In the Old Testament, the Jews and Gentiles were divided as the Gentiles were not God’s chosen people—this division created resentment and indifference between the two groups for generations. Not until Christ came was this great wall of separation finally lifted.
In Ephesians 2:11-13, Paul reminds those who were once Gentiles and living apart from God are now brought into new life by the death of Jesus Christ.
11 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.
Jesus tore down walls between generations of hope and hopelessness in hours. He instituted a new way into the loving, holy kingdom. No longer was it required to be circumcised in the flesh to be considered one with the Lord. Jesus bridged the gap between physical and spiritual attainment to eternal life. His death allows all to have an everlasting home with Him. It transcends the Jewish and Gentile divide, the circumcised and uncircumcised, the chosen and the unchosen.
Jesus is the key to everything that once felt impossible.
Further, if we continue in the same chapter of Ephesians, we come across yet another instance of Jesus working as our mediator and peacemaker.
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.
Without Jesus, the Jews and Gentiles would have remained distant and far off. But with Jesus, the grand canyon-sized separation is closed in perfect harmony. The two become one. And the only way to abide with God becomes available to everyone who walks with Christ.
Thus, there is only one way to Heaven.
Written as one law.
Through one body.
By one Spirit.
To one God.
This is again given to us in Colossians 2:14-17–
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
17, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Jesus was the only one able to remove the old law to make way for the redeeming law that God had promised. The physicality of the old law presented requirements that could only be propitiated by physical works– including sacrifices, fasting days, and circumcision.
The sacrificial nailing on the cross was the only way to remove the old law altogether due to its physical nature. The physical act of nailing the old law to the cross released us from upholding the fleshly conditions outlined in the Old Testament.
Jesus was always in the plan from the beginning. When Jesus rose from the dead, He claimed victory over the rulers and authorities who spoke against Him and the power of the Father. The shadow in verse 17 was and always has been of Christ.
The purpose of the Old Testament law was to reveal to humankind our inability to keep the law flawlessly and point us to our need for Jesus Christ as our one, true, and perfect Savior. In the old law, we learn about sin and death as well as life and godliness. Throughout Scripture, we are painted a picture of what life would be like without a willing Savior who would purchase our sins in a way we could never achieve on our own.
The redeeming love of Christ lifts us and brings us closer to our heavenly Father. God’s compassion for mankind is evidently seen in the completion of his plan to send His only Son as a life-giving sacrifice.
One life for all life.
Our hope in Jesus should never wander far because, without the residence of Him in our lives, we will never have what it takes to save ourselves.
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