Shavuot/Pentecost: The One New Man

THE ONE NEW MAN

 Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks) is the second harvest festival on which the priest’s unusual wave offering foreshadowed the “mystery of Jesus Christ hidden deep in the heart of God.”

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,  having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.  And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:11-18:

The bougainvillea bush growing right outside my window is a wonderful example of the one new man. On one stem there are two blossoms, exact in every way except the color—one is pink and the other is white -different and yet the same. I believe there is a common, although inaccurate, teaching in some churches that Gentiles become “spiritual Jews” when they are saved, and that the church becomes “spiritual Israel.” How can this be?  Just as men remain men and women remain women when they are born of God through faith in Jesus, Jews remain Jews and Gentiles remain Gentiles.  Simply we are each regenerated, saved and delivered Jews, Gentiles, men and women.   We maintain our physical identity and yet all are nourished from the same spiritual root – God!

One bush, with distinctions but equal.

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