“But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.”
Ephesians 2:13-18 NLT
“Because of what Christ has done for us…” this should be the start and end of every philosophy and theology of a Christian’s heart and mind. Their is a specificity to the miracle of salvation, and that is that within death, their begins a new life. Paul adds a new wrinkle to our perception that this new life is not merely a clean slate. It does have new perks and benefits, but it also has a new ontology. Paul, elsewhere describes it as being a new creation. When we are born again, we are birthed into a new experience that includes a type of joining with other believers, and God himself, in Jesus. This means that the previous distinctions that were once primary, fall to second, or sometimes to the wayside completely. This is not a man made process, but in fact, an active work of the Holy Spirit. For many, over the course Christendom, understanding that our fellowship is part of an ontological difference, rather than a choice, has been the lynchpin for their success as a believer. When they refuse to give in to the love they are commanded to have, they believe they are refusing a choice and are willing to suffer the consequences. But in truth, this doomed them because they are no longer a disconnected creature any longer. They are a people of community whether they like it or not.
JOSH McGARY. COM 