What is the meaning of Ephesians 2:15? abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees • “by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees” (Ephesians 2:15). • Jesus’ real, physical body on the cross is the place where the old order met its end (Colossians 2:14: “having canceled the debt as expressed in decrees against us, He took it away, nailing it to the cross”). • What was abolished? – The ceremonial and civil ordinances that marked Israel off from the nations—dietary rules, sacrificial system, temple rituals (Acts 15:5–11). – The law’s condemnation that stood over every sinner, Jew and Gentile alike (Romans 8:1–4). • What was not abolished? The moral righteousness God still loves and now writes on believing hearts (Romans 13:8–10; Hebrews 10:16). • Christ did not merely set aside rules; He satisfied every demand through perfect obedience and substitutionary death (Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 7:18–19). He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two • Goal: “to create in Himself one new man out of the two” (Ephesians 2:15). • “The two” = Jewish believers and Gentile believers, once divided by covenant boundaries (Ephesians 2:11–12). • “In Himself” underscores that union with Christ is the new locus of identity (1 Corinthians 12:13: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks…”). • “One new man” – Not Jews turned into Gentiles or Gentiles into Jews; both made something brand-new: the church (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:10–11). – New nature, new access, new relationship (2 Corinthians 5:17). • Practical implications: – No second-class citizens in God’s household (Ephesians 2:19). – Ministry and fellowship flow from shared life, not shared culture or lineage (Romans 15:5–7). thus making peace • Result: “thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:15). • Peace with God—hostility removed, reconciliation accomplished (Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20). • Peace with one another—ancient enmity between Jew and Gentile dissolved (Ephesians 2:14). • Ongoing experience: – The Spirit empowers believers to “keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). – Gospel peace becomes our witness to a fractured world (John 13:35; Philippians 2:14–16). summary Christ’s crucified body ended the divisive regime of commandments in ordinances, lifted the sentence the law pronounced, and opened direct access to God. In doing so He fashioned something wholly new—one unified people, His church—so that former strangers live as family and enjoy lasting peace with God and with each other. |
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