Eph 2:14-15 | KingComments | STEP | In the previous verse you have seen that we ‘have come near’ and that ‘in Christ’ and on the basis of His blood. Therefore it is possible that we can come into God’s presence. However, if there were nothing else, it could mean that the church was no more than an improvement of Judaism. For the Jew the door to God was closed, for the church it is open. As great as this privilege is, yet this does not say everything about what the church has more than Israel. The church doesn’t consist of an arbitrary number of Christians that now have the privilege to be in the presence of God. That privilege doesn’t necessarily mean that the distinction between Jews and Gentiles is removed. And one of the unique characteristics of the church is that now this distinction has indeed disappeared. That is what these verses will make clear. . The disappearance of this distinction is the result of what Christ has accomplished through His death on the cross. “He Himself is our peace”, with the emphasis on His Being. He has worked peace between God and man and – and this is where the emphasis is – between Jew and Gentile. This is something completely new. In the Old Testament the separation between Jew and Gentile was made by God Himself. There He gave the law as “the barrier of the dividing wall” or “the middle wall of separation”. The law was a kind of fence. Within that fence God stood in connection with His people Israel, a relation that was laid down in many commandments and ordinances. That fence functioned also as a division between Israel and the surrounding nations that did not have this law. By indicating this formal separation between Jew and Gentile not all has been said yet. In principle it could have been that they, as it were, had cordial contact with each other over the fence. That is not the case. Apart from a distinction in position there was also enmity. This enmity was also the result of the “Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances”. The Gentile was separated from that, in which the Jew boasted ( ). The Gentiles did not want to have anything to do with God. They had their own gods and subjected themselves to the rules they established themselves. In the Old Testament the Jew was appealed to tolerate the idolaters by no means. In this situation – that regards both the position of both and the hostile spirit they had toward each other – a radical change has happened. First the law as the middle wall of separation has been broken down or dissolved, disempowered. . Also the law as an expression of God’s will has been abolished or suspended. Both the breaking down and the abolishing happened through what Christ did “in His flesh”. The expression ‘in His flesh’ refers to His body which He surrendered in death on the cross. The law was brought to a definite ending for everyone who has been brought near, not only Jew, but also Gentile. Also the believer who was originally a Jew had to understand that the law has been brought to a definite ending for him. The same law that kept the Gentile at a distance from God, also kept the Jew at a distance from God. He had broken the law after all! That brought him under the curse. If the Jew wanted to have peace then also for him the law had to be abolished. Yet it is neither the breaking down of the middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile that makes the church that special. It was necessary but not sufficient. The most significant character of the church is not that Jew and Gentile now freely have contact with each other. Then the fence would have been built up again, only a little further so that the Gentiles would be within the fence. The difference between Jew and Gentile would have been removed by uplifting the Gentile to the level of the Jew. It would be totally unthinkable to let the Jew, after breaking down the wall, descend to the level of the Gentile. None of these possibilities reflects how God has formed the church. After the breaking down (negative) something new (positive) is manifesting itself and that is “one new man” and “one body”. To this which is new, Jew and Gentile are brought together. First, something about the new man: Christ is in a most intimate way connected with the new man. He has created him “in Himself”. The word ‘create’ indicates that it is about something that hasn’t ever existed before, but that is produced by Christ. He did not do that as with the first creation in Genesis 1, by speaking a word of power: ‘Let there be peace!’ No, with His work on the cross He was “establishing peace” between Jew and Gentile. Jew and Gentile as one new man, introduces a new being, with totally new features. Shortly said, the new man is this: Christ as He lives and becomes visible in every believer. To present the new man it is only possible with all believers, as each of them shows another aspect. For every believer personally it is applicable that He is in Christ and therefore a new creation ( ). . How lofty it might be what we see in the new man, everything hasn’t been said yet about the nearness in which the church has been brought to God. After the unity in essence, that is seen in the new man, follows the greatest unity that is possible: “one body”. One body is not a number of people that make the new man, while each of them shows a different aspect of that one new man. One body goes a step further. It means that those people together form an inseparable unity. They are united with each other as the members of a body are united with each other. This also is totally new. In the picture of the one body it is expressed most clearly how totally new the position is for both Jew and Gentile. The old position is definitely history. Another picture can make this clearer. In John 10 the Lord Jesus speaks of the sheep He brings out of the sheepfold ( ). Those are the Jewish sheep, believers from the Jews. He also talks about “other sheep, which are not of this fold” ( ). Those are the believers from the Gentiles. Then He proceeds: “I must bring them also, … and they will become one flock [sheep from Jews and sheep from Gentiles] [with] one shepherd” ( ). The Gentiles are not brought to the fold of the Jews. Jew and Gentile are neither brought to a new fold, so to speak, within a new system with new rules. No, they are being formed to a new flock, under one Shepherd. Now back to our chapter. Jew and Gentile can be together in one body as reconciled with God in His presence. This is also the result of what the Lord Jesus did on the cross. Should there be a way to create a situation of harmony between God and “them both”, then it was only through reconciliation. Reconciliation is needed where there is enmity. On the cross Christ was “made … sin” ( ). There, in Christ, everything was judged by God and everything was taken away that cannot exist before Him, so that He could bring us near to Him. The cross also means the end of the old feud that existed between Jew and Gentile, for through the cross “the enmity” was put to death. This is how the cross works reconciliation between God and men and between men and men. Now read Ephesians 2:14-16 again. Reflection: What did God do in Christ to bring us near?

