“You who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (v.13)
The presentation of the blood in Old Testament sacrifices by the high priest, provided cleansing and purity for the people of God. It provided atonement, and allowed the high priest to enter the Most Holy Place once every year. However, it had to be repeated continually. For without the shedding of the blood (bulls and goats,) their existed no other atonement for sin.
However, Jesus did what the high priests before Him could never do: He entered a better tabernacle (that was not of this earth), as a superior high priest, and He offered a superior sacrifice. The presentation of His own blood brought eternal redemption that could cleanse us spiritually, and needed to be offered only once. For He was the perfect sacrifice, the spotless lamb of God, whose innocent blood was shed for the remission for all sin.
The work of Jesus on the cross became the common ground of salvation for both Jew and Gentile. Therefore, there is no longer any dividing wall between them, for Jesus broke that wall down.
In the temple, in between the court of the Gentiles and the court of the women, there was a physical barrier, an actual wall of separation between Jew and Gentile. Paul was, at the time of this writing, under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial because he was falsely accused by the Jews of taking a Gentile into the temple past the literal wall of separation dividing Jew and Gentile. Paul made it clear that in Jesus, the wall is gone because the common Lordship is greater than any previous division. If the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not greater than any difference you have with others – be it political, racial, economic, language, geography or whatever, then you have not fully understood what it means to be under the Lordship of Jesus.
Therefore, Gentiles and Jews are brought together into one body, the Church, where our unity in Jesus is far greater than our previous differences. And both enjoy the same access to God, access that comes by one Spirit to the Father. Not only are Jews and Gentiles saved by the same gospel, but they also have the same essential walk with God and access to Him. One group does not have a greater access than the other does. There are no “second-class citizens” in God’s kingdom in any regard. There are only full citizens, who are full and equal members of God’s household.
The Truth: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perrish, but have eternal life in His kingdom." (John 3:16)
