Ephesians (W4D2) Reconciled
Week4. Tuesday: Reconciled
PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.
READ: Ephesians 2:13-16
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words
Far Away (Greek: makran): a great distance
Before salvation we were far away, not slightly off course.
Our sin nature kept us bound a great distance from God.
Brought Near (Greek: ginomai eggys): change of place or position
Peace (Greek: eirēnē): harmony, secure, safe (Romans 5:1)
Two Groups (Greek: amphoteroi): refers to Jews and Gentiles
Barrier (Greek: phragmos): that which separates, prevents from unity
The Law (Greek: nomos): referring to the Old Testament law system
The law was never intended to make us holy or righteous.
God’s law shows us what sin is and how sinful we are (Romans 3:20; 7:7).
Jesus did not abolish the law, He fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17).
One New Humanity (Greek: heis kainos anthrōpos): a new kind of existence
Christians are not simply modified. We are made totally new (2 Cor. 5:17).
This means that our entire self and purpose has been made new.
Reconcile (Greek: apokatallassō): to bring back completely (Colossians 1:19-22)
Put to Death (Greek: apokteinō): to destroy, extinguish, to kill in every way
In context, this refers to the hostility between Jews and Gentiles.
On the cross, Christ totally destroyed this hostility. Not only between Jews and Gentiles, but also the hostility between God and mankind (Romans 8:5-13).
APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?
In Christ, all people are on equal ground at the foot of the cross. All kinds of people will be saved. Therefore, Jewish believers should no longer look down on Gentile believers. The point is unity in the church. Since God brings all kinds of people to salvation, we should be excited and thankful for that truth. There should never be a dividing wall of hostility between believers. God has reconciled us and we should seek reconciliation with others.
In what ways have you seen the church be divided?
In what ways have you been guilty of causing or contributing to division?
PRAY: Ask God to keep you from division and help you contribute to reconciliation.
