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what specific challenges to unity might the ephesian christians have faced?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Ephesians 2:11-18

“Therefore remember that in times past you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. 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, making peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”

Paul's letter to the Ephesians addresses believers in the city of Ephesus, a major Roman port city known for its diverse population and the grand Temple of Artemis. In this section, Paul reminds the primarily Gentile Christian community of their former spiritual separation and how Christ has now brought them into full participation with Jewish believers, forming one new community.

What past divisions or sources of hostility do we need to acknowledge and work through to build unity today?

Then — the setting

The letter to the Ephesians was likely written by Paul around 60-62 CE while imprisoned, possibly in Rome. It addresses Christians in Ephesus, a significant city in Asia Minor. The specific challenge to unity was the profound ethnic and religious divide between Jewish and Gentile believers. Jewish identity was deeply tied to the covenant, the Law, and the practice of circumcision, while Gentiles were considered 'outsiders' to these promises. This division was not merely theological; it manifested in social separation, even in worship spaces, symbolized by literal partitions in the Jerusalem Temple that separated Gentile courts from areas accessible only to Jews.

Across the Testaments

This passage, from the New Testament, directly addresses the integration of Gentiles into a community that originated from Israel's covenant with God in the Old Testament. The Old Testament established a distinct identity for Israel, often emphasizing their separation from surrounding nations to maintain holiness. Paul here reinterprets this separation, asserting that Christ's work has fulfilled the Law and broken down the former barriers, extending God's promises of peace and reconciliation to all peoples, making them one new body rather than two distinct groups. This doesn't erase Jewish identity but reframes the boundaries of God's people.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Galatians 3:28
Paul similarly declares that in Christ, traditional social and religious distinctions no longer define worth or standing.
Colossians 3:11
This passage echoes the theme of new identity in Christ transcending ethnic and social labels.
John 10:16
Jesus speaks of 'other sheep' who are not of the current fold, implying a broader, unified flock.

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