Breaking Down the Dividing Wall of Hostility
“But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,”
Ephesians 2:13-14
Unity and peace are wrapped up in the Gospel. While in the context of bringing Jewish and Gentile believers into one people under Christ, Ephesians 2 conveys a powerful message of how two seemingly incompatible groups of people thrive as a cohesive unit. Christ himself is our peace, and by his blood the dividing wall of hostility is torn down - both between God and man and also man to man.
Disunity is the theme of today’s world: racial tensions, political division, marital conflict, international conflicts, etc. If there’s any hope for today’s world it’s this: Christ and Him crucified. We do not just obtain peace through Christ, but there is peace IN Christ. It’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that people from all backgrounds can come together in unity as a local church community. Faith that is merely individual breeds dividing walls of hostility. Faith lived out in community breeds unity and peace.
It’s interesting how one can view Christ as living in “my heart” as an individual, when Ephesians 2:22 says the church body is “being built TOGETHER into A DWELLING of God in the Spirit.” Not dwellings plural, but a singular dwelling of God - made up of each individual of the church throughout history. Each person of faith is needed in connection to each other - we are building blocks glued together by the Holy Spirit.
Even secular Greek philosopher Aristotle said “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Once every piece of the puzzle is connected, it forms a distinct, elevated quality that otherwise doesn’t exist if the individuals remain in silos. So it is with believers in Christ - the unity of the church displays God’s glory in a unique way. The dwelling of God is not a timeshare or a multi-dwelling complex.
2 Corinthians 6:16 says
“For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and will be their God”
We are not temples (plural), but we are THE temple. The local church is a microcosm of this eternal reality to come. We are putting into practice now the principles of the eternal Kingdom of Jesus. Christ’s purpose for local church expressions is a diverse group of people united and at peace with each other and God in the Spirit as a family on mission. This is an intentional foreshadowing of what’s to come in glory.
This conviction has led us to plant Sent Missional Church Community because so many of us are living in silos and our faith is suffering because of it. But if we get back to the basic building blocks of relationship as a community rooted in Christ, then we will get a glimpse of eternity and God’s glory.
