Ephesians 2:11-22
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In Eph 2:11-22, Paul describes a hostile rivalry that was deep and complex, between Jew and Gentile. Gentiles were non-Jews. The word is “ethna” in v 11 (non-Jewish ethnicities). It was religious. Gentiles didn’t know the God of Israel. It was cultural. Jews had all of the rituals, feasts, and ceremonies that distinguished them from the nations. It was racial. The Jews could boast of “having the blood of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob flowing their veins.” Yet, through Christ, these two enemies have become friends. (Paul says this unity proclaims the mystery of the universe [3:10]).