Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: Ephesians 2:1-22

“His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (v.15-18)

Yesterday’s devotion ended with the thought that once we have received peace with God it will seep into our relationships with others, spreading the realm of His peace ever wider across the face of the earth. That’s really what the apostle is aiming to teach in today’s reading. The generational animosity between the Jews and Gentiles of the 1st Century AD was ended for all those who were “in Christ”. Their ethnic identity had, in a sense, been over-ridden by their spiritual identity. Their faith in Jesus had made them part of one new Body, one new Family, under one Eternal Father.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul saw clearly that the Gospel of Jesus was a message of salvation to both Jews and Gentiles. Regardless of ethnic identity, they could come home to God through repentance from their sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But once they were home in God’s Family, they needed to allow the Holy Spirit to empower them to live at peace with each other. Jesus “made peace” by making us “one new humanity” (v.15) but we still have to live out that peace.

Today, we Gentiles might be far less inclined to see ourselves as separated ethnically from the Jews. But in our neck of the woods (wherever that might be) there is bound to be some ethnic or cultural group from whom we feel ourselves to be separated. The Christian Family is where that separation is supposed to be broken down most easily, because of the unifying work of our faith in Jesus. Tragically that is often not the case, and our Churches often remain bastions of separation rather than harmonious multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-lingual households of God’s Family. Let’s repent of settling for that reality, and make work of actively seeking peace across the barriers that Jesus’ blood has already broken down.

Loving Father, thank you for welcoming me into Your Family of the Redeemed along with people of every nation, tribe and language who share my faith in Jesus. Please bring across my path believers of other ethnic groups, languages, or nationalities with whom I may work out the beautiful harmony You have made possible through Jesus Christ. Amen.