Ephesians 2:15 (Colossians 2:14)
These verses come on the heels of Paul speaking about Gentiles alienated from the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11). They were strangers to the covenants of promise, had no hope, and were without Yahweh. The good news was that because of Yeshua the Messiah they could be brought into a relationship with the Father, and likewise into a relationship with those currently in believing Israel.
Yeshua is said to be the peace that brings both groups (Gentile and Judahite) into one. Yeshua tears down the dividing wall of hostility between the two (Ephesians 2:13-14). Notice that it is the dividing wall of hostility that is torn down, which some translations refer to as the enmity. This is confirmed in verse 16 where again it is the enmity that is said to be put to death.
Verse 15 identifies this enmity or hostility as having something to do with the "law of commandments contained in ordinances." Many people today believe this teaches the law has been abolished. I do believe that the law is what is in view here, but is the text teaching that the law itself is abolished and no longer to be obeyed?
When a man sins against Yahweh, he incurs a debt to Yahweh. Yeshua refers to sin as debt in the famous prayer (in Matthew 6): "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." These Gentiles had broken the law of commandments contained in ordinances, and had acquired a debt that they could not pay themselves.
They were in a state of enmity with the Father. Because they had violated Torah, the law of commandments was like a dividing wall between them and those in believing Israel. Only the blood of Yeshua was able to wipe the debt away, seeing he paid the penalty for breaking the law of commandments contained in ordinances in his death on the cross (Ephesians 2:13), slaying the hostility that existed.
This made it possible for these Gentiles to be joined together with those who were already in believing Israel, creating one new man out of the two groups (Ephesians 2:15b).
Notice that in the KJV there are two italicized words in Ephesians 2:15a - "even" and "contained." These words have been added by the translators for clarification of the text. Sometimes added words help to clarify, but sometimes added words can detract from the original intent of the passage. I believe we should remove both words and add a different italicized word in the place of "even." I suggest the passage to read as follows:
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity *against* the law of commandments in ordinances.”
This is recognized even further by noticing the parallel passage of Colossians 2:14. The book of Ephesians when read side by side with Colossians is similar and parallel in many places.
Colossians 2:14 is referring to a debt of sin against the law being blotted out, by mentioning the Greek term cheirographon (handwriting), and telling us that this is what was nailed to the cross. The law was not nailed to the cross; our sins against the law were nailed to the cross.
This is where we get the practice of the receipt spike, seen in many fast food restaurants today. Once you pay the money you owe, an employee takes your bill and sticks it over the spike. This states in a manner that the bill is destroyed because it has been paid. Yeshua nailed a spike through our debt owed to Yahweh when in his body on the cross, he took our sins upon him self. (ref. 1 Peter 2:24)
Yeshua is said to be the peace that brings both groups (Gentile and Judahite) into one. Yeshua tears down the dividing wall of hostility between the two (Ephesians 2:13-14). Notice that it is the dividing wall of hostility that is torn down, which some translations refer to as the enmity. This is confirmed in verse 16 where again it is the enmity that is said to be put to death.
Verse 15 identifies this enmity or hostility as having something to do with the "law of commandments contained in ordinances." Many people today believe this teaches the law has been abolished. I do believe that the law is what is in view here, but is the text teaching that the law itself is abolished and no longer to be obeyed?
When a man sins against Yahweh, he incurs a debt to Yahweh. Yeshua refers to sin as debt in the famous prayer (in Matthew 6): "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." These Gentiles had broken the law of commandments contained in ordinances, and had acquired a debt that they could not pay themselves.
They were in a state of enmity with the Father. Because they had violated Torah, the law of commandments was like a dividing wall between them and those in believing Israel. Only the blood of Yeshua was able to wipe the debt away, seeing he paid the penalty for breaking the law of commandments contained in ordinances in his death on the cross (Ephesians 2:13), slaying the hostility that existed.
This made it possible for these Gentiles to be joined together with those who were already in believing Israel, creating one new man out of the two groups (Ephesians 2:15b).
Notice that in the KJV there are two italicized words in Ephesians 2:15a - "even" and "contained." These words have been added by the translators for clarification of the text. Sometimes added words help to clarify, but sometimes added words can detract from the original intent of the passage. I believe we should remove both words and add a different italicized word in the place of "even." I suggest the passage to read as follows:
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity *against* the law of commandments in ordinances.”
This is recognized even further by noticing the parallel passage of Colossians 2:14. The book of Ephesians when read side by side with Colossians is similar and parallel in many places.
Colossians 2:14 is referring to a debt of sin against the law being blotted out, by mentioning the Greek term cheirographon (handwriting), and telling us that this is what was nailed to the cross. The law was not nailed to the cross; our sins against the law were nailed to the cross.
This is where we get the practice of the receipt spike, seen in many fast food restaurants today. Once you pay the money you owe, an employee takes your bill and sticks it over the spike. This states in a manner that the bill is destroyed because it has been paid. Yeshua nailed a spike through our debt owed to Yahweh when in his body on the cross, he took our sins upon him self. (ref. 1 Peter 2:24)