Ephesians Lesson 21 of 39 part 4

Then across the page to Ephesians 2:16 we find another, and all of these are complementing what he says in chapter 3 of Ephesians, that all of the revelations of the mysteries are to bring about the one Body, the Body of Christ to complement.

Ephesians 2:16a
"And that he might reconcile both* unto God in one body by the cross,..."
*back up in verse 14 the both are Jew and Gentile
That’s why Paul says, "We preach crucified, and risen again." It’s that death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Paul’s Gospel that makes the appearance and consummation of the One Body of Christ possible. We like this one over in chapter 4. These verses that keep popping up about the Body of Christ, so if you don’t remember anything else remember Paul is constantly teaching the Body of Christ, and it’s the only portion of Scripture that teaches it. It’s absolutely not in the Bible anywhere except in Paul’s writings. 

Ephesians 4:12
"For the perfecting (maturing ) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"
When we are empowered by God through the ontological essence of Christ within us we are then stewards of the secrets we are charged with the assignment to aid and help others in their struggles. Let’s go to Colossians 2 for a moment, and drop down to verses 16 and 17, but before we read those two verses, we can’t miss the one just in front of us verse 14  here in Colossains 2 since we’re so close to it, because we just simply love this verse.

Colossians 2:14-15
"Blotting out the handwritings of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us*,  and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."
*that includes everything that was in the Jewish law and ordinances to include Leviticus chapter 5, the first 5 or 6 verses that we use so often dealing with having to bring sacrifices for touching anything dead

Before we go much farther, remember the parable of the eye being the light or window of the soul which our Lord told? This is found in Matthew 6 verses 22-23 and is just before the serving of two possible natures, if that were possible, which it is NOT! Well, when Paul was on the road to Damascus as shown in Acts 9, his eyes were opened and three days later Ananias came to him to baptism him by the custom of washing and the scales of Judaism fell from Paul's eyes, do you remember that? When that happened Paul was then empowered to do what? See clearly! And with sight comes understanding as our eyes are the windows to both our soul and our brains or the mind. When by the power of the Holy Spirit this takes place through the secret of the Lord's table and alter we come out from under the fog of Satan's deception, with a mindset obscured by the images of preconceived understanding, and are now able to see clearly and acquire the mind of Christ. Now back to what Paul here is saying and tying this together. The hand writings of ordinances (Judaism), the principalities and powers of evil are the powers of Satan along with his lieutenants. These where removed from Paul's eyes and mind and ours as well. Satan was utterly defeated at the Cross and by the Lord's resurrection from the tomb, and we never again have to succumb to his power because it’s broken from us. When we receive this illumination as our own then we share the wealth of His richness in this victory also. Now verse 16. Because the work of the Cross, because of the giving of the Grace of God, he tells us the following. Keeping in mind that Grace is the ontological essence of the Spirit of Christ within us and is only so when received by faith.

Colossians 2:16-17
"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days*: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body (which here and now) is of Christ."
* see that was all Law, legalism and they were all crucified within Christ. Why and How? Because He was the author of them all and as such they pointed toward His day of ending them, as the last days. Because they were weak and beggarly and a new and better was about to be revealed. But they had their place. How?