Day 27 – The Gospel Creates One New People

When the Gospel Tears Down Walls

The Gospel does more than reconcile an individual person to God.

The Gospel also reconciles people to one another.

Paul gives us a beautiful picture in Ephesians 2.

There were people who had been separated by:

ethnicity.

religious background.

culture.

tradition.

history.

human divisions.

But Christ came and broke down the wall of hostility that separated Jew and Gentile, creating one new people in Himself.

Paul says:

“He Himself is our peace.”

And then he says that Christ has made the two groups one.

This is one of the most beautiful consequences of the Gospel.

The Gospel does not create competing groups of believers. It creates one people under one Lord.

The Gospel Begins With Reconciliation to God

Before we understand reconciliation between people, we must understand the greater reconciliation.

Humanity was separated from God because of sin.

We could not reconcile ourselves to God through:

religion.

good works.

tradition.

human effort.

But Christ came.

Through His blood, those who were far away could be brought near.

Paul says:

“You who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

This is the foundation.

We are first reconciled to God through Christ.

Everything else flows from this reconciliation.

Christ Is Our Peace

Paul does not merely say:

“Christ gives peace.”

He says:

“He Himself is our peace.”

Peace is found in a Person.

And that Person is Jesus Christ.

Our peace with God is not found in religious achievement.

It is not found in belonging to a particular culture.

It is not found in a particular ethnic identity.

It is not found in our religious heritage.

It is found in Christ.

This is why the Gospel is so powerful.

The Dividing Wall

Paul speaks about a dividing wall of hostility.

At the time, there were deep divisions between Jews and Gentiles.

There were differences in:

identity.

custom.

religious practice.

history.

These differences had created separation.

But through Christ, God created something new: one new humanity reconciled to God and to one another in Christ.

Those who were separated could now come together in Christ.

The cross became greater than the division because Christ Himself became our peace.

What humanity could not overcome through its own efforts, Christ overcame through His death.

The wall came down because Christ Himself became our peace.

The Gospel Is Bigger Than Our Background

This is important for every Christian.

Before Christ, we may identify ourselves by:

our nationality.

our family.

our language.

our culture.

our religious background.

our social position.

But when we come to Christ, we receive a new identity.

Our deepest identity becomes:

“I belong to Jesus Christ.”

That does not mean our culture becomes meaningless.

It means our culture is no longer our ultimate identity.

We can appreciate where we came from without allowing where we came from to replace Christ.

Following Christ does not require us to despise our family, language, history, or culture. It means none of those things can occupy the place that belongs to Christ.

One Lord, One Family

The Church is not supposed to be a collection of competing groups.

It is the family of God.

Paul says elsewhere:

“There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.” – Ephesians 4:4–6

Look at how many times Scripture emphasises one.

One body.

One Spirit.

One Lord.

One faith.

One baptism.

One Father.

The Gospel creates unity around Christ.

Our unity is not ultimately based upon nationality.

It is not based upon culture.

It is not based upon denomination.

It is not based upon social status.

It is based upon Christ.

This Does Not Mean We Are All the Same

Christian unity does not mean that every person has the same:

language.

culture.

personality.

tradition.

background.

God created diversity.

The problem is not diversity.

The problem is allowing our differences to become walls that separate people whom Christ has brought together.

We do not need to become identical in order to be united.

We need to become centred on Christ.

The Gospel does not erase legitimate cultural differences.

It places them beneath a greater identity:

we belong to Jesus Christ.

The Early Church Was Diverse

The early Church included people from different backgrounds.

Jews.

Gentiles.

Men.

Women.

People from different cultures.

People from different social positions.

People with different histories.

Yet they gathered around:

Christ.

His Gospel.

His Word.

His people and His table.

His mission.

The Gospel was powerful enough to bring people from radically different backgrounds into one family under the lordship of Christ.

That was part of the witness of the early Church.

People who might never have naturally gathered together were now gathering together because they had been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Challenges Ethnic Pride

No nationality is superior at the foot of the cross.

No ethnicity has a special claim to salvation.

No culture can say:

“Christ belongs to us.”

Jesus is not the possession of any nation or culture. He is Lord of all.

He is Lord of all.

The Gospel is for:

every nation.

all the people.

every language.

every background.

This is why Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations.

A Message for the People of the East

This truth is particularly important when faith becomes closely connected with national or cultural identity.

There is a difference between:

Christianity as cultural heritage

and

following Jesus Christ as Lord.

A person can inherit:

a Christian name,

a Christian culture,

a Christian tradition,

a Christian identity,

and yet never personally come to Christ in repentance and faith.

A person can grow up surrounded by churches, Christian festivals, religious customs and familiar Christian language, yet still not know Jesus personally.

The Gospel calls us deeper.

It says:

Come to Christ.

Not simply: Identify with a Christian culture.

Christianity cannot be reduced to heritage.

A Christian identity written into our culture is not the same as a heart transformed by Christ.

We Must Not Confuse Culture With the Gospel

Culture can be beautiful.

Language can be beautiful.

Music can be beautiful.

Architecture can be beautiful.

Family traditions can be beautiful.

History can be valuable.

But none of these things can save us.

The Gospel is not:

“Preserve your culture and you will be saved.”

The Gospel is:

“Repent and believe in Jesus Christ.”

Culture may surround our faith.

But Christ must remain at the centre.

Christ Removes the Wall

Paul says Christ:

“has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”

Think about the power of that statement.

What people could not overcome through human effort, Christ overcame through the cross.

The cross says:

You are not saved because of your ethnicity.

You are not saved because of your religious heritage.

You are not saved because of your social status.

You are saved by grace through faith in Christ.

And everyone who comes to Christ comes through the same door.

The Same Cross for Everyone

There is one cross.

The rich need it.

The poor need it.

The educated need it.

The uneducated need it.

The religious need it.

The irreligious need it.

The respected need it.

The rejected need it.

Every person comes to God the same way:

Through Jesus Christ.

That truth destroys spiritual pride.

Nobody can stand before God and say:

“I deserve salvation because of who I am.”

We stand only because of grace.

The ground is level at the cross.

The Gospel humbles everyone because everyone needs mercy.

And when pride is removed, unity becomes possible.

The Church Should Display This Unity

If Christ has destroyed the dividing wall, the Church should not rebuild it.

We should not create walls based on:

nationality.

ethnicity.

social class.

wealth.

education.

background.

The Church should be one place where people can see:

“These people are different, yet they love one another because they belong to Christ.”

That is a powerful witness to the world.

The Church should demonstrate that the Gospel is stronger than the divisions of society.

When believers from different backgrounds worship Christ together, serve one another and love one another, the Church becomes a living picture of Gospel reconciliation.

Unity Does Not Mean Ignoring Truth

We must make an important distinction.

Biblical unity does not mean:

“Believe anything you want.”

Unity must be built upon truth.

The Church is united around:

Jesus Christ.

the Gospel.

the apostolic teaching.

the Word of God.

We do not create unity by removing biblical truth.

We create unity by standing together in biblical truth.

This matters because there is also a false unity.

A unity that says:

“It does not matter what you believe.”

That is not biblical unity.

The Gospel does not call us to abandon truth in order to achieve peace.

Jesus is the truth, and He is our peace.

Therefore, we must hold truth and love together.

Unity and the Truth of the Gospel

This connects directly with our previous days.

We have talked about:

testing everything by Scripture.

the faith once delivered.

not adding to God’s Word.

Now we see why this matters.

If every group creates its own Gospel, unity becomes impossible.

But when we return to the Gospel given by Christ and the apostles, we discover the foundation that unites us.

One Gospel. One Saviour. One Lord. One faith. One family.

Biblical unity is not built by moving away from Scripture.

It is built by returning to Scripture.

The Gospel Breaks Down Religious Pride

Religious pride says:

“Our group is better.”

The Gospel says:

“We are all saved by grace.”

Religious pride says:

“We have something others don’t.”

The Gospel says:

“Christ is enough.”

Religious pride says:

“Our tradition makes us acceptable to God.”

