thinking bible.

You asked

what practical steps might we take to embody this 'one new humanity' in divided communities today?

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

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 is writing to believers in Ephesus, a bustling Roman city. He's explaining how Jesus's life, death, and resurrection have brought together people who were once separated by deep religious and social divides, specifically Jews and Gentiles. He emphasizes that this new unity is a core part of God's plan.

What specific actions might help dismantle the 'dividing walls' in our own communities, both seen and unseen?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Galatians 3:28

    Highlights the radical equality found in Christ, transcending social and ethnic distinctions.

  • Colossians 3:11

    Echoes the theme that in Christ, traditional divisions no longer define identity.

  • Romans 10:12

    States that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile regarding God's grace.

Ask your own follow-up