Read: Ephesians 2:11-22
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. (v. 14)
We live in a deeply divided world. Nations war against each other. Countries broil with political and religious tension. Cities simmer with unrest. Even our churches and families can be torn apart by strife.
Paul declares the good news that God is uniting “all things in him [Christ], things in heaven and earth” (1:10). Where do we see this in a tangible way? In the church, the body of Christ! God is re-creating a new humanity, bringing together both Jews and Gentiles into the one international and interracial family of God. “For he himself is our peace,” Paul thundered out, “who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” between Jews and Gentiles, insiders and outsiders (v. 14). Not only does Jesus reconcile us to the Father, but we have been reconciled to one another in him, whatever the lines of division.
The church is called to be a preview and foretaste of what God will do in all of creation—to show the world a better vision of what it means to be human. What does the world see when it looks at the church? Does it see hostility and division? Or does it see people of all backgrounds and bloodlines coming together, made into one new humanity in the power of Christ’s reconciling love? —Brian Keepers
As you pray, ask God to heal any divisions and hostility in your own family, church, community, and nation.
About the Author
The Rev. Dr. Brian Keepers is the lead pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, IA. He has served as an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America for twenty years, and received his D.Min from Western Theological Seminary (Holland, MI). Brian is married and has two daughters and one granddaughter.
