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the passage before us, is it translated 'to make'. The word is used of the
Creator Himself (Rom. 1:25), the creation of the world (Mark 13:19) and of
the creation of all things (Col. 1:16). Where the qualifying word 'new' is
used of creation, old things (2 Cor. 5:17) and former things (Rev. 21:1) pass
away, and come no more into mind (Isa. 65:17).
It has been taught by some that all that Ephesians 2:15 teaches is
that, whereas, before Acts 28, the Gentile had a subordinate place in the
blessings of Israel, now, the change had come, and the Gentiles had a place
of equality. That is not, however, entirely true. It assumes that the only
change that has been made is in the status of the Gentile, leaving the hope,
the calling and the sphere of blessing already revealed in Romans,
Corinthians, Thessalonians etc. unchanged. This, however, by no means
represents the truth. This would be an Evolution, but what we are facing is
a Creation. Let us notice the wording of the passage again, submitting now
the word, 'create' for the word 'make':
'For to create in Himself of twain one new man'.
We will now examine the word 'twain', duo. This Greek word is
translated 'two' over one hundred times in the New Testament. This is but a
variation in the wording, for the word 'both' has been used twice in
Ephesians 2:14,16 and reappears once more in verse 18. Further, both the
word 'twain' and the word 'both' have the article. It is some specific
company that is in view, which can be called 'the both' or 'the two'. The
two companies have already been named, they are believing Gentiles and
believers of Israel, called the circumcision and the uncircumcision, and
these 'two' were never so united even during the dispensation that followed
Pentecost, that they could be likened to 'One Body'. The figure which the
apostle employs rather emphasizes the inequality that obtained, even when
Romans was written, for he speaks of the Gentile believer, in Romans 11, as a
wild olive grafted contrary to nature into the true olive tree of Israel.
This figure continued to represent the subordinate position of the saved
Gentile up to the end of Acts. The new creation of Ephesians 2, did not turn
wild olives into cultivated ones, the truth being rather, that all that
belonged particularly to Israel was suspended. The olive tree was cut down
to the roots, the hope of Israel deferred, and a new dispensation hitherto
unrevealed and unsuspected, called the dispensation of the Mystery was made
known.
This is something entirely new. Israel as Israel have no place in it.
A believing Israelite could, of course, become a member of this newly created
company, but not as an Israelite. The Jew must leave his promises, his
relation to the New Covenant, his descent from Abraham, and his circumcision,
even as Paul had done. The Gentile must leave behind his alienation, his
uncircumcision, his promiseless and hopeless state, and 'the both' be made
one, 'the two' created one new man, in which all distinction of every shape
ceases to exist, 'so making peace'. The peace here is not the peace which
the saved sinner experiences when justified by faith nor that peace
of God which passeth all understanding, it is a 'peace' that replaces
previously existing 'enmity'. The enmity of Ephesians 2:15 which had been
abolished, and which was symbolized by the middle wall of partition, was not
a middle wall between the believer and his God, but a middle wall that
separated believers of the Gentiles from believers who were Jews, the enmity
being the fruit, not of sin, but of 'the law of commandments contained in
ordinances'. First let us be sure that we appreciate the figure of the
middle wall. Josephus says: