The “one new man” is the creation of the ekklesia, the body, the household, or temple of God by bringing both Jew and Gentile together. This is the mystery of the gospel. But, to accomplish this, two things are mentioned in Ephesians 2 were completed.
First, He Abolished the law
“He broke down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace (v. 15). The enmity that He abolished was the old law of Moses, which is described as the middle wall of partition. It was against them because it did not give life but convicted them of their sins. Even the repetitious offering of sacrifices was a constant reminder of their guilt. When Christ came in the flesh, i.e, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, he “condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:1-3) by living without sin. That which was designed to make sin more apparent could not whip him. Since the law demanded perfection and the punishment of the violator, Jesus was neither sinful nor deserving of death. This victory allowed Him to make a swop — he became both the scapegoat and flawless lamb that accepts the sin/guilt upon Himself while imputing righteousness upon those who put their trust in Him. Having slain the enmity, he could, therefore, reconcile both the Jew and the Gentile in one body through the cross (v. 16). The Jews, who had been on the inside, had to be reborn into the Kingdom of God, just as the Gentiles. There is no longer a dividing wall and both go in together to form one assembly of God (ekklesia), one new Jerusalem, or one new family. This creation from two people who were greatly divided reveals the wisdom and power of God.
The old temple served as a physical reminder of the division that existed. The temple still stood when this book was written around 62-63. There was a physical wall of partition with a plague on which was written, “any Gentile going beyond this point is responsible for this own death.” Paul is not talking about the literal wall as it was still standing. But in Christ, there was no barrier for a Gentile to enter fellowship with God and have full access to every spiritual blessing. This is a new temple about which Ezekiel speaks (Ezek. 37) and it was under construction at that time. There is no longer a dividing wall in this new temple. Both Jew and Gentile go in together to form one gathering and one new temple. The people of that day customarily linked themselves to their temples as much, if not more, than people link themselves to their churches, today. A temple in Ephesus was the temple of Diana, which was one of the seven wonders of the world with 157 pillars of white marble. The Gentiles had their temples and Jews had their temple and city in Jerusalem. But, a new temple was under construction, not built by man’s man’s hands. It is interesting that the Herodian temple was under construction for a long time and wasn’t completed until 64 AD. It took 46 years for it to be constructed. But, Paul is now telling them that a new temple was under construction.
Second, He Preached Peace
“He came and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh.” This was done by the preaching of the gifted men, who assisted by preaching the unity of the faith and imploring them to give all diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This was part of Paul’s stewardship, or dispensation of God’s grace that the mystery of His eternal plan is revealed by gifted men, who were given to teach the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 4:11, 3:1-3); namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors/teachers. Their biggest challenge was the controversy between the Jews and Gentiles, but their teaching gathered them into one body. In addition to these gifts, the Spirit placed the members of the body each with their gift, according as it pleased Him. All were necessary for the strength and well-being of the body.
Yet, in the early years, this accomplishment was not fully realized. Corinth is proof of this, as they were selfishly pursuing their own carnal purposes. The “unity of the faith” and the “complete man” would soon be fulfilled, but it was not complete or fully matured, then. This appears to be the meaning of the unfulfilled time references in Ephesians 4:12-13 and 1 Corinthians 13. We will have more to write about each in a later blog. This text tells us that the reconciliation of both into one body was accomplished by Christ’s personal victory at the cross and the preaching of the cross.