¹¹ So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. ¹² At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, ¹⁵ he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. ¹⁶ He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. ¹⁷ He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access in one spirit to the Father.

1) Who are the uncircumcised and the circumcised?
In Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham that promised him and his descendants the land of Israel amongst other things. In Genesis 17, God told Abraham that the sign of that covenant would be circumcision. To be an heir to the promises that God had given Abraham, every man had to be circumcised. Without circumcision, a man was not part of God’s chosen people and would not be included in the promises that God made to Abraham. As time went on, the uncircumcised became known as Gentiles and the circumcised were known as Jews. The Jews were God’s chosen people and the Gentiles were not. Paul is writing to the Gentiles in this passage. He’s telling them that when Christ came, circumcision no longer mattered. He brought together these two groups through faith in Christ. If you believe in Jesus, you become a citizen of Israel, one of God’s chosen people.

2) Why is there a dividing wall of hostility between these two groups?
According to Genesis 17:14, any man who was not circumcised should be cut off from the people. He had broken the covenant. As time went on, God gave the ten commandments and a whole list of rules and ordinances for His people to follow as a way of setting them apart from the world around them. God made it very clear to the Israelites that they were not to associate with anyone who didn’t practice these rules. He told them that such people would lead them away from Him, the One true God. Because of this, Jews did not associate with Gentiles and it caused a lot of hostility between the two groups. In the temple, there was even a wall that divided the court of the Gentiles from the temple proper. If a Gentile went past this wall, it meant death for them. That’s what I call hostility!

3) What does the word peace mean?
The Greek word used for peace in verses 14, 15, and 17 is “Eirene”. It means peace or rest. It’s the opposite of strife. It is a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being. This would be quite the opposite of what the Gentiles experienced with the Jews prior to faith in Jesus. For the first time in history, these people from different backgrounds could live in harmony together through Christ rather than discord. Christ abolished the strife between the two groups and brought a sense of togetherness for the first time in centuries.

4) What does it mean to be reconciled to God in verse 16?
The word used for reconciled here isn’t referring to setting up a relationship of peace which hasn’t existed before, it refers to the restoration of a relationship of peace which had been disturbed. Adam and Eve walked in perfect peace with God in the Garden of Eden. Sin disturbed, or broke, that relationship for them and for everyone after them. Romans 5:12 says that sin and death spread to all men because of Adam’s sin. Ephesians 2:16 expresses the fact that, not only are the Jews and Gentiles reconciled to each other, they are all reconciled to God through Christ Jesus. It is only in Christ that we can bring our relationship with God back into right standing and be restored to our original relationship with Him.

1) Who are the uncircumcised and the circumcised?
Today, we no longer live under the law. We live under grace, so those who are in Christ should no longer be pointing fingers at others in Christ if they don’t do something the “right way.” In Christ, we are all circumcised in our hearts. Colossians 2:13-14 says, “And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.” There is no longer circumcised and uncircumcised, only believers and nonbelievers. It’s no longer about what we do as much as it is about what we believe about who Jesus is. We have been freed from the bondages of sin through Christ. However, nonbelievers are still held in chains. They are still slaves in Egypt, so to speak.

2) Why is there a dividing wall of hostility between these two groups?
There is no longer a wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles who are in Christ. Christ tore that wall down. The hostility is now between believers and nonbelievers. I want to make something very clear here. Believers should NOT have hostility for nonbelievers!!! We are to love them and recognize that they are still slaves to sin. They haven’t yet realized their need for a Savior. The very fact that we have been freed from the chains of sin should make our hearts sympathize and yearn for others to be free, to know Jesus, to experience His love and forgiveness. Often times, nonbelievers will have hostility toward believers. This can make it difficult for believers to love on nonbelievers. The devil will start whispering lies in our ears and telling us that nonbelievers are our enemies, but God’s Word tells us differently. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our fight isn’t against people, it’s against the devil himself. We need to understand that it isn’t us that nonbelievers have a problem with, it’s Jesus Himself! (John 15:18-19) John 3:19 says that there are men who love the darkness rather than the Light. Christ alone can break down this dividing wall of hostility, and Christ lives in us, so we must be the Light!

3) What does the word peace mean?
Verse 14 says that Christ is our peace. He alone can bring rest to a weary soul. Verse 15 talks about how Christ abolished the enmity between people that rules cause. It’s not in the rules and regulations that we find peace. In fact, the rules and regulations are what causes strife among us. Christ died so that we could have peace even in the middle of all of our differences, because our peace is found in Him alone. I love verse 17! He came to proclaim the good news of peace to those who were far off and to those who were near. Some of you might be far off. You might really struggle to follow the rules. You might be living in sin, feeling their chains choking you from the breath of peace. Come to Him and find rest and peace. On the other hand, you might be near to Him, but life feels disturbed because of circumstances that you’re going through. Your mind keeps wondering to the “what if’s” and your heart is filled with fear. Run to the One who gave His life so that you might know rest. It is only in His arms and with our eyes focused on Him that we will find true peace in the midst of the storm. “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST.” (Matthew 11:28)

4) What does it mean to be reconciled to God in verse 16?
God wants us to walk in freedom. Jesus died to set us free. He died that we might believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved. When we believe that Jesus is who He said He is and repent of our sins, we are reconciled to Him. We are made righteous in His eyes. We become children of God. We are free from the bondage of sin and death. That doesn’t mean that we will never sin. We WILL sin, but all we have to do is recognize our sin, confess it, and He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). If you feel like you’re in bondage to sin, but you know Jesus and believe Him, you are still reconciled to Him. Your feelings don’t save you or un-save you. Jesus saved you. He is the One who reconciles us. I believe that God gives us those feelings as a reminder to turn around and away from sin and run back into His loving arms of grace. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, so sin doesn’t steal our salvation. It steals our peace. Christ came to reconcile us and give us peace. He is our peace. Run to Him!!

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