July 19, 2018
Ephesians 2:11-14…“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” vs. 14
The earliest division in the Body of Christ was between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, and it took years of debate and argument before the issue could reach even an initial stage of reconciliation. The circumcised were so proud of their identity as the children of the covenant and it was hard to accept that the Gentiles, who had so long been outsiders, were now included. Compromise was possible only when both groups realized that unity came, not with anything they said or did, but only by an act of God in Christ. Those kinds of divisions have continued to plague the Church through the years. We seem to love erecting walls of separation and imagining that somehow others don’t measure up to God’s standards. We use all kinds of factors to divide: sexuality, race, gender, doctrine–the list seems inexhaustible. And it’s all so contrary to the gospel! It’s what Christ has done that makes us one and it’s already happened. There is no point in exclusion or hostility. The wall has been broken down. All are welcome in the family of hope and promise. It’s amazing what happens when we can begin to relax with one another and celebrate the peace that we have in Christ. We have plenty to do in bringing healing and justice to the world…pointless hostilities are always a distraction!
Thought for the Day: Where have I seen hostility in the Body?
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