This is a rich and powerful theological truth Paul explains especially in Ephesians 2, and it has huge implications for both Jews and Gentiles in Christ. Let’s walk through it carefully, breaking down:
📖 Context: Ephesians 2:11–22
Paul is addressing Gentile believers (non-Jews), reminding them of their former alienation and how Christ has reconciled them with Jewish believers into one unified body.
✡️ 1. Gentiles Were Once Excluded (Eph. 2:11–12)
Paul says:
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth... were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”
- Gentiles had no access to the covenants made with Israel (including the Sinai covenant and the Abrahamic promises).
- They were alienated, spiritually and nationally.
- The Law (Sinai covenant) was a major dividing (wall) line between Jew and Gentile — it created a boundary of holiness and separation.
✝️ 2. Christ Tore Down the "Middle Wall of Partition" (Eph. 2:13–16)
Paul continues:
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations.”
🔍 What is the “middle wall of partition”?
- Literal reference: In the Jewish temple, there was a physical wall (the "soreg") that separated Gentiles from entering into the inner courts where Jews worshiped. To go past it was punishable by death.
- Spiritual meaning: The Law of Moses (Sinai Covenant) acted as a spiritual barrier — it:
- Highlighted Israel’s special status as God’s chosen people.
- Required ceremonial, civil, and moral distinctions that set them apart from other nations.
- Made Gentiles unclean and disqualified them from entering fully into covenant blessings.
But Christ, through His death, fulfilled the Law and thus tore down this legal and spiritual barrier.
🩸 3. The Law Removed Through the Cross (Colossians 2:14 parallel)
Paul in Colossians says:
“Having canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Col. 2:14)
- Jesus didn’t abolish the moral righteousness of the Law, but He abolished it as a system that:
- Condemned both Jews and Gentiles.
- Divided the two groups.
- Required ritual separation.
🤝 4. One New Man in Christ (Eph. 2:15–16)
“His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross.”
- Christ didn’t just save Gentiles separately — He united them with believing Jews into one body.
- He created a new spiritual race: not Jew, not Gentile — but Christian.
- The Church is this "new man", where the old divisions are gone.
🏛️ 5. Access to God Through One Spirit (Eph. 2:18–22)
“For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit... You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household.”
- Gentiles are now:
- Fellow citizens with the saints.
- Heirs of the promises made to Abraham (Galatians 3:29).
- Part of the spiritual temple God is building.
📜 Summary: How the Sinai Covenant Was Removed
| Component | Before Christ | After Christ |
|---|---|---|
| The Law (Sinai Covenant) | Divided Jews & Gentiles, kept Gentiles from full covenant access | Fulfilled and abolished as a dividing wall |
| The Temple wall | Gentiles excluded from inner worship | All believers have equal access to the Father |
| God's People | Jews (by birth or conversion to Judaism) | All in Christ (Jew + Gentile) are one body |
| Heirs of Abraham’s promise | Physical descendants (plus some Gentile proselytes) | All who are in Christ (Gal. 3:29) |
🧩 Related Passages
- Romans 10:4 – “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
- Galatians 3:28–29 – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile... for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
- Hebrews 8:13 – The old covenant is “obsolete and aging” and “will soon disappear.”
✅ Conclusion
Paul teaches that through Christ’s death:
- The Sinai covenant (the Law) that divided Jew from Gentile is no longer in force.
- Christ fulfilled and removed it as a system that separated.
- Now, both Jews and Gentiles can be part of one new humanity, God’s Church, and joint heirs of the promises made to Abraham.
- This is the gospel of reconciliation — peace with God and unity with one another.
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