'Rightly dividing the Word of truth' (2 Tim. 2:15).

These notes are but an appendix to a special subject.

Fuller notes

will be found in the study dealing with Ephesians itself.

The references to 'His flesh' in Hebrews 10, Ephesians 2 and Colossians

1 have something in common, even though they refer to two very distinct

callings.  The idea of 'access' is common to them all.  The actual words

employed may differ, one saying 'entrance', another saying 'made nigh', and

yet another saying 'presented', but access into the presence of God is

uppermost in each case.  One feature which Ephesians 2 has in common with

Colossians 1, is that in both cases the word 'reconciliation' is employed.

Now this feature was omitted from our consideration above, when we were

examining the peculiar character of the newly created New Man in Ephesians

2:15, but it will be seen that if enmity had separated 'the both' and 'the

two', and if that enmity arose out of some enactment that could be likened to

the middle wall which prevented access to the Gentile, then, if that middle

wall be broken down, the enmity abolished, the both made one, the sequel can

be expressed as in verse 16:

'And that He might Reconcile The Both unto God in one body by the

cross, having slain the enmity thereby'.

Creation is much more strongly stressed in Colossians 1 than it is in

Ephesians 2, but the correspondence between the doctrinal and the practical

portions is maintained, and creation figures in both:

'For to create in Himself of the twain one new man, so

making peace' (Eph. 2:15).

'Put on the new man, which after God is created in

righteousness and true holiness' (Eph. 4:24).

'Who is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of

every creature: for by Him were all things created' (Col.

'And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge

after the image of Him that created him: where there is

neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision,

Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and

in all' (Col. 3:10,11).

Not only are these features repeated, but we have in both passages an

alienation.  In Ephesians 2 the alienation is dispensational; it refers to

privilege and attaches to the condition of uncircumcision or of being a

Gentile.  Sin does not come into the question.  In Colossians alienation is

again in view, but this is alienation brought about by wicked works, and the

reconciliation which is uppermost here is the reconciling which takes place

'now', not so much the reconciliation that must be effected between the

church of the Mystery and the heavenly powers, but the basic reconciliation

without which no man shall see God:

'Yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to

present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight' (Col.