How is Christ "our peace"? Ephesians 2:14-17
Ephesians 2:14-17 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
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Donna Williams
Supporter
In the context of these verses, the Apostle Paul, who was sent to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, was making it clear that there was no more hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles because of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our peace, because of what He accomplished on the cross. He is our peace, because He brought reconciliation between God and mankind. He is our peace, because He made the two groups one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace. He is our peace, because He reconciled Jew and Gentile to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. He is our peace, because He came and preached peace to the Gentiles who were afar off and to the Jews who were near. And finally, He is our peace, because through Him both Jew and Gentile have access by one Spirit to the Father. The Apostle Paul was teaching about the unity in the body of Christ, that we are all one by one, the Lord Jesus Christ. To God be the glory!
Jeff Mann
Supporter
God is Love (1 John 4:7-8) and peace is a fruit of the spirit of God: Gal 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. The Word says that when you asked Jesus into your heart to dwell in you by faith, that He will be faithful to do this very thing (Luke 11:9). When we fully surrender, by faith; our mind, will, & emotions; he will show himself to us (Rev 3:20). However, in order to experience His peace, we have to spend time meditating in His Word, worship, and fellowship with other believers. You cannot experience His peace if you don't spend your time doing these things and then going back to serving your flesh as before you got saved, and treating your salvation like a life insurance policy you got tucked away in case you expire early. If we are to have His presence dwelling in us, we have to cultivate our relationship with Him. Asking Jesus into our heart was not a one-time event done in order to validate our salvation checkbox, keep us out of Hell, and go back to life as you lived in the past. Salvation in Christ is a lifestyle that we choose to walk out, by our own free will and actions: to enter into the Father's grace plan laid out for our lives and defined by His Word, which needs our daily attention. Think of this as a beautiful plant that we received for FREE from the Father of lights along with an instruction guide for taking care of this beautiful gift. The guide says that we must water this plant with soaking time in worship (John 7:38). We must also feed this plant with the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2), and fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 10:25). For if you do these things, this plant will grow and bare fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23) that include peace, joy, & love. Finally, when this plant matures, the fruit that comes from it will become seeds that the Father uses to germinate & grow other plants for the Kingdom of God. This is how the Father's peace plan for our lives works.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Ephesians 2 – Christ, Our Peace (I found an excellent 3-point outline though the source is unknown) I. Christ preached peace (Eph. 2:17) “He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” Jesus personally proclaimed peace, fulfilling Acts 10:36: “Preaching peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all).” As His followers, we too are called to “follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21) and share His message of peace. II. Christ made peace (Eph. 2:15) By His death, He “abolished the law of commandments” and created “one new man” from Jew and Gentile—so making peace. Through His cross, Christ “reconciled all things… making peace by the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20). III. Christ is our peace (Eph. 2:14) He Himself is our peace, tearing down the wall of hostility and uniting all believers into one body. Micah 5:5 – “And he shall be their peace.” (strikingly close formula: the Messiah himself is the peace of his people). --kjvbibleonline “Jesus Christ ‘is our peace’ (Eph. 2:14). He ‘made peace’ (Eph. 2:15), and He ‘preached peace’ (Eph. 2:17). As the Judge, He could have come to declare war. But in His grace, He came with the message of peace (Luke 2:8-14; 4:16-19). Jew and Gentile are at peace with each other in Christ, and both have open access to God (Rom. 5:1-2). This reminds us of the rent veil at the time of Christ’s death (Matt. 27:50-51; Heb. 10:14-25). Reconciliation is complete!” Warren Wiersbe
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