thinking bible.

You asked

what current social practices or beliefs function as 'ordinances' that maintain separation rather than foster unity?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Ephesians 2:14

For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition.

The Apostle Paul, writing from prison to a diverse group of believers in Ephesus, is explaining how Jesus has united Jewish and non-Jewish people, who were previously separated by religious law and social custom, into one new community. He's emphasizing the radical nature of this unity.

What unspoken 'walls' in our society, perhaps rooted in tradition or identity, continue to divide people and prevent genuine connection?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Galatians 3:28

    Paul states that in Christ, traditional social and religious distinctions like Jew/Gentile, slave/free, male/female lose their divisive power.

  • Acts 10:28

    Peter's vision challenges the Jewish custom of not associating with Gentiles, leading to a breakthrough in inter-group relations.

  • Isaiah 56:7

    An Old Testament prophecy looking forward to a time when God's house would be 'a house of prayer for all peoples,' suggesting eventual inclusion.

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