Together By His Blood
Ephesians 2:13-14 ESV —
‘But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…’
Ephesians 4:32 ESV —
‘Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.’
When I think of the death of Jesus, I tend to focus on the forgiveness of sins. But Ephesians, a letter giving an overview of the theology of the early church, has only two verses mentioning forgiveness, only one of which is forgiveness extended to us. I find that fascinating.
The Ephesians 4 verse emphasises that forgiveness of others springs from our own forgiveness. This theme runs throughout the letter as the writer, Paul, contends for people of different race, background, opinion and gifting to be united as one.
In Ephesians 2, Paul highlights that, through Jesus’ sacrifice, we have been brought near. Near to what? Firstly, every believer in Jesus now has direct access to God. (Hebrews 4:16 'Let us then approach God's throne with confidence.')
Secondly, those 'far off', that is non-Jewish people, are brought near to Jesus' newly established kingdom: Jew and non-Jew are one in Christ. Only by Jesus’ blood is this unity and equality possible.
You might point out that today's western society calls insistently for equality, for respect of others, quite independently of Jesus‘ teaching. In his book Disappearing Church*, Mark Sayers highlights that Western culture is almost entirely built on Christian values, citing atheist world-powers who admit to how ‘deeply entrenched’ the values of Jesus are in a post-Christian society.
However, as we witness the West's attempts to break its Christian ties, we see that many 'equality movements' are about individual autonomy, not togetherness. It is not the equality and unity of the Gospel.
Unity isn’t innate. It was introduced by Jesus, made possible by his death and resurrection and demonstrated through the unified church. It is a truth that we are charged to proclaim and model as believers together.
Prayer - Jesus, thank you that you united us as one church through the Cross. Show us how we can stand out in advocating for unity as a reflection of your kingdom.
*Sayers, M. (2016).Disappearing Church.Chicago: Moody Publishers. pp.41-42