Ephesians Lesson 17 of 39 part 5

We're making headway however slowly in Ephesians now returning to verse 14 of chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:14
"For he is our peace, (by faith having entered into that relationship of being redeemed, justified, and declared righteous, and all those things that are accompanied on the cross and in faith) who hath made both one, (now who are the both? Hebrew and Gentile do you see that? NO longer to separate states, as mans religion has kept them.) and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (the traditions of the old systems of reasoning's religion which separates through the literalness of mans imagination and reasoning) between us;"
The Hebrews and Gentiles, during this Church Age have lost their separateness, they have lost their individual identify as (Jews) Hebrews or Gentiles. Paul never again refers to that, but here they have come together and Hebrews and Gentiles are become now One. God intends for them to be as One. In fact let's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12 for a moment. It says almost the same thing, only a little more basic language, and that's why, again, all these early letters were ahead of Ephesians because Ephesians is simply building on these original foundations of doctrinal Truth's in Hebrews, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians and Galatians. Now starting with verse 12.
  
I Corinthians 12:12
"For as the body (the human body) is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ (or the Body of Christ, The One True Church, the redeemed of the LORD, if I might be so bold as to add those who have entered into His Salvation)."
Now verse 13, and we make the emphasis here. This is the only Holy Spirit baptism that we as believers enjoy today. In fact Paul says in Ephesians 4:4-5 that there is only One Baptism. This is the only one and here it is.

I Corinthians 12:13
"For by one Spirit are we all (not just some of the elite, but all are) baptized into one body, (the One Body of Christ through the first vow of our redemption as found in Genesis 3:15) whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all (whether he's at the bottom or the top of the social totem pole, we've all been) made to drink into one Spirit."
 
So each of us who are the One Body of Christ have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into this Body. There is no water involved in this process, but placed only by the Holy Spirit into the Body. An action of God's doing not of some church or denominational creed or doctrine. We've been placed into a unique position that God reserved for us from eternity past. Knowing that we'd be saved, He had this place ready for us. The positioning of us in the first estate within the corral for our training in the ways of righteousness as we seek God's righteousness and kingdom rule which brings us to the crisis of the cross. That's why when we get a little further in Ephesians we're going to see that we are a building that has been fitted, and fitly put together. Now coming back to Ephesians, looking at verse 14 again.

Ephesians 2:14b
"...and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us (Hebrews and Gentiles);"
Why is this so, because Adam when he was given the vow or covenant was then a what a gentile and therefore all of humanity, from him on, is in the same category with him. Now we know that in the temple in Jerusalem before it was destroyed in 70 AD there was a dividing wall that would keep the Gentile proselyte from worshiping in the same area as the Hebrews. We say a proselyte is best described in the words of the Lord Jesus Himself when He told the Hebrews this in Matthew 23 and verse 15, where it says this.

Matthew 23:15
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." 
Nevertheless they embraced the religion of Judaism, but they were separated from having any contact with the Hebrew by that dividing wall. But look at what the Lord called those, “children of hell” see that, that's contempt for the Jewish leadership and their religion. Which means they are rotten and stink or are a stench unto God (Isaiah 1:13-15). Now look what Paul says happened to that wall. "That dividing wall has been totally dismantled. It's destroyed, it's broken down” making reference to the Temple and its veil of separation- now verse 15.