Ephesians 2:15

“having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that He might create in Himself of the two one new man, so making peace”

“Having abolished”: To bring to nought, put away, make void, or render idle. “For He annulled the law with its rules and regulations” (NEB). “To put out of commission, make ineffective, i.e. to abolish or wipe out” (Lenski p. 439). “In the flesh”: “In His flesh” (NASV). Which is the same as saying that "He has taken it (the Law of Moses) out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14). “The enmity”: Hostility, hatred or. reason for opposition. “Even the law of commandments contained in ordinances”: “Which is the Law of commandments” (NASV). Again, we see that the Law of Moses was. package deal. Jesus removed every aspect or every ordinance in this law, including such things as the ordinances pertaining to the Sabbath Day. See Hebrews 8:13; Hebrews 9:1; Hebrews 10:9. In its place Christ brought. universal system, which still includes laws and ordinances (James 1:25; Galatians 5:19). The Law of Moses created "hostility" between Jews and Gentiles, but before we jump to the conclusion that God is the author of hatred (for He gave the Law), we need to realize that this enmity can be traced back to wrong attitudes towards the Law. The Jews tried to twist the Law into saying that all Gentiles were bad (which it never said). “Uncompromising rabbis spoke derogatorily even of the proselytes” (Lenski p. 440). In fact the Pharisees tried to exclude their own people with the Law (John 7:49). And when the Law mentioned the depravity of the cultures surrounding Israel, such. picture was all too true. In the Colossian letter, Paul points out that the "hostility" existed in the mind of men (Ephesians 1:21). Gentiles may have resented the "exclusive" nature of Judaism, but honesty would have demanded them to admit, that such exclusiveness had existed for good reason (Romans 1:18). The Gentile world really couldn't complain about Jewish smugness, because the Jew's may have perverted the Law into saying that all Gentiles are immoral and godless, but many Gentiles only reinforced this misinterpretation by their own immoral lives.

A concrete example of this separation existed in Jerusalem: “This fence (surrounding the Temple) which prevented any Gentiles from proceeding into the inner courts or the temple included warnings posted prominently along this barricade were large signs, chiseled into stone, with red paint to make the warning more bold: ‘No Gentile may enter inside the enclosing screen around the Temple. Whoever is caught is alone responsible for the death which follows' (Boles p. 233) (Acts 21:28).

“That He might create in Himself of the two one new man”: “In order to create” (TCNT. “His design was to unite the two sections of humanity in Himself” (Wey).

Both Jews and Gentiles needed to become "new creatures". Race or ethnic background never has been. "sure ticket" to heaven (Matthew 3:9; Acts 10:34). Everyone needs to become. Christian (Mark 16:15; Acts 26:29). This new creation is only possible "in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:10), therefore baptism stands between one and being the "new man". This "new man" is. "new" thinking and acting man (Ephesians 4:22-32). The phrase "of the two", encompasses all cultures. We need to remember that Jew and Gentile were terms that included everyone. Unfortunately, denominationalism is found guilty of trying to undue what Christ wants. Christ wanted. church big enough to include Christians from all cultures. And yet, denominationalism creates and approves churches based on racial and ethnic lines.