The Gospel says:

“Christ reconciles us to God.”

The Gospel humbles everyone.

And humility creates the soil where genuine unity can grow.

At the cross, nobody has grounds for boasting.

We all stand in need of mercy.

We Have Access to the Father

Paul ends this passage with something beautiful:

“For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Notice the words:

through Him.

That means Christ is the mediator.

to the Father.

Our destination is God Himself.

by one Spirit.

The Holy Spirit brings us into this relationship.

Father.

Son.

Holy Spirit.

And the people of God gathered together through Christ.

What About Divisions Among Christians?

Sadly, Christians can divide over many things.

Sometimes over:

tradition.

politics.

culture.

personality.

denomination.

preferences.

Some differences are genuinely important when biblical truth is at stake.

But many divisions are created by human pride.

We should ask:

“Is this a Gospel issue, or is this my personal preference?”

That question can prevent many unnecessary conflicts.

Not every disagreement is merely a matter of preference. Some disagreements genuinely concern biblical truth. Wisdom is learning to distinguish essential Gospel truth from secondary matters without allowing pride to turn secondary matters into unnecessary walls.

We must be courageous when truth is at stake and humble when our own preferences are at stake.

We Are Called to Love One Another

Jesus said:

“By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35

Our unity is not merely for our benefit.

It is part of our witness.

When the world sees believers loving one another across cultural and social boundaries, they see something supernatural.

They see a picture of the Gospel.

Our relationship with Christ should change how we treat other people.

The Gospel Sends Us Toward Others

If Christ has reconciled us to God, we should become people who pursue reconciliation with others.

That means:

forgiving.

listening.

serving.

humbling ourselves.

rejecting prejudice.

refusing hatred.

seeking peace.

This does not mean ignoring injustice or pretending serious problems do not exist.

Biblical reconciliation is not pretending that wrongs never happened.

It means responding to people as followers of Christ.

The Christian heart should never delight in hatred or division.

We have received reconciliation.

Therefore, we should become people who pursue reconciliation and carry the reconciling message of Christ to others.

Our Mission Is Bigger Than Our Group

The Great Commission does not say:

Go and make disciples of people who are like you.

Jesus said:

“Go and make disciples of all nations.” – Matthew 28:19

The Gospel crosses every boundary.

Therefore, the Church must never become so focused on protecting its own group that it forgets the nations Christ came to save.

The Gospel is not the possession of one culture.

It is the good news of Jesus Christ for the world.

The Church is not called to preserve itself.

It is called to proclaim Christ.

The Invitation

Perhaps God is asking you to examine what identity has the strongest place in your heart.

Maybe your nationality has become more important to you than your identity in Christ.

Perhaps your family, culture, history, or traditions have shaped your understanding of Christianity more than Scripture has.

Maybe you have inherited a Christian identity from your parents, your community, or your nation, but you have never personally surrendered your life to Jesus.

Perhaps you have allowed differences in denomination, tradition, culture, or background to create distance between you and another believer.

Maybe there is someone you have judged because they are different from you.

Or perhaps you have allowed pride to convince you that your group, your tradition, or your understanding is somehow better than others.

Today, look again at Christ.

He is our peace.

He is the One who brings those who were far away near.

He is the One who breaks down the dividing wall.

He is the One who creates one new people.

Your ultimate identity is not found in your nationality.

It is not found in your family.

It is not found in your culture.

It is not found in your tradition.

It is not found in your religious heritage.

Your deepest identity is found in Jesus Christ.

The question is not simply, “Where do I come from?”

The deeper question is:

“Do I belong to Jesus Christ?”

And if you belong to Christ, then those who belong to Christ are your brothers and sisters even when they come from a different nation, culture, tradition, or background.

Ask God to tear down every wall in your heart that Christ never asked you to build.

Ask Him to replace pride with humility, prejudice with love, suspicion with grace, and division with Gospel reconciliation.

Do not give up biblical truth in the name of unity.

But do not create unnecessary division in the name of truth.

Stand firmly on God’s Word while walking humbly with God’s people.