“For He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of enclosure, having annulled the enmity in His flesh, the law of commandments in ordinances, that He might form the two in Himself into one new man, making peace; and might reconcile both in one body to God by the cross, having by it slain the enmity; and, coming, He has preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off, and the glad tidings of peace to those who were nigh. For through Him we have both access by one Spirit to the Father” (verses 14-18, JND).
God’s unfoldings of His truth are marvelous, as we are learning from verse to verse. “For He is our peace,” puts that peace entirely beyond a mere inward state of feelings; our peace is Christ outside us, and this, whether we believe it or not, but we are dishonoring Him if we do not believe. All blessings flow to us consequent upon the death of the cross (verse 16), or as expressed in the language of verse 13, by the blood of Christ.
He has made both one, Gentile and Jew, and broken down the middle wall of enclosure which until the day of Pentecost stood between the two. The enmity which was in the commandments of the law, entirely separating the one from the other, was annulled in His flesh, that He might form the two in Himself into one new man, making peace. Nor does this suffice for God as indicating to Him the measure of what has been wrought, for verse 16 adds that there is included in the divine design the reconciling of both in one body to Himself by the cross, having by it slain the enmity; and coming, He has preached the glad tidings of peace to those who (Gentiles) were far off, and to those (Jews) who were near. For through Him we have both access by one Spirit to the Father.
At the risk of some repetition a few more remarks seem to be called for. Christ was not making out our righteousness when He was on earth. His life was necessary to vindicate God and His holy law, as well as to manifest Himself and His love; but the righteousness we are made in Christ, is not the law fulfilled by Him, but the justifying righteousness of God founded on Christ’s death, displayed in His resurrection and crowned by His glory in heaven. It is not Christ simply doing our duty for us, but God forgiving my trespasses, judging my sins, yes, finding such satisfaction in Christ’s blood that now He cannot do too much for us; it becomes, if I may so say, a positive debt to Christ because of what He, Christ, has suffered. It is not seen that the law is the strength of sin, nor of righteousness. Had Christ only kept the law, neither your soul nor mine could have been saved, much less blessed, as we are. Whoever kept the law, it would have been the righteousness of the law, and not God’s righteousness which has not the smallest connection with obeying the law. Because Christ obeyed unto death, God has brought in a new kind of righteousness—not ours, but His own in our favor. Christ has been made a curse upon the tree; God has made Him “sin” for us that we might be made righteousness of God in Him.
All believers now, whether Jews or Gentiles, in Christ Jesus are brought into an entirely new place, the Gentile out of his distance from God, and the Jew out of his dispensational nearness; both enjoy a common blessing in God’s presence, never possessed before, Christ having died for and under sin—our sin. The old separation dissolves and gives place by grace to oneness in Christ Jesus. When did this begin? An important question, for it is really the answer to the question: What, according to Scripture, is the church? Ask many of God’s children. Would they not say, The aggregate of all believers? But is this the body of Christ as shown us here? There were saints from the beginning, all who were born of God; but were they formed into a united assembly on the earth? Did anything under the Old Testament correspond to one body? It never was heard of excepting as a thing promised, till the day of Pentecost. It awaited the cross of Christ.
In this epistle we find the Gentile in a most deplorable condition of distance from God, and separation from all that God had chosen upon the earth. But the cross of Christ has annihilated all such distinctions. It has proved that the favored Jew was, if possible, more iniquitous than the poor Gentile. They had rejected and crucified their own Messiah.
The young Christian will have seen, in his study of the Bible, that the priests were the constant leaders of Israel against their Messiah, and the most urgent for His death. The world’s religion is heartless, regardless of profession. It may put out a very fair appearance, and have a good deal of truth mixed with it, but it is without standing before God, and its end is forecast in the Revelation, chapter 3, in the very solemn letter to Laodicea. In the plain-spoken language of another,
“The Lord has brought out what His church is. The will of man has raked up the law of commandments out of the grave of Christ, and enacts it over again. This is found throughout all Christendom. It is inconceivable, except through realizing the power of Satan, how Christians can take up the peculiar institutions of God to His people, curses and all, in the face of such a chapter as this, where we find that all this is gone, even for Jews who believe, by the authority of God. It is a practical denial of the blood and cross of Christ. What a solemn proof of the ruined state of the church of God!” So plain is the Word of God, here in verses 15 and 16.
“So then ye are no longer strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the corner-stone, in whom all the building fitted together increases to a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit” (verses 19, 22, JND).
In verse 19 it is the believers from among the Gentiles that are in view—no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens of the saints and of the household of God. The foundation of the New Testament apostles and prophets is what is spoken of. You will remember the Lord’s word in Matthew 16:1818And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18):
“And I also, I say unto thee that thou art Peter (or, a stone) and on this rock I will build My assembly, and hades’ gates shall not prevail against it” (JND). So 1 Corinthians 3:10-1110According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10‑11) tells of one who had a part in the laying of the foundation. Matthew and John and Peter were other apostles who shared in the foundation work; Mark and Luke were prophets who had part in it. And will you turn to 1 Corinthians 12:2828And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:28), Ephesians 3:55Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Ephesians 3:5), and the 4th chapter, verse 11; all telling of the New Testament apostles and prophets.
Once God had dwelt on earth—His dwelling place the temple and the preceding tabernacle; now He dwells in the church more blessedly through the Holy Spirit. That divine Person dwells in the church, making it thus God’s dwelling place. He also, as we know, dwells in the individual believer, though that is not the subject here. But what guardedness of walk becomes us; what care concerning our responsibilities should be felt by all of us who are Christ’s through faith!