| One new man, so making peace Eph2:15
Where there is a real existential need, where there is a real
desperation, an anxiety created by the chaos of the world, Jesus is
there to bring peace. In his flesh he abolished the law with its
commandments and regulations so making peace (v14). His flesh,
his blood, his cross brings peace. Every born again Christian
begins new life with this experience. In his flesh on the cross
he frees us from sin so making peace. The Law with its rules and
regulations is abolished by Christ and so there is no longer guilt,
shame, and condemnation and so a person experiences real peace.
Through the whippings he bore there exists the real possibility of
healing both physical and spiritual. By his cross we can be
delivered from the fleshly spirits which war against the soul:
fornication, impurity, evil passion, greed, anger, malice, deceit, and
lying, thus bringing peace. Through his cross we now have access
to the Holy Spirit and we are no longer orphans and aliens but have
real fellowship with God. God who was distant and beyond
knowledge and awareness now becomes a personal God and we can share his
divine nature having escaped corruption in the world through
lust. Finally, in his flesh, having abolished the Law, we are at
peace with the Jew, the chosen people of God, and we become one new man. What this means being ‘one new man’ is that for the born again Christian all the blessings of Abraham are now accessible to the all nations through the flesh of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice. For the Jew it means that they are no longer in bondage to the Law with its commandments and regulations but are now free and there is no longer hostility created by being the descendants of Abraham and all become spiritual descendents of Abraham through the cross of Christ. The Jew needs to experience freedom as much as the non-Jew. It is the freedom and peace that Christ brings both from sin and the Law. The Old covenant perishes in the face of the cross and a new Covenant emerges. The Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did. This new Covenant brings peace. God is going to restore peace to the Jew though for a time he has focused his attention on the pagan. God has not abandoned the world. Its redemption exists for all who will embrace the Christ, repent and experience true freedom. Jesus, through his flesh, has reconciled the world. God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their sins. Through Christ there is a real possibility for peace: peace with self, peace between self and God, peace between Christian and Christian, peace between Christian and Jew, peace between all nations. It is one new man so making peace. There is no division in Christ. We become one body with many parts. Jesus is the remedy for all separation, for all alienation, for all sickness, poverty, and lack. When Christ returns he will usher in a new age, a new spirit, thus making peace. The world needs Christ regardless of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation or religion. Be at it for God. He alone is the answer to a world of sin, sickness, poverty, war, and alienation. Amen |