THE TRUTH ABOUT EPH. 2:15
Millions have been deceived by tunnel vision! Ministers and laymen alike have focused in on this Scripture and fell into a trap which Peter warned about. They have twisted it to say what it does NOT say and are bringing destruction upon themselves unknowingly. Let us notice Peter's fair warning before we delve into this Scripture in its context.
PETER'S WARNING
Peter spoke of our beloved brother, Paul …
"As in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction." (II Pet. 3:16).
This warning was put here by the Holy Spirit to protect us. And since it speaks of those 'unlearned', it is obvious they were unlearned in Scripture. Therefore let us LEARN some crystal clear basic, foundational Scriptures BEFORE we try to understand difficult and 'hard to be understood' Scriptures.
LAW NOT DESTROYED
Can we believe Jesus Christ Himself? What was His own testimony? When Jesus spoke of 'law' He meant all of God's Word. He knew "Thy Word is Truth" (Psa. 119:142). All of God's Word is the "law". He understood it; yet why don't millions who profess to know Him? It is evident when He mentions Scriptures in the Psalms as "the law". Read it for yourself in John 10:34…
"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" (Psa. 82:6).
That is a quotation out of Psalms. Jesus didn't relegate the 'law' only to the Ten Commandments or only the first five books of the Bible and writings of Moses. The testimony of Jesus Christ is perfectly clear. Let's open our eyes and ears and understand it. Mat. 5:17-18…
"THINK NOT that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am NOT come to destroy, but to fulfill. "For verily I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall IN NO WISE pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (in force, being performed)."
Think! The 'law' included all Scripture and NONE of it is done away! Jesus said in Mat. 4:4… "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
It is imperative you fill your mind with the testimony of Jesus Christ. No one before or after Him can change that testimony.
TESTIMONY OF THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST
The Spirit of Christ was in the prophets. (I Pet. 1:10, 11). David was a prophet. (Acts 2:29, 30). In the book of Psalms we read in 111:7-8…
"The works of His hands are verity and judgment; ALL His commandments are SURE. 'They stand fast FOREVER AND EVER, and are done in truth and uprightness."
Believe the words of the testimony of the Spirit of Christ. Not one, NONE of the commandments of the Lord are DONE AWAY! And the Scripture CANNOT BE BROKEN! (Jn 10:35) Any one who would dare say that certain portions of God's commandments are NOT obligatory either physically or spiritually on Christians today is in opposition to the Spirit of Christ. Believe the Word, not someone opposing the crystal clear testimony of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps some think certain commandments are 'least' and not required. Read what Jesus said of those who would break one of the least commandments and then teach others to break them also. (Mat. 5:19). I plead with you not to be called and looked upon as the "least" by the Kingdom of God.
ENMITY
Both Jew and Gentile have sinned. Both were cut off from God as a result. The Jews had a wall constructed in the court of the temple, and it physically separated the Gentiles. Yet, spiritually, both were cut off from God because both were sinners. "All have sinned…" Rom. 3:23.
This barrier of religious difference had to be broken down. And indeed it was. In Eph. 2:12 we see the Gentiles had been without God, strangers and aliens before they had accepted Christ, before they were obedient to God's law. They had been disobedient (v. 1-2). In v-3 Paul points out we all had been disobedient to God's law, both Jews and Gentiles. However, NOW, in Christ Jesus we are all made near by the blood of Christ (v-13). Made near to God and to each other.
By His blood, Christ broke down that middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile.
He also broke down the wall separating both from God. Jew and Gentile are both now one new creation IN Christ. (v-14). Verse 15 shows what happened.
"Having abolished in His flesh the ENMITY…"
What was this ENMITY? Whatever it was, both were guilty of it. Whatever this ENMITY was is now abolished! It plainly says the ENMITY was abolished.
Romans 8:7 says…
"Because the minding of the flesh is ENMITY against God…"
So the natural mind of man (which is without the Spirit of God), both Jew and Gentile, is at odds, ENMITY, against God. How? Continue…
"for it (the natural mind) IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE LAW OF GOD, neither indeed can be!"
Both Jew and Gentile had broken God's law (sinned I Jn. 3:4), been disobedient by nature. The ENMITY of their natural mind was against and contrary to God's law! Christ, through His blood, abolished this ENMITY against God's law! Now the requirement of God's law can be met by those IN Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:4). Now we delight in the law of God after the inward man, that new creation, making both Jew and Gentile one new man. (Rom. 7:22; Eph. 2:15).
"I delight in the law of God after the inward man. Having abolished in His flesh the ENMITY (against God's law) … for to make in Himself of two, one new man, (obeying God's law) so making peace (between themselves and God)."
Again it is restated in Eph. 2:16 …
"And that He might reconcile BOTH unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the ENMITY thereby."
BOTH Jews and Gentiles were at odds against God's law. Now BOTH were reconciled to God by Christ abolishing this ENMITY. Now BOTH were obedient to, delighting in God's law. And by the very testimony of Jesus Christ, all the word of God is God's law. Now there is to be NO HOSTILITY against ANY of God's word, including His commandments, statutes, ordinances and laws. This is verified in the prophecy of Ezek. 11:19-20 regarding the new Spirit to be put inside people in the place of the spirit of ENMITY.
"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh." And WHY?
"That they may walk in my statutes, and keep My ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God."
We ought to rejoice that IN Christ we have NO ENMITY against ANY of God's word!
LAW OF COMMANDMENTS IN ORDINANCES
In the KJV of the Bible regarding Eph. 2:15 we read what seemingly might abolish some law contained in ordinances. But does it. The word "even" is in italics and is a word added by the translators to supposedly make the meaning clearer. However, as a result of our research and study, if any word should be added to clarify, it should be "which was against." Thus He abolished the ENMITY which was against the law of commandments contained in ordinances.
There is absolutely no way this one set of words can 'do away' with all the other clear Scriptures. Many falsely assume God's Holy Days were "carnal ordinances," but they were not. They were statutes forever! Read Lev. 23:14, 21, 31, 41. And the statutes of God were in existence hundreds of years prior to any Levitical Priesthood for Abraham kept the statutes of God. (Gen. 26:5). None of God's word, including His ordinances, all of which are for the good of mankind, will ever be done away. The words of the Bible are the words of the Creator, Jesus Christ. He said in Mat. 25:35…
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words SHALL NOT PASS AWAY!"
WHICH ORDINANCES DONE AWAY?
If, after all of this, someone still wants to do away with ordinances, the only ones IN SCRIPTURE which should be forsaken are found in Lev. 18:3. The LORD, Jesus Christ, speaks saying…
"After the doings of the land of Egypt shall you NOT DO: and after the doings of the land of Canaan shall you NOT DO: NEITHER shall you walk in THEIR ORDINANCES."
The ordinances of the world such as the pagan holidays falsely declared "Christian" are not to be kept. Neither any of the pagan sexual customs. On the other hand Jesus speaks saying in verse 4…
"You shall do my judgments, and KEEP MINE ORDINANCE, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God."
WORD OF GOD IS LIFE
Let us be glad and praise God that Jesus knew and we can know the commandments of our heavenly Father are everlasting life. (Jn 12:49-50). Let us be happy that all of God's word is for our living; that none of it is abolished or done away.
Jesus said whatever He spoke was eternal, forever, and for our LIFE.
"…the words that I (Jesus) speak unto you, they are SPIRIT, and they are LIFE!"
Let us live by all of God's word and rejoice IN it.
The Truth About: Colossians 2:14 Colossians 2:16-17 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Galatians 4:8-10