One in Christ: The Walls Jesus Tore Down

Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22

If you were asked to describe what Jesus accomplished on the cross, what would your answer be?

Most Christians would rightly say that Jesus died to forgive our sins, reconcile us to God, and offer eternal life. Those truths are foundational to the gospel. But the Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2 that Christ accomplished something even greater than many of us stop to consider.

Jesus didn't simply save us from something.

He saved us into something.

He saved us into a family.

Remember Where You Came From

Paul begins this section of Ephesians by telling believers to remember. Before Christ, the Gentiles were separated from God's covenant people. They were strangers to His promises, without hope, and without God in the world.

While those words were written specifically to Gentile believers, they serve as an important reminder for every Christian today. Before Christ rescued us, we were spiritually dead. We had no hope of saving ourselves, no righteousness of our own, and no claim to God's grace.

It's easy to forget where God found us.

When we do, pride begins to creep in. We compare ourselves to others. We convince ourselves that somehow we deserve God's grace more than someone else. We begin drawing lines that God never intended to exist.

Those lines may be based on race, politics, wealth, education, social status, or even someone's past mistakes.

Paul reminds us that every one of us stood equally guilty before a holy God. Salvation has never been earned. It has always been a gift of grace through faith.

Brought Near by the Blood of Christ

One of the most beautiful phrases in this passage is found in verse 13:

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

Those words change everything.

The people who once had no hope now have eternal hope.

Those who were outsiders have been welcomed into God's family.

Those who were separated from God now have direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ.

The same blood that saves the preacher saves the addict.

The same blood that saves the wealthy saves the poor.

The same blood that saves the lifelong church member saves the person who has spent years running from God.

At the foot of the cross, everyone stands on level ground.

Jesus Tore Down the Wall

Paul explains that Jesus Himself is our peace. Through His death, He destroyed the hostility that separated Jews and Gentiles.

This wasn't merely symbolic language.

In the Jerusalem temple, an actual wall separated Gentiles from the areas reserved for Jews. Warning signs declared that outsiders could go no farther.

That physical barrier reflected a much deeper spiritual divide.

When Jesus died, He didn't simply tear the temple veil from top to bottom. He removed every barrier separating sinful people from a holy God. Through Christ, both Jew and Gentile now approach the Father the exact same way.

By grace.

Through faith.

Because of the cross.

The Walls We Still Build

Although Jesus destroyed those barriers, people continue rebuilding them.

We divide ourselves by politics.

We divide ourselves by race.

We divide ourselves by economic status.

We divide ourselves by our backgrounds.

We divide ourselves by our pasts.

The gospel confronts every one of these divisions.

If our political identity matters more than our identity in Christ, we've rebuilt a wall Jesus died to destroy.

If skin color matters more than the blood of Christ, we've rebuilt a wall Jesus tore down.

If personal preferences matter more than the unity of the body of Christ, we've forgotten what the cross accomplished.

Jesus didn't ask us to ignore our differences.

He made peace in the middle of them.

Access to the Father

Paul says that through Christ we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

What an incredible privilege.

Under the Old Covenant, access to God's presence was limited by priests, sacrifices, ceremonies, and temple regulations.

But Jesus fulfilled everything those sacrifices pointed toward.

Now every believer can approach God confidently because Christ has already made the way.

Not because we've earned it.

Not because we're worthy.

But because Jesus is worthy.

One Family Built on One Foundation

Paul closes by reminding believers that we are no longer strangers or outsiders.

We are fellow citizens with God's people.

Members of His household.

Living stones joined together into one spiritual temple with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone.

Every building depends on its foundation.

If your life is built on success, relationships, wealth, politics, or anything else this world offers, it will eventually crumble.

But when your life is built upon Jesus Christ, you are standing on the only foundation that will never fail.

Final Thoughts

The gospel is far bigger than individual forgiveness.

Through Jesus Christ, God has created one family made up of people from every nation, every background, every culture, and every story.

We were far away.

Now we have been brought near.

We were outsiders.

Now we belong.

We were divided.

Now we are one.

May we never rebuild the walls that Jesus gave His life to tear down. Instead, let us remember where we came from, celebrate the grace that rescued us, and live as one body united in Christ for the glory of God.