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Who are Jews? Who are Gentiles? “Gentile” in Latin is “goy” – a nation, belonging to a tribe/clan. The implication is that Gentiles, as “non Jews”, are pagans, heathens or idolaters. There is a great cultural and religious divide between the two. Gentiles are considered as unclean, alienated from God, not chosen by God, spiritual rejects and strangers from the Covenant of Promise. Jews are proud of their heritage as a nation specially chosen by God. They attached more significance to their being chosen by God and view all Gentiles as “lesser people without the Torah (Law)”. God knows that it requires more than “re-education” to abolish these long-term prejudices. Through Jesus, God gives both the Jews and Gentiles a new nature, a new heart and implant a new Spirit in them. Without this “newness”, the unregenerate Jew and the irreligious Gentile could not hope to be reconciling one to another. There is this re-making into a new people – the CHRISTians. Herein lies the greatness of Christian salvation – nothing less than the grace and power of God could ever achieve it.
Peace between Jews and Gentiles is not just an absence of war. It is not to be seen as a “United Nations” – a coming together of different people; not a modification of Gentile and a modification of Jew. It is not just a change from hostile to friendly relationships; not the patching up of a disagreement; not merely friendship after an estrangement; not a compromise. It is more, much more than all these. It is the bringing together into a position of complete harmony and peace. It is total and complete reconciliation.
The kind of peace Jesus brings require the abolishing of the old self, be it Jew or Gentile, and the creation of a new people. It is not an improvement of the old – it is absolutely new (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:28). Salvation is God’s glorious plan to craft the new people and in doing so put an end to hostility and separation. Man reconciled to God and man reconciled to man. A new Law of Love controls this new people: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (Jn. 13:34). It is God’s intent to create a new people under the Law of Love. This is the Temple of the Holy Spirit – the Church, the Body of Christ.
