Ephesians 2.15a-Jesus Christ Nullified the Law By Means of His Human Nature
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday January 11, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:15a-Jesus Christ Nullified the Law By Means of His Human Nature
Lesson # 112
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). 15 In other words, by nullifying by means of His human nature the law composed of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws in order that He might cause the two to be created into one new humanity by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification. Thus, He caused peace to be established (between the two and the two with God). (Lecturer’s translation)
Like Ephesians 2:14, Ephesians 2:15 contains three assertions:
(1) en tē sarki autou ton nomon tōn entolōn en dogmasin katargēsas (ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν καταργήσας), “In other words, by nullifying by means of His human nature the law composed of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws.”
(2) hina tous dyo ktisē en autō eis hena kainon anthrōpon (ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον), “in order that He might cause the two to be created into one new humanity by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification.”
(3) poiōn eirēnēn (ποιῶν εἰρήνην), “Thus, He caused peace to be established (between the two and the two with God).”
Now, the first of these three assertions is in the form of a participial clause, which presents the specific means by which Jesus Christ personifies the peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christian communities and God and these two groups amongst themselves.
It states that Jesus Christ personifies this peace by nullifying by means of His human nature the law composed of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws.
The second assertion presents the purpose of Jesus Christ doing this and states that He did so in order that He might cause these two groups to be created into one new humanity by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification.
The third and final assertion is in the form of a participial clause as well, which presents the result of Jesus Christ causing these two groups to be created into one new humanity by means of faith in Himself at justification and union and identification with Himself through the baptism of the Spirit at justification.
It states that He caused peace to exist between the two and God and peace between these two groups in relation to each other.
Now, as we noted, the first assertion presents the specific means by which Jesus Christ personifies the peace that now exists between Jewish and Gentile Christian communities and God and these two groups in relation to each other.
It states that Jesus Christ personifies this peace by nullifying by means of His human nature the law composed of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws.
There is an interpretative issue to address, which concerns the function of the prepositional phrase en tē sarki autou (ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ).
Some translations and expositors interpret it as modifying the nominative masculine singular aorist active participle conjugation of the verb katargeō (καταργέω), “when He nullified” (NET), which appears here in Ephesians 2:15.
On the other hand, some interpret it as modifying the nominative masculine singular aorist active participle conjugation of the verb luō (λύω), “who destroyed” which appears in Ephesians 2:14.
I believe that the prepositional phrase en tē sarki autou (ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ) belongs with verse 15 and is thus modifying the nominative masculine singular aorist active participle conjugation of the verb katargeō (καταργέω), “when He nullified” (NET).
I adhere to this view because it is consistent with Paul’s writings in other places, in which he states that the believer is not under the Law but has died to the Law because of their identification with Jesus Christ in His death and that Christ fulfilled the Law (Rom 7:1-6; 10:4; Gal 2:19; 3:24–25).
The noun sarx (σάρξ), “human nature” is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), “by means of” which indicates that “by means of His impeccable human nature,” the Lord Jesus Christ nullified the Law of the commandments consisting of a written code of laws.
The implication is that by becoming a human being, the Son of God was able to nullify the Mosaic Law in the sense of fulfilling it perfectly and suffering the consequences of sinners not obeying it and which Law was the cause of the hostility between the Jewish and Gentile races.
This use of the noun sarx (σάρξ) as referring to the impeccable human nature of Jesus Christ appears often in the New Testament for the impeccable human nature of the Son of God (cf. John 1:14; Rom. 1:3; 8:3; 9:5; Col. 2:22; Heb. 5;7; 10:20; 1 Pet. 3:18; 4:1; 1 Jn. 4:2; 2 Jn. 2:7).
The articular accusative masculine singular form of the noun nomos (νόμος), “the law” speaks of the Mosaic law system, which was composed of a system of laws, civil statutes and priestly ordinances, which revealed the will of God for the Jewish people, the nation of Israel who were in a covenant relationship with God.
The articular genitive feminine plural form of the noun entolē (ἐντολή), “the commandments” refers to the 613 written commandments of the Mosaic Law, which are composed of both commands and prohibitions.
The dative neuter plural form of the noun dogma (δόγμα), “a written code of laws” refers also to the 613 mandates which appear in written form in the Mosaic Law but from a different perspective than entolē (ἐντολή), “the commandments.”
It signifies that these various commands and prohibitions appear as a written code of laws, which the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai.
There is an interpretative issue with regards to the nominative masculine singular aorist active participle conjugation of the verb katargeō (καταργέω) here in Ephesians 2:15.
I believe that the nominative masculine singular aorist active participle conjugation of the verb katargeō (καταργέω) means “to nullify” rather than “set aside,” which is indicated by the fact that Paul uses the word in the context of the hostility, which the Mosaic Law caused between the Jewish and Gentile races.
In context, Paul is not speaking of the Law as to how it relates to the conduct of Jewish and Gentile believers but rather the hostility that was caused by the Mosaic Law.
Therefore, this verb katargeō (καταργέω) expresses the idea that Jesus Christ by means of His impeccable human nature “nullified” the Mosaic Law, which was the cause of hostility between the Jew and Gentile races as well as hostility between these two groups and God.
He nullified the Law in the sense that He made the Law legally null and void or to make of no consequence.
The inauguration of the new covenant was among the Jewish people on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem in approximately 33 A.D.
It manifested itself with the gift of the Spirit for those Jews who trusted in Jesus Christ as the Savior, which resulted also in the forgiveness of sins (Acts. 2) and it manifested itself among Gentile believers with Cornelius the Roman centurion and his family as recorded in Acts 10.
This inauguration of the new covenant, which was based upon the finished work of Christ on the cross (1 Cor. 11:23-26), marked the end of the Mosaic covenant as Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 3.
The Lord Jesus Christ nullified the Law in a two-fold sense: (1) During His First Adent, He fulfilled the Law perfectly by always obeying the Law’s various commands and prohibitions. (2) He suffered the wrath of God on the cross in the place of every member of the human race who violates these commands and prohibitions of the Law.
In others words, He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Law, which was required by the Law in order to possess a relationship and fellowship with a holy God.
Secondly, He suffered the penalty required by the Law for those who violate these commands and prohibitions.
The implication being that Jesus Christ through His incarnation counteracted completely the force, effectiveness or value of the Mosaic Law.
The participle conjugation of this verb katargeō (καταργέω) functions as a participle of means.
This would indicate that the word identifies “the means by which” Jesus Christ not only personifies the peace that now exists between Gentile and Jewish Christian communities as well as the peace that now exists between these two groups and God but also “how” or “by what means” He caused both groups to be one single entity.
In Colossians 2:17, Paul teaches the Colossian Christian community that Jesus Christ is the substantive reality of the various system of laws, civil statutes and priestly ordinances, which appear in the Mosaic Law.
In Romans 8:4, Paul teaches that the Father’s purpose for Christ’s physical death was so that the righteous requirement of the Law, i.e. perfect obedience might be fulfilled in those Christians who conduct themselves in submission to the Spirit rather than the sin nature.
The first assertion in Ephesians 2:15 is echoed in Colossians 2:14.