Introduction
People unite through various means. Sometimes, they go through difficult seasons. Other times, they share a victory. Occasionally, people are united by someone's sacrifice. In today's scripture, we will see how Jesus' sacrifice on the cross brought both Jews and Gentiles together.
Today’s Scripture
Ephesians 2:14-22 (New Living Translation)
"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. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit."
Explanation and Reflection
There is nothing more powerful to unite people than Jesus' crucifixion. This unity brings many new things into our lives. The power of the Gospel is so strong that it can even bring together former enemies.
A New People
Christianity is the most diverse religion in history. The church has been part of every major culture and involves people from all over the world. The Gospel is spoken in more languages than any other religion. One day, people from every nation, tribe, and language will be part of this new people.
- A New Spirit
The Holy Spirit lives in all who are born again. Even if you don't speak the same language as another believer, eat different foods, or sing different styles of music at church, you are still united with them. The Holy Spirit within all believers goes beyond these differences. - A New Citizenship
There is nothing wrong with loving the country you were born in. However, our primary identity isn’t in a country, state, or city. We are citizens of heaven, and we should hold that closer to our hearts than our country of origin. - A New Family
Jesus said that anyone who gives up their family for his sake will be blessed (Mark 10:29). We should love our earthly families, but we also need to remember our new family. This new family is our brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be committed to them, living and loving in deep community together. - A New House
People spend a lot of time and money on their earthly homes. Do we care as much or more about our new home in Christ? This new home is made up of all believers, with Christ as the cornerstone. From an eternal perspective, our earthly homes are not our real homes. We should never neglect to invest in our new home, where Christ is the cornerstone. - A New Temple
We collectively, as a group, are a conduit through which the God of the universe is worshiped. Your individual worship is important, but your worship alongside other believers matters too. Do not underestimate the power of God’s people coming together as one temple to worship Him.
Unity in Christ brings many new and wonderful things. May you be united with fellow believers, and may that unity bring something new in you and the world.
Question of the Day
Here's a question for you to think about and apply:
How has your faith united you with people you normally wouldn’t be connected with? What is beautiful about that? How does that unity change you?