Peace with God – Peace with Man

 

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 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, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” – Ephesians 2:14-18

Jehovah Shalom – He is our peace!  Before Christ came the people were divided into Jews, who were God’s chosen people under the promise of Abraham, and Gentiles, those that were not Jewish.  There were places that the Gentile could not go, and promises that were not made to us.

But when Jesus came, He came to create “one new man from the two”.  The blood of Jews and the blood of Gentiles became the same when Jesus shed His blood for us.  Through faith in Jesus, we are no longer Jews and Gentiles, but one race and one gender in Christ (Colossians 3:11, Galatians 3:28-29). 

There is a worship song that we sing at church that was written by Kutless called “Take Me In”.  The lyrics say, “Take me into the Holy of Holies”, which refers to the area of the temple that was veiled with a thick curtain.  This area contained the altar where sacrifices for sins were offered to God – blood sacrifices.  Blood, given by the loss of life, was always required in sacrifices for sin.  Romans 6:23 says the “wages of sin is death”, and to cleans us from our sins, death had to occur.  Before Jesus, that was the offering of lambs and other animals upon the altar in the Holy of Holies. Only a Priest who was appointed to give the sacrifices was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies.  The curtain symbolized our separation from God, a “wall” between us.  Behind the curtain, the Holy Spirit would come down and consume the sacrifice through fire.

But when Jesus died on the cross, a miraculous and beautiful thing occurred.  The thick temple curtain was torn, as by the hands of God, from top to bottom, making an entrance for all into the Holy of Holies.  There is no more separation of God from man when we believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.  Through Christ’s death, a sacrifice for all our sins was made so that all that believe on Him are no longer under the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-3). 

There is no longer a wall between God and His people.  There is no longer Jew and Gentile. Race doesn’t matter.  Through Jesus we can be at peace with God and man.  In Him, we “have access by ONE Spirit to the Father”.  The Holy Spirit living in us grants us access to God the Father.  Jehovah Shalom, “For He Himself is our peace”.  The “Holy of Holies”, the place of God’s consuming fire, the place of our worship, the place of our sins being removed, is in us, and we are His temple.  Jehovah Shalom!