Ephesians 2.14a-Jesus Christ Personifies the Peace Now Existing Between Jewish and Gentile Christians
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday December 5, 2023
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:14a-Jesus Christ Personifies the Peace Now Existing Between Jewish and Gentile Christians
Lesson # 109
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of remembering that formerly each of you who belong to the Gentile race with respect to the human body, specifically, those who receive the designation “uncircumcision” by the those who receive the designation “circumcision” with respect to the human body performed by human hands, 12 each one of you used to be characterized as without a relationship with Christ. Each one of you used to be alienated from the nation of Israel’s citizenship. Specifically, each of you used to be strangers to the most important promise, which is the product of the covenants. Each of you used to not possess a confident expectation of blessing. Consequently, each one of you used to be without a relationship with God in the sphere of the cosmic world system. 13 However, because of your faith in and your union and identification with Christ Jesus each and every one of you as a corporate who formerly were far away have now been brought near by means of the blood belonging to this same Christ. 14 For He Himself personifies our peace. Namely, by causing both groups to be one. Specifically, by destroying the wall, which served as the barrier, that is, that which caused hostility (between the two). (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 2:14 contains three assertions:
(1) Autos estin hē eirēnē hēmōn (Αὐτὸς ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν), “He Himself personifies our peace.”
(2) ho poiēsas ta amphotera hen (ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἓν), “Namely, by causing both groups to be one.”
(3) kai to mesotoichon tou phragmou lysas, tēn echthran (καὶ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ λύσας, τὴν ἔχθραν), “Specifically, by destroying the wall, which served as the barrier, that is, that which caused hostility.”
Therefore, the reader can see that the first of these assertions is a declarative statement which presents the reason for the assertion in Ephesians 2:13.
It states that Jesus Christ Himself personifies the peace which now exists between Paul and his fellow Jewish Christians and the recipients of this letter who were Gentile Christians.
The second assertion explains how or the means by which Jesus Christ Himself personifies the peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians and states that He did this by causing both groups to be one.
The third and final assertion also explains not only the first assertion but also the second.
Thus, it explains not only how or by what means Jesus Christ personifies the peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians but also how or by what means He caused both groups to be one single entity.
The first assertion Autos gar estin hē eirēnē hēmōn (Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν), “He Himself personifies our peace” presents the reason for the previous assertion in Ephesians 2:13.
Paul asserts in this verse that because of their faith in Him at justification and their union and identification with Him, the recipients of the epistle, who he identifies in Ephesians 2:11 as Gentile Christians, were formerly far away from God and His covenant people, Israel, but have now been brought near to both of them by means of the blood of Christ.
Therefore, a comparison of this assertion in Ephesians 2:13 with the first one in Ephesians 2:14 indicates that these Gentile Christians have been brought near to God and His covenant people, Israel by means of the blood of Christ “because” Jesus Christ Himself personifies their peace.
The nominative third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “He Himself” emphasizes that the person of Jesus Christ personifies or is the embodiment of the peace that exists between Gentile Christians and God and His covenant people, Israel.
The third person singular present active indicative conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί), “personifies” expresses the idea that Jesus Christ Himself “personifies” the peace that exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians in relation to God.
In other words, He Himself is the “embodiment” of this peace or we could say He Himself is this peace incarnate.
The articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun eirēnē (εἰρήνη), “peace” not only speaks of the peace between Gentile and Jewish Christians but also by way of implication, it pertains to the peace that exists between both groups and God.
This is indicated by the fact that Gentile Christians could never be reconciled to Jewish Christians until both groups are first reconciled to God through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
This is also indicated by the contents of Ephesians 2:16, which inserts that Jesus Christ reconciled both groups into one new humanity to God through His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross.
Jesus Christ personifies this peace that exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians in relation to God for four reasons.
First, He is “the author” of peace since Ephesians 2:14 asserts that He caused both Jewish and Gentile Christians to be one group.
Secondly, His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross, which constitute Him suffering the Father’s wrath, are “the basis” for this peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians.
The Lord’s suffering propitiated the Father and thus reconciled the sinful humanity to a holy God.
This interpretation is indicated by the contents of Ephesians 2:13 and 16.
The former asserts that Gentile Christians have been brought near to God and His covenant people Israel by means of the blood of Christ, which is a representative analogy that speaks of Christ suffering the wrath of God by suffering a spiritual and physical death on the cross.
The latter asserts that Jesus Christ reconciled both Jewish and Gentile Christians to God through His cross, which again speaks of Him suffering the wrath of God by suffering a spiritual and physical death on the cross.
Thirdly, Jesus Christ personifies the peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christians in relation to God because He is “the medium” of this peace.
This is indicated by the fact that Ephesians 2:18 asserts that it is through Him that both Jew and Gentile Christians have access to the Father by the Spirit.
Lastly, Ephesians 2:17 asserts that Jesus Christ is “the proclaimer” of this peace to those who were near to God, the Jews and those who were far away from Him, the Gentiles.
The referent of the genitive first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “our” is two-fold:
(1) the recipients of this epistle, who Paul identifies as Gentile Christians in Ephesians 2:11
(2) Paul himself, who was of course a Jewish Christian.
Paul employs himself to represent the Jewish Christian community.
Thus, this peace “belongs to” both the Gentile and Jewish Christian communities.
In other words, it is “the possession” of both groups.