Rejoice:

Read:

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

This devotion is more focused on peace and unity than what is explicitly stated in these verses. So what you are reading is not specifically an exposition of the above verses but a call to be at peace among the Church. If Paul tells us Christ Himself is our peace then we SHOULD see an intentional approach towards peace among the Church…

Short version:

During Christ’s time there was a divide similar to what we see today between races, political views, etc. However, Paul instructs the believers here that Christ brings the ability to destroy those dividing fences. We are called to Christ through unity and called TO unity. What I mean is that Christ breached the dividing wall of human versus God, unrighteousness versus righteousness, etc. and we are called to mirror that in our churches… yet we don’t. We divide over politics, music style, even decorations within the church in some instances. We get rid of peace and replace it with division.

When we look at the Church and see all the diversity we must realize there is some usefulness to it. We have the ability to reach the world in whatever place they may find themselves because we are just as diverse as they are. We also have the ability to practice unity and peace in a safe place: the Church. This next part is not explicitly stated in Scripture so of course you are able to just ignore this but I feel God allows diversity among believers to persist so that we can practice obeying Christ in His desire for peace (and unity). God allows us to be diverse in our worship styles, political views, food preferences, clothing styles, etc. because it is through those diversities we are able to see clearly how arrogant and divisive we are at our core. In the face of that pride and selfishness we are called to obey the goal of Christ and be unified, seeking to be peaceful so that the world will see that we are of Him. So when we encounter differences we can either meditate on them and allow them to separate believers or place Christ and His purpose above them… so what’s more important to you: God’s Word or your politics/worship preference? Have you made them inseparable? That’s an issue.

Longer version: (the parts in italic are the same as the “shorter version”

During Christ’s time there was a divide similar to what we see today between races, political views, etc. However, Paul instructs the believers here that Christ brings the ability to destroy those dividing fences. We are called to Christ through unity and called TO unity. What I mean is that Christ breached the dividing wall of human versus God, unrighteousness versus righteousness, etc. and we are called to mirror that in our churches… yet we don’t. We divide over politics, music style, even decorations within the church in some instances. We get rid of peace and replace it with division.

Let’s dig just a tad deeper. We see in verse 14 that the Christ is our peace- notice that it doesn’t just say source, or sustainer, or anything else… Simply, He is our peace. A good rule of thumb is that if there seems to be a question remaining in the text after you’ve read it you can go back to the greek and almost always find the answer. What we are reading is that Christ Himself is everything in regards to peace: the path, the source, the sustainer, the turkey- that one was just to see if you were paying attention. We are able to find full peace through Christ. We are able to be fully unified as believers because of Jesus Christ. The opposite is also true: where we find a lack of peace, where we see division and hatefulness we can assume Christ is not present or in the very least He is being ignored.

The whole idea here is further expressed in Galatians 5 when we read that fruit of the flesh is division through factions, dissension, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, envy, and so on. Where we see division we see the flesh at work. Where we see the flesh at work we see a lack of peace. I believe some of you may be thinking- I am not seeing how this is actually going to work. Don’t we need to set some pretty solid lines within the Church?

So the question must be addressed: how does this work with differences in worship or differences in political opinion? Well, can you believe that we could possibly have different points of view and yet be unified? I know that seems foreign and impossible- through a fleshly or human focused mind- yet through Christ and the Spirit we can find this possibility. At least, that’s what God says. The Spirit draws us to be unified among believers and points us to what Christ desires. So we can disagree on political views yet still be unified! The reason we see this as being so difficult is because we are NOT walking in the Spirit… this isn’t a debate. Simply read Galatians 5 and evaluate your own actions – are you walking in the Spirit or your flesh? If you are being divisive over your political views or whatever else then you simply aren’t walking in the Spirit. The only realm we can see division being palatable is within the realm of theology or doctrine. So… if you aren’t talking about truth (God’s Word) and you’re being divisive then you’ve been following your flesh/sinful nature. If you are following your flesh then you are avoiding peace, the very thing that Christ provides. If you’re interested in my view on how to address a false teacher… email me and I will share the post about that.

When we look at the Church and see all the diversity we must realize there is some usefulness to it. We have the ability to reach the world in whatever place they may find themselves because we are just as diverse as they are. We also have the ability to practice unity and peace in a safe place: the Church. This next part is not explicitly stated in Scripture so of course you are able to just ignore this but I feel God allows diversity among believers to persist so that we can practice obeying Christ in His desire for peace (and unity). God allows us to be diverse in our worship styles, political views, food preferences, clothing styles, etc. because it is through those diversities we are able to see clearly how arrogant and divisive we are at our core. In the face of that pride and selfishness we are called to obey the goal of Christ and be unified, seeking to be peaceful so that the world will see that we are of Him. So when we encounter differences we can either meditate on them and allow them to separate believers or place Christ and His purpose above them… so what’s more important to you: God’s Word or your politics/worship preference? Have you made them inseparable? That’s an issue. 

Respond:

Spend 1 minute thanking God that the Church is diverse and that you have the opportunity to practice unity, patience, peace, etc. constantly. Then spend 2-3 minutes asking God to help you seek peace and not divide relationships.

Relate:

If you avoid everyone who is different then you then you are not practicing walking in the Spirit, seeking peace, avoiding dissension, etc. So find some people who are maybe a little different than you… Don’t spend every second with them, but spend some time with them so you can practice holding your tongue and being loving/peaceful/unifying.