“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”
The law always made the Jewish people unique. No other group of people had divine laws inscribed in stone by the finger of God. Other gods seemed to want things like child sacrifice and fertility rituals. The Jewish God had built in laws about justice for the oppressed and freeing people from slavery and debt. Even with the goodness of his laws, God chose to tear down the wall that separated his people from the world. Not to encourage them to live a different way, but to encourage the world to join the family.
There is still hostility in our world, but there is absolute peace in God’s kingdom. We share one Spirit, given to us directly by Jesus. Anyone who is in God’s family must be a reconciler. It is our mission to the world to hold our arms wide open — a reflection of Christ’s posture with us.
Here’s your freedom for today: God has torn down every wall. He has invited you in. He has been kind to you even in the midst of your sin. What are some ways you can do that for others? What are some unorthodox, unfair ways you can choose to love? What is one wall you can tear down to help someone come to Jesus? Christians sometimes feel like we must be the morality police, but God has not invited us to live that way. He has abolished the law so that we might understand and deliver his grace.