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how does this idea of unity compare with old testament laws that separated people?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Ephesians 2:14-16

“For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself one new man of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.”

Paul's letter to the Ephesians addresses Gentile believers, reminding them of their new identity in Christ. This section celebrates how their inclusion in God's covenant people breaks down long-standing divisions, specifically between Jews and Gentiles, through Jesus' work on the cross.

What divisions in our world today might this passage call us to see differently?

Then — the setting

Paul's letter to the Ephesians was likely written around 60-62 CE from prison in Rome to Gentile Christian communities in Asia Minor. The 'middle wall of partition' could refer metaphorically to the Mosaic Law that set Israel apart from other nations, or more literally to the physical barrier in the Jerusalem Temple that separated the Court of the Gentiles from the inner courts accessible only to Jews. For centuries, Jewish identity was defined by adherence to a complex system of laws (Torah) that distinguished them religiously, ritually, and socially from 'Gentiles' or non-Jews. These laws included dietary restrictions (kosher), Sabbath observance, circumcision, and purity codes, which fostered a distinct communal identity but also created significant barriers with surrounding cultures.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament, particularly the Pentateuch, contains numerous laws (like those in Leviticus and Deuteronomy) that clearly distinguished Israel from other nations. These laws regarding diet, worship, and social practices served to preserve Israel's unique covenant relationship with God and prevent assimilation into pagan cultures, effectively creating a 'separate' people for a holy purpose. This passage in Ephesians, however, speaks of Jesus abolishing the 'hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances.' This doesn't mean the Old Testament laws were 'bad,' but that their function as a barrier between Jews and Gentiles was overcome in Christ. The New Testament reframes the idea of a 'holy people' not by external markers of separation, but by internal transformation and spiritual unity in Jesus, extending the invitation to all nations without requiring them to become ethnically Jewish.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Galatians 3:28
Emphasizes that in Christ, traditional social distinctions like Jew/Gentile, slave/free, male/female lose their divisive power.
Isaiah 56:6-7
An Old Testament prophecy that anticipates foreigners joining God's people and worshipping in God's house.

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