‏ Ephesians 2:14-15

Christ Is Our Peace

In the previous verse you have seen that we ‘have come near’ and that ‘in Christ’ and on the basis of His blood. Therefore it is possible that we can come into God’s presence. However, if there were nothing else, it could mean that the church was no more than an improvement of Judaism. For the Jew the door to God was closed, for the church it is open.

As great as this privilege is, yet this does not say everything about what the church has more than Israel. The church doesn’t consist of an arbitrary number of Christians that now have the privilege to be in the presence of God. That privilege doesn’t necessarily mean that the distinction between Jews and Gentiles is removed. And one of the unique characteristics of the church is that now this distinction has indeed disappeared. That is what these verses will make clear.

Eph 2:14. The disappearance of this distinction is the result of what Christ has accomplished through His death on the cross. “He Himself is our peace”, with the emphasis on His Being. He has worked peace between God and man and – and this is where the emphasis is – between Jew and Gentile. This is something completely new.

In the Old Testament the separation between Jew and Gentile was made by God Himself. There He gave the law as “the barrier of the dividing wall” or “the middle wall of separation”. The law was a kind of fence. Within that fence God stood in connection with His people Israel, a relation that was laid down in many commandments and ordinances. That fence functioned also as a division between Israel and the surrounding nations that did not have this law.

By indicating this formal separation between Jew and Gentile not all has been said yet. In principle it could have been that they, as it were, had cordial contact with each other over the fence. That is not the case. Apart from a distinction in position there was also enmity. This enmity was also the result of the “Law of commandments [contained] in ordinances”.

The Gentile was separated from that, in which the Jew boasted (Rom 2:23). The Gentiles did not want to have anything to do with God. They had their own gods and subjected themselves to the rules they established themselves. In the Old Testament the Jew was appealed to tolerate the idolaters by no means.

In this situation – that regards both the position of both and the hostile spirit they had toward each other – a radical change has happened. First the law as the middle wall of separation has been broken down or dissolved, disempowered.

Eph 2:15. Also the law as an expression of God’s will has been abolished or suspended. Both the breaking down and the abolishing happened through what Christ did “in His flesh”. The expression ‘in His flesh’ refers to His body which He surrendered in death on the cross. The law was brought to a definite ending for everyone who has been brought near, not only Jew, but also Gentile.

Also the believer who was originally a Jew had to understand that the law has been brought to a definite ending for him. The same law that kept the Gentile at a distance from God, also kept the Jew at a distance from God. He had broken the law after all! That brought him under the curse. If the Jew wanted to have peace then also for him the law had to be abolished.

Yet it is neither the breaking down of the middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile that makes the church that special. It was necessary but not sufficient. The most significant character of the church is not that Jew and Gentile now freely have contact with each other. Then the fence would have been built up again, only a little further so that the Gentiles would be within the fence. The difference between Jew and Gentile would have been removed by uplifting the Gentile to the level of the Jew. It would be totally unthinkable to let the Jew, after breaking down the wall, descend to the level of the Gentile.

None of these possibilities reflects how God has formed the church. After the breaking down (negative) something new (positive) is manifesting itself and that is “one new man” and “one body”. To this which is new, Jew and Gentile are brought together.

First, something about the new man: Christ is in a most intimate way connected with the new man. He has created him “in Himself”. The word ‘create’ indicates that it is about something that hasn’t ever existed before, but that is produced by Christ. He did not do that as with the first creation in Genesis 1, by speaking a word of power: ‘Let there be peace!’ No, with His work on the cross He was “establishing peace” between Jew and Gentile.

Jew and Gentile as one new man, introduces a new being, with totally new features. Shortly said, the new man is this: Christ as He lives and becomes visible in every believer. To present the new man it is only possible with all believers, as each of them shows another aspect. For every believer personally it is applicable that He is in Christ and therefore a new creation (2Cor 5:17).

Eph 2:16. How lofty it might be what we see in the new man, everything hasn’t been said yet about the nearness in which the church has been brought to God. After the unity in essence, that is seen in the new man, follows the greatest unity that is possible: “one body”. One body is not a number of people that make the new man, while each of them shows a different aspect of that one new man. One body goes a step further. It means that those people together form an inseparable unity. They are united with each other as the members of a body are united with each other.

This also is totally new. In the picture of the one body it is expressed most clearly how totally new the position is for both Jew and Gentile. The old position is definitely history.

Another picture can make this clearer. In John 10 the Lord Jesus speaks of the sheep He brings out of the sheepfold (Jn 10:3-4). Those are the Jewish sheep, believers from the Jews. He also talks about “other sheep, which are not of this fold” (Jn 10:16a). Those are the believers from the Gentiles. Then He proceeds: “I must bring them also, … and they will become one flock [sheep from Jews and sheep from Gentiles] [with] one shepherd” (Jn 10:16b).

The Gentiles are not brought to the fold of the Jews. Jew and Gentile are neither brought to a new fold, so to speak, within a new system with new rules. No, they are being formed to a new flock, under one Shepherd.

Now back to our chapter. Jew and Gentile can be together in one body as reconciled with God in His presence. This is also the result of what the Lord Jesus did on the cross. Should there be a way to create a situation of harmony between God and “them both”, then it was only through reconciliation. Reconciliation is needed where there is enmity.

On the cross Christ was “made … sin” (2Cor 5:20-21). There, in Christ, everything was judged by God and everything was taken away that cannot exist before Him, so that He could bring us near to Him. The cross also means the end of the old feud that existed between Jew and Gentile, for through the cross “the enmity” was put to death. This is how the cross works reconciliation between God and men and between men and men.

Now read Ephesians 2:14-16 again.

Reflection: What did God do in Christ to bring us near?