We Are a New Humanity

This morning I am reflecting on several verses from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  It is interesting the last two reflections I had were on the New Covenant, established by Jesus, and the Precious Blood of Jesus.  These verses from Paul bring those two reflections together.

Ephesians 2:12-22 NIV:

[12] "...remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

[14] "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."

[19] "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Paul was writing to the church in Ephesus, and in that church the majority of people were originally Gentiles.  Paul starts by reminding them that in their former state they had no part in the covenant of the promise, that they were separate from God's chosen people, the Jews.  Paul continues by bringing to mind the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us all, Jew and Gentile alike.  The truth is that in Christ, we (Gentiles) are joined to them (God's people) to become one new people, members of His household, citizens of His Kingdom.  This is made possible because Christ Jesus established a new covenant and caused the old covenant of the law to be set aside (vs 15).  The word Paul used, here translated as setting aside, is Katargeo whose definition is as follows:

1) to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative
    a) to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency
    b) to deprive of force, influence, power
    c)to cause to cease, put an end to, do away with, annul, abolish
2) to cease, to pass away, be done away
    a) to be severed from, separated from, discharged from, loosed from any one
    b) to terminate all intercourse with one

This was not set aside, to be used again later, but the end of the law and its regulations. Because it was the end of the old, we now have a new covenant, and in this covenant, there is no difference any more, we are all the same, one new humanity, one new body.  There is now no more division, no separation, we are one!

I daresay, that this is true of all Christian denominations, whether we think so or not.   If in Christ Jesus we were made into one new humanity, with our fellow members, those who were previously God's chosen people, how is is possible that disagreements of men would cause us to be separated out from this new humanity, this awesome work of God?  Whether we want to accept it or not, we are all members of God's household, fellow citizens with each other.  We are all being built into a single building, "a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit", no one congregation or denomination more so than any other.  We are all members of this new humanity.  The original Greek words are Kainos Anthropos - literally a new type of human never seen before.

To put this in genetic language, we all have the same core DNA, we are all members of the same family genetically.  We have this new man in us, and as the centuries have passed some of our appearances have changed, along family (denominational) lines, but our base genetic makeup all traces back to Christ Jesus, who created in Himself this one new man, never seen before.  Whether Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Non-denominational, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Foursquare, etc. we are all genetically members of this family, for we all trace our lineage back to this new humanity created in and through Christ.  There has been no newer covenant that replaces this one that Jesus established, through His Body and Blood.

My encouragement today, is to allow this word to settle in my heart, to bring peace to any hostility that might exist towards any denomination or other members of the Body of Christ.  Let us all press forward together toward our Father through the Holy Spirit, and be built up into the dwelling in which He lives.

Amen!