Last month I wrote about how we are connected with God and each other as we celebrate the Lord ?s Supper each week. Not only do we connect by participating in Jesus ? death through communion, but we also get connected with God as he made peace with us through Jesus ? death. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:13, 14: ?But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. ?
The peace that God has provided through Jesus ? death benefits us in several ways. First, as Paul says, it removes the hostility between mankind and God. Where our sins created a gap between us, God has bridged the gap.
Second, the peace that God provided gives Christians common ground. Paul goes on in Ephesians 4:4-6: ?There is one body and one Spirit ?just as you were called to one hope when you were called one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ? While we ?re certainly not all the same ?as Paul says in verse 7: ?But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it we all share in the same faith and the same purpose. For that reason, Paul says in verse 3: ?Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ?
Last, the peace that God provided, because it brings unity among Christians, gives us opportunities to share the Good News of that peace with unbelievers. That is, as we come near to God and as we become united with each other in peace, the body of Christ will truly live as God planned. Then, when unbelievers come among us as we worship, they will say, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:25: ?God is really among you! ?