three parts:
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances. [S]o as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”
The “our” that Paul is obviously talking about are primarily, Jews and Gentiles (11). I also believe, that in a broader sense, he is referring to all human beings – Christians and non-Christians, bond and free, regardless of nationality or race. After all the entire human race, as far as salvation is concerned , belong to one of two groups: the saved and the unsaved. There is no individual who is half-saved or half-lost. In salvation, which is the end of Paul’s discussion, there is no such position known as, in-between.
When Jesus came to earth, He came to bring to pass, God’s “eternal purpose” – offer salvation to all – to “whosoever will!” All who needed salvation, could come to the Father through the Son. In order to do this, He began by breaking down walls that had already served their purpose, and had already found their fulfillment, in Jesus Christ! “The law of commandments contained in ordinances” (the ceremonial law), that pointed to Jesus, met their fulfillment in Him, and therefore could “pass away” (Matthew 5: 17, 18). This was made evident when Jesus triumphed over sin on the cross, and breathed His last. Scripture informs us, “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27: 51). There was no longer a need for innocent lambs to be slaughtered, nor for any of the ordinances, that were symbolic of the Perfect Sacrifice, to be performed (Leviticus 23). Type had met anti-type in Christ!
These commandments contained in ordinances, which were the means to an end (pointing to the “Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world”), had become a wall that separated God’s chosen people from the rest of the world. The letter of the law became o important, that the spirit was overlooked. In His flesh, upon the cross of Calvary, Christ abolished this enmity, removed the wall of separation, and made all of His people “one” (Galatians 3: 26-28)
“And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.”
Jesus Himself came and preached, “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4: 7). He preached and ministered, not only to the “lost sheep of Israel,” but to Samaritans (John 4), and to a Syro-Phoenician woman and her daughter (Matthew 15: 21-28; Mark 7: 24-29), and to all who needed His help. He had brought with Him the atmosphere of heaven. Through Him, heaven had descended to earth; and as He walked among the human race, his love, compassion, and acceptance, of all people, brought peace to those “who were afar off and to those who were near.” Now, both Jews and Gentiles, would have access though one Spirit, to “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4: 6)! Praise God for Jesus, who is indeed, our Peace!