Jesus, Unity and Peace

In a increasingly polarised world it is good to remember Jesus has united believers in the church as one.  Instead of being focused on groups or people which should be excluded from the number of "true disciples," it is more useful for us to ensure we personally are in Christ and walking in His love.  Today I was reading about how timber, gold, silver, curtains, loops, and clasps united together to make one tabernacle.  This is one allusion to the uniting of Jew and Gentile in the church, the Body of Christ.  From every nation, tribe and tongue God has comprised a united church filled with the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote to Gentile (non-Jew) believers in Ephesians 2:11-18:  "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh--who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."  Remembering our previous distance from God and our unworthiness and inability to draw near to God fills us with gratitude for the access given us by grace through faith in Jesus.

I have heard this passage explained like this:  our sins once separated us from God and through the atonement of Jesus on Calvary the "wall of separation" has been destroyed and united us with Himself.  This is true, however that is not the point Paul makes here.  The context of the passage is the initial distinction and separation between Jew and Gentile, the children of Israel who entered into the covenant of Law and the Gentiles who were foreigners and aliens from the commonwealth of God.  Jesus has broken down the middle wall of separation and created "in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace."  Jesus has united Jew and Gentile as one in the kingdom of God even as timber was gilt with gold in the articles of the tabernacle or the gold clasps hooked to the wool loops.  The Body of Jesus the church is one made of many different members by the same Holy Spirit.  The Gospel was preached to Jew and Gentile alike and by Jesus we all have access by one Spirit to the Father.

The temptation of the early church was to place pressure on the Gentiles to live as Jews under Law and for Jews to cast off their heritage and traditions.  Both groups had potential to stumble one another because of their diverse backgrounds, convictions and personal experiences, yet God chose to unite the two as one:  Jesus is our peace, having created one Body redeemed with His own blood.  The knowledge we have been made one body with Jesus prevents us from excluding those God has chosen and accepted as His own.  Having been made one it is the love of Christ that guides us in our interactions with others within and outside the Church.  We ought to demonstrate the same patience and compassion with people who are in Christ to those we desire to introduce to Him and are far off as we used to be.  If Jesus has broken down the middle wall of separation, there is no wall we can justify erecting to protect ourselves or to prevent others from fellowship through Jesus Christ.  Every part of the Body is useful for the whole because it is different than others and thus we can embrace differences for God's glory and unfolding plans.

It requires humility and grace from God to make the personal changes required to walk in unity with all our brothers and sisters.  There is pride, assumptions, and expectations in us God wants to confess and strip from us even as the children of Israel were called to throw out their idols.  The "us" and "them" mentality of circumcised Jews and uncircumcised Gentiles has remained endemic among people to this day and can result in denominational and interpersonal divides.  Jews did not always agree or approve of the practices of their brethren, and liberalism is just as threatening as legalism to undermine and hinder the fellowship of believers.  As much as depends upon us we are to live peaceably with one another knowing we are members of one another as well as Christ.  It is written in Romans 12:3-5:  "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ⁴  or as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."

People can spend their entire lives trying to "fit in" when Jesus has chosen believers to be part of His Body the church and become our peace.  We can also have a critical mind and find fault with others, effectively closing the door of fellowship to others due to irreconcilable differences.  He has united us with one another by God's grace to supply what the other parts lack.  It is good for the hand to delight to grasp objects and for the feet to be joyfully strengthened to walk and run, but let not the hand imagine the foot is better suited to imitate a hand.  On the heels of exhorting believers to submit to one another in love, Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:1-2:  "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  It is the one who walks in love towards God and others that is a living sacrifice God delights in, and this is our reasonable service.