The Peace of the Cross

“He is our peace. He has made us both one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the Law comprised of commandments and ordinances so he could create in himself one new united mankind, making peace, and might reconcile both of us to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end” (Ephesians 2:14-16).

Paul is dealing particularly with the peace that comes from uniting Gentiles and Jews into one body of Christ (cp. 3:4-6). That was accomplished by connecting them with the same One and his most outstanding act among us. It’s reconciling people alienated from each other and from the One who makes us one by uniting us with him.

The loaf and cup represent two essentials of life that Jesus gave up on the cross to establish the basis for our being considered righteous unto relationship with a righteous God. Observing these emblems together commits us again to the meaning of the cross—a peace with God that’s beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7).