Ephesians 2.11-18 (4)
Pray Psalm 47.2-4.
For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.
Selah
Sing Psalm 47.2-4.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
High is the LORD, O, fear His Name! He rules, a King o’er all the earth.
Nations and peoples He has tamed, the heritage of His holy worth.
Read Ephesians 2.11-18; meditate on verse 15.
Meditate on Jesus “in His flesh”.
Preparation
1. Which laws did Jesus abolish?
2. Why did He abolish them?
Meditation
We read that phrase, “having abolished” with respect to the Law of God and it raises some questions. The whole Law? Which Law? And how did He do that “in His flesh”? Where does that leave the Law in the Christian life?
Even though the outward trappings of the ceremonial laws have been “abolished” by Jesus, we can still find principles in those statutes to guide us in certain areas of our lives (1 Cor. 9.1-18). It is these rituals and ceremonies, performed by a caste of priests which, while they served a good purpose in Israel for a time, have now been abolished and thus the “wall of separation” no longer exists.
The rest of the Law remains intact—the Ten Commandments and the civil laws, which serve as “case laws” and thus provide examples and trajectories of thought for applying the Ten Commandments to all of life. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5.17-19). And He did, perfectly. And His righteousness is credited to us by grace through faith, just as by His death the judgment of Law we deserve fell on Him and has been taken away.
Now we are all priests in Jesus; all who believe, Jew and Gentile alike, are a chosen people and a royal priesthood, a people for God’s own possession through whom He intends to fill all things with the reality of Jesus, ruling in power (1 Pet. 2.8, 9; Eph. 1.22, 23).
Do you believe this? Is this how you think about your life? A priest, to worship God and lead people to Him? A royal personage, invested with heavenly power and purpose? An agenda to fill your part of the world with Jesus? This is who we are. This is what we’re called to do.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“I am determined to keep Your decrees to the very end.”
“My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end.”
“I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever to the very end.”
“I am resolved to obey Your statutes to the very end.” (Ps. 119.112 NLT, NIV, NKJV, CSB)
Whatever translation is preferred, the drift is this:
I will keep Your Laws, because I long to obey Your Laws, forever, to the very end.
Jesus, by perfectly keeping the Law (all of them) tore down the wall of enmity between ourselves and God. And, by perfectly keeping the Law, He tore down the wall that separated people from one another.
Out of all the dust of humanity, He made mud pies of the mix—a peace pie.
He “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,
and that He might reconcile them both to God
in one body through the cross,
thereby putting to death the enmity” (Eph. 2.15, 16).
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them…” (Gal. 6.15, 16).
The ordinance of circumcision is no longer a law. It is a personal preference, not an act of obedience.
However, all bets are off for the dissolution of The Ten Commandments, and the enlargements Jesus put in place—sins of the heart and mind (Matt. 5.21-48).
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.
I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,
one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees
you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5.17-20).
Therefore keeping the Law of God is crucial to finding peace with God.
For without the Law, we are a law unto ourselves—serving not God, but self.
How will we ever fulfill our role as a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people” (1 Pet. 2.9) if we don’t follow our King explicitly and implicitly?
Now we, as lovingly patted together mud-peace-pies—new creations—follow our Leader, ably proclaiming “the praises of Him Who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2.9), when enmity is abolished; and the Law is firmly in place and followed by those who love Him forever, to the very end.
Reflection
1. Would you say the Law of God shapes your daily life? Explain.
2. Jesus said the essence of the Law was love for God and neighbors (Matt. 22.34-40). How should that encourage us in learning and teaching God’s Law?
3. How would you explain the role of God’s Law in our lives to a new believer?
What had been metaphorically understood by the word wall is now more plainly expressed. The ceremonies, by which the distinction was declared, have been abolished through Christ. What were circumcision, sacrifices, washings, and abstaining from certain kinds of food, but symbols of sanctification, reminding the Jews that their lot was different from that of other nations…? John Calvin (1509-1564) Commentary on Ephesians 2.15
Pray Psalm 47.5-9.
Jesus is subduing all the world to His reign and rule, and we all have a place in that. Pray that the Lord will make clear to you today how to obey Him and His Law, so that His grace reaches and flows through you.
Sing Psalm 47.5-9.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God has ascended with a shout, the LORD with sound of trumpet bold!
Sing praise to Him, let praise ring out; let praise throughout the world be told!
God is the King of all the earth; sing praise to Him with glorious psalms!
He rules the nations by His worth, and on His throne receives their alms.
Princes of peoples gather all to Abraham and to our God.
Exalt the LORD, and on Him call. The earth is His, so praise our God!
T. M. and Susie Moore
Have you ever wondered what Jesus, exalted in heaven, is doing on earth? Our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? can open the eyes of your heart and stretch your faith in Jesus, Who continues to be powerfully at work on our behalf. Order your copy in book form by clicking here, or in a free PDF download by clicking here.
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are immersed in the first of 14 studies on “grace economics”. This week our Read Moore podcast begins a tour of the exaltation of Christ and His work in the here and now from our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint presses on in his journey to reach The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
