But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  (14) For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, (15) having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, (16) and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.  (17) And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.  (18) For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 

The letter to the Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul and our verses today concern Gods sovereign purpose of reconciliation of man to Himself and to each other.   Paul is dealing with the Jewish and Gentile factions in the early Church.  The nation of Israel felt that they were the chosen people of God – not by merit but by Gods grace.  The religious and ethnic pride of the Jews created huge social and cultural differences between the Jews and all others – the Gentiles.  God’s solution was the cross  – Christ is the only source of peace because only Christ can deal with sin.  in Him the Old Covenant law was abolished and the “new man” is justified through Faith.

Paul addresses the Christian Gentiles in Ephesus reminding them that they were excluded from Israel, “strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” as a result of sin.  But now a radical change in thinking is required of both Jew and Gentile. The Jews believed the Gentiles were damned and the barriers between them were absolute – that if Gentiles were to be saved it could only be as a Jewish proselyte.  Fellowship and intimacy between Jew and Gentile was nearly impossible and the law of Moses created a barrier. Now Paul is saying that in Christ that separating wall is removed.

This new, unexpected, radical thinking – that all believers are one because all are saved in the same way by the same person, Christ Jesus.  Gentiles are not just reconciled to God but all believers are reconciled to each other by the Spirit.  We are none of us in isolation but joined to God and to each other in Christ who alone is the key to reconciliation.  And only through Christ is peace between men possible.