from far and near

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Ephesians 2:17

All of us are far from the cross when we first hear the gospel. We are drawn to it in so many ways that we may never have really consciously connected at first. Some people start out closer than others. But God is doing this great gathering through the church proclaiming the gospel. Paul’s teaching to the Gentile Ephesians emphasizes how they started out far from Christ: pagan worshipers of multiple false gods, Gentiles, removed from Israel, and distant from the God of the Bible. Whereas Paul as a Jew was closer by virtue of believing in God, having the Old Testament, knowing the Law, even living in the region where Christ preached, died, and rose again.

Yet the cross did not reward one circumstance over the other. Even though Gentiles were far from God, the cross draws them near. Jesus reached all the nations. He commanded His disciples to preach Him to the world… to every ethnic group without exception. He came to draw all people to Himself and in that way to bring the world together. The gospel makes peace among the nations. No human will ever achieve this.

Drawing near to Jesus, repenting of sin, submitting to the King and His Kingdom, receiving new life, dying to self, and living in the Spirit directed by God’s Word all bring saints together. No section of the globe is hidden from the powerful, unifying gravity of the gospel. Both far and near unite in Jesus. The gospel is designed to be the unifying center of the human experience. Christians know this and if anyone harbors a vision of exclusion, they are not in Christ.