Ephesians 2:14-18

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Commentary

Vs. 14  "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation"

The Lord Jesus Christ is our peace with God. For He alone has fulfilled every righteous requirement of the Law, and He has become for us all God's Atoning Sacrifice for all our sins and transgressions. And so it is that by faith in Christ, and Christ alone, we have peace with God (Acts 4:12; Rom 5:1). Now the Lord Jesus Christ did'nt just pave the way for our reconciliation too God. But more to the Apostle Paul's second point, through Christ God has broken down the middle wall of separation that once separated Jews and Gentiles. Now this middle wall of separation is not a literal wall or barrier per-say, rather this is a metaphor for all that the Law did in separating Jews from Gentiles.

Vs. 15 "having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace"

The Lord Jesus Christ by His own Crucifixion death not only fulfilled every righteous required of the Law for our redemption from sin and death, having paid the penalty for all our sins and transgressions, but He has also abolished in His flesh the enmity, "that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances." That is every ordinance found in the Law that the Jews hold and observe that makes them a distinct people, Christ has abolished as incumbent upon anyone who believes in Him. And so it is the Lord Jesus Christ has done away with the Old Covenant itself as a governing entity for the Body of Christ (Heb 8:13). There is then no Sabbath observance for the Body of Christ, just as there is no circumcision requirement, nor are their food restrictions or requirements for any of us who believe in Him to observe (see Rom 14; Gal 5:1-5). Now believers who are of a Jewish background may continue to observe those things (as was the case in the early church while the Temple was still erected and sacrifices there were still being made), but in no way then (or now) are they to bring those things into the Body of Christ as required of themselves, or anyone else (Acts 21:18-25). Only during the Millennial Reign of Christ when God deals with Israel as a Nation again are there specific ordinances that are to be observed (Zechariah 14:16-19). For again it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who has abolished through His flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that He could create in Himself (not Moses and the Law) one new man from the two, thus making peace. Observance of the Law then by any of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is simply not a part of the equation when it comes to either our eternal salvation (which is by grace) or our discipleship which is in Christ (Rom 3:19-28, 4:4-5; 6:14, 7:4-6; Eph. 2:8-9 etc.). Which is why the Book of Hebrews was given us by God's Spirit, so that Jewish believers who were still clinging to the Old Covenant (consider Luke 5:39) might be made to see that In Christ all that was the Old Covenant, or even the Levitical priesthood, has found its fulfillment In Christ and thus has been superseded by the more excellent and eternal Ministry of Christ Himself, which is ministered to us through His Apostles and prophets in the New Testament.

For again it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who has abolished through His flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that He could create in Himself (and no one else) one new man (i.e. body of believers) who believe in Him. Thus not Moses and the law which governed the Jews (see Acts 15), or Marry and Jesus (the Catholic Apostasy), and all their doctrines and commandments of men that governs them, but Jesus Christ the Lord, who is the Head of the Body, the church, being made up of believing Gentiles and Jews in every generation who trust in God by faith in His person alone (Acts 4:12). For it is the Gospel of grace that the church of Christ declares. 

Vs. 16 "and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity."

Now the Lord Jesus Christ didn't just abolish the enmity between Jews and Gentiles (vs. 15), by His own death on the Cross, (by which everyone who believes in Him has an equal and full standing with God) but He has put the enmity to death (vs. 16). Now this He did so He could reconcile both believing Jews and Gentiles to God in one body through His own death on the cross. Anyone then who would want to turn the church, (i.e. Christ's body, the one body of believers that is made up of every believing Jew and Gentile, who now stand united and equal in the sight of God through Christ alone (see Gal 3:26-29) into an extension of the nation of Israel, or back under the law, would only be running headstrong against the Lord (Rom 6:14; 7:1-5). For the Law of commandments contained in ordinances that once created such hostility and alienation between Jews and Gentiles has been by the Will of God put away (Heb. 8:13). For it is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alone who has reconciled both believing Jews and Gentiles, through the Cross, back to God, in one body. Thus not a Jewish church, and a Gentile church, but one church, Christ's church. And so no local assembly of believers should ever consider or conduct itself as being an assembly just for "Jews" or an assembly just for "Gentiles", for in Christ these distinctions are done away with forever (1 Peter 2:4-10).  

Vs. 17-18  ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Having put to death the enmity, through His own Crucifixion death; and thus having fulfilled all that God required through the Law for our justification; the Lord Jesus thus having paved the way for our reconciliation with God by grace through faith in His Person, after His Resurrection from the dead, came and preached peace to those who were far off (i.e. the Gentiles), and those who were near (the Jews). For the Lord Jesus Christ having conquered sin and death, by His own Crucifixion death and Resurrection has satisfied the justice of God for us all, and so He came and preached peace to us all. For it is God's Righteousness clearly seen and manifested in the Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ by which one and all can now have a just and justified standing in the sight of God, by putting their faith in His Person (Rom 3:19-26). There is then no more alienation from God for anyone (whether Gentiles or Jew) who repents and believes in the Gospel! From the worst of sinners, to the most ardent and zealous religious person, who ultimately had to face their own sinfulness and fleshly weaknesses exposed through the Law, the Lord Jesus Christ has come and preached peace to everyone of us through Himself, since we have all failed to please God (Rom 3:23). Understand then peace with God begins and ends with your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ's Person, and not what you have done, or not done (Eph. 2:8-9). And so it is since the Lord Jesus Christ came and preached peace with God to all Gentiles and all Jews by faith in His Person, through His Word, given us all through His Spirit. The Jews then have nothing on the Gentiles, since In Christ we both have an equal and unrestricted access by one Spirit to the Father (vs. 18). Now this access to God the Father again comes to us all through Jesus Christ the Lord by His Holy Spirit, who not only fully indwells each one of us, but He also helps us all in our own weaknesses, not only making our prayers effective when we seek God by faith, but He also makes prayers for us on our behalf during the same when we don't know what to pray (Rom 8:26-27). And so there is no hierarchy of believers in the sight of God,  because through Christ we who believe in Him all have equal access by one Spirit (that is God's Holy Spirit) to the Father. No one then who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ need go too, or through another person to come to God. For we all have equal access by one Spirit to God our Father. Therefore let us all seek God and His face while we can (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.