“Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;”
My Notes
What Does Ephesians 2:15 Mean?
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace." Christ's death on the cross accomplished something beyond individual salvation — it destroyed the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles. The "enmity" was the law's ceremonial ordinances that created an impenetrable boundary between the two groups. Christ abolished these regulations not by violating them but by fulfilling them in his flesh.
The result is the creation of "one new man" (hena kainon anthrōpon) — a new humanity that transcends the old categories. Not Jew becoming Gentile or Gentile becoming Jew, but both becoming something that didn't exist before. The cross creates a third category: a unified humanity in Christ.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'walls of hostility' in your community does the cross claim to have already abolished?
- 2.What does 'one new man' look like practically in a world still deeply divided by race and culture?
- 3.How does the creation of a new humanity go beyond mere tolerance or diversity?
- 4.Where are you still operating in categories that Christ has already destroyed?
Devotional
The cross didn't just save individuals. It created a new kind of human. "One new man" — something that didn't exist before Jesus died. Not Jewish. Not Gentile. Something entirely new, made from both, hostile to neither.
The "enmity" Paul describes was real and structural. The Jewish law created visible, tangible barriers between Jews and Gentiles — dietary laws, circumcision, Sabbath observance, temple restrictions. These weren't arbitrary — they served a purpose in Israel's story. But they also built walls. And Christ's death abolished those walls. Not by ignoring the law, but by fulfilling it so completely that it no longer needed to serve as a dividing line.
The revolutionary claim here is that the cross doesn't just reconcile individuals to God. It reconciles groups to each other. The deepest human divisions — racial, ethnic, cultural, religious — are addressed not by tolerance or negotiation but by the creation of something new. One new humanity in Christ, where the old categories still exist historically but no longer define or divide.
If you're in any community where division runs along cultural, racial, or social lines — and every community is — this verse says the cross has already done the work. The enmity is abolished. The new man exists. The question isn't whether unity is possible. It's whether you're living in the reality Christ already created or still operating in categories he already destroyed.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity,.... The ceremonial law, as appears by what follows,
even the law of…
Having abolished - Having brought to naught, or put an end to it - καταργήσας katargēsas. In his flesh - By the…
Having abolished in his flesh - By his incarnation and death he not only made an atonement for sin, but he appointed the…
We have now come to the last part of the chapter, which contains an account of the great and mighty privileges that…
having abolished, &c. Lit., The enmity, in His flesh, the law of the commandments in decrees, annulling. In this…
Cross References
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