Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
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.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.--Ephesians 2:11-22
To My Beloved Daughters in Him
Looking at verses 11 and 12 Paul speaks here to the Gentile Christians, but the exhortation is good for us as well. Remember who you used to be!! Aliens and strangers from the covenant of the promise...having no hope and without God! Dead men walking. God's chosen people were the Jews. Gentiles were not able to partake of the promises given to the Jewish nation. Thinking about living for a moment without my God and the sure and certain hope I have in Him makes me literally shudder.
In Christ Jesus, I, who was once afar off have been brought near by the blood of my Savior, Jesus. Without Christ, I am not only bereft of spiritual blessings, but I am in darkness...without peace, without rest, without safety and without protection. My God is the anchor of my soul. He is my sure and steadfast hope. I was once a child of darkness but now I am light in the Lord. By my belief in His Son, I am now a Jew inwardly where circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Read the following from Acts 10...Peter is speaking.
Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean....“In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— .... To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
There was contention between the Jew and the Gentile. The source of it stemmed from the fact that the Gentile did not keep the law... Jesus brought these two people groups together by the great love with which He loved us both....even when we were both dead in trespasses and sins.
The middle wall of separation spoken of in these verses refers to a wall in the temple that separated the Jew and the Gentile. Through His death Jesus, the Prince of Peace, broke down this wall of separation. He abolished in His flesh the handwriting of the requirements that were against both Jew and Gentile...The Jew who was trying to be righteous before God under the law and the Gentile who was alienated from God spiritually and who did not keep the law. Jesus became the common denominator...the One way that both could draw near. There is now no distinction between Jew and Gentile for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call on Him....for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Read John 17 and see the desire of Jesus...
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
1st Timothy 2:5 says, "There is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" We have no access to God apart from Jesus Christ.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.--Galatians 3:26-29
Jesus took the Jew and the Gentile and brought them together into a new man and a new body...the church. Stop and think for a moment what a beautiful picture that is. The body of Christ is the church...this is the household of God that has been built on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles with Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone.
Jesus is the foundation upon which we are built and are to build. The message of the apostles and the prophets is that God has provided salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the way the truth and the life. He is how we come to God. Unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain...
This whole body even today is being fitted together and growing into the temple of the Lord...each one of us who believe is being grown into a holy dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.--2nd Corinthians 5:17
What is the main application I took away from this particular passage of Scripture?
Simply that you cannot practice partiality and be consistent with calling yourself a Christian. You cannot hold the Christian faith which is centered with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. God shows no partiality.
Beloved, we are saved by God's grace alone. To treat those around us based on anything else is utterly and totally inconsistent with the doctrine of grace and with the Lord of glory. If we really believe that we are saved by grace and it is nothing of ourselves, than that is the basis we will relate to others. We will be good stewards of the manifold grace He has given us and show His grace to others. Jesus broke down the wall of separation between the Jew and the Gentile and brought peace. Grace keeps the wall of separation down and provides the opportunity for the Spirit of God to work.
The basis of our relationship with anyone should be the person and work of Jesus Christ. We need to look at everyone with the eyes of Christ. What we see will guide our thoughts, words and our actions in His love. Warren Wiersbe puts it into such practical terms. If the person is a Christian, we can accept him because Christ lives in him. If the person is an unbeliever, we can receive him because Christ died for him." Christ is the link between us and others. Any other basis is not going to work.
Love
Mom
