‘One New Man’

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh is the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.

Ephesians 2:14-15

Christ is the Great Unifier of His redeemed people.  As Paul writes to the Ephesians of what it means for them to be ‘in Christ,’ he speaks of the work of Christ as it brings all of His people together as a new creation and as ‘one new man.’ Previously, Paul had referred to our distance from God, saying that we were ‘far off.’ He says, ‘That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.’  In the first portion of our text for today he says of Christ that, ‘He is our peace,’ and then describes what Christ has done to unify us. To expound all that our text declares regarding what Christ has done to unify us will take more space than we have here today. The results of that work is that He has by His redemptive work created ‘in Himself one new man from the two.’ This means that in Christ, as part of that new creation, we are united with Him and with one another, as ‘one new man.’ Christ prayed for this unity in His High Priestly Prayer in John, ‘That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ It is Christ’s stated intention that all His people be one in Him. All that He has done in His redemptive work has worked to that ultimate end. It is our great privilege and joy to be thus at one with Christ. Thus we have become ‘one new man’ and members of that ‘great multitude, which no man can number.’ Today we rejoice in this creative unifying work of Christ.

Our Glorious Living Christ,
we rejoice that You have brought us together as one
in Your Own Great Self.
We praise You, that as members of Your Body,
we shall perform all that will bring You glory.